Guard your wealth by paying Zakat, seek cure for your sick by giving charity, and protect yourselves from affliction by supplication. (Hadith)
What is Zakat?
Zakat is the third pillar of Islam and is a form of worship that involves wealth. It is, however, obligatory upon every Muslim to pay a portion of his earnings once in a lunar (Hijra) year to the poor and the needy when their earnings reach a prescribed amount (called “Nisab” ) above his/her needs. It was commanded to the Muslims in the second year of Hijra, Allah (SWT) says in the Holy Qur’an: “And establish regular Prayer and give Zakah, and bow down your heads with those who bow down (in prayer)”. (2:43).
What the word Zakat means?
It is derived from the Arabic word “Zakah” which means “cleanliness, purification, increase, growth, righteousness, blessing and praise”.
When, How much, and to Whom to pay?
Zakah has to be paid once a year from the date a Muslim’s wealth equals or exceeded the Nisab. However, only 2.5% of the wealth has to be donated to the 8 types/categories of eligible recipients as described in the Holy Quran. Allah says, “Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler – an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.” (Al-Tawba: 60)
Pay your Zakat Now
To know whether you are eligible to pay Zakat, we have built for you an easy-to-use Zakat Calculator.
What are the benefits of paying Zakat?
Zakat has many benefits and several positive impacts on the society and is as follows;
- It is for the welfare of the unprivileged people of society.
- It is the blessing of Allah (SWT) for the giver as well as for the receiver, as it improves the total economy of the nation.
- It establishes a society on humanitarian grounds.
- It removes the economic hardship for the poor and needy and reduces the inequality among different groups of people in society.
- It satisfies the recipient’s needs and alleviates his financial as well as mental suffering. Thus, it creates love and brotherhood between the rich and poor, minimizes social tensions, and bridges the gap between the poor and the rich. In this way, Zakah develops social and economic security in the community and brings its all members closer together.
However, if today the whole world would follow the principle of Zakat, all the financial problems, unemployment, and poverty would vanish, thus reducing crime and frustration in society.
How Hayat Orphanage uses your donations?
At Hayat Orphanage, we use your donation/zakat in the best possible manner. Fortunately, Hayat Orphanage at the moment supports 100+ orphan children in Afghanistan. Where they are being offered proper education, lodging, food, clothing, school books, shoes, medications, and other primary necessities. And with your continuous donations, we can be able to help more and more orphans across the country.
Quranic Verses about Zakat
Some of the Quranic verses are described below in which the benefits and importance of Zakah are mentioned.
Hadith of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) about Zakat
Some of the Ahadith/Sayings of the Holy Prophet are described below in which the importance and benefits of Zakah are mentioned.
- Guard your wealth by paying Zakat, seek a cure for your sick by giving charity, and protect yourselves from affliction by supplication.
- One who pays Zakat and receives his guest with generosity, and the one who returns what is due to others, are protected from niggardliness.
- A nation that does not pay Zakat, Allah afflicts famine on them.
- When people stop giving Zakat the rain stops coming down. The only reason it still rains however is because of the animals.
- When Zakat is looked upon as a penalty, then look for violent windstorms, earthquakes, men being swallowed by the earth, metamorphosis, stones being pelted from the skies, and calamities following one another in rapid successions, like beads of rosary falling one after the other when its string is cut.
Note: The above ahadith are taken from Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Abu Dawood, Nasai, Ibn Majah, Tirmizi, Baihaki, and Miskat.
Types of Zakat
In Islam, we have two types of Zakat, one is Zakat in Wealth and the other is Zakat on Jism (Body) or is also called Zakat-ul-Fitr. Zakat in wealth is the third pillar of Islam and is obligatory upon every Muslim whose annual income has exceeded the Nisab threshold. They are obliged to pay only 2.5% of their earnings to the poor and the needy once a year. While Zakat-ul-Fitr has to be paid upon the completion of the fasting in the month of Ramazan before the Eid-ul-Fitr congregational prayer and is also a compulsory deed upon Muslims. However, the rate per person to pay Zakat-ul-Fitr is 5 pounds in the UK.
What is Fidya?
Fidya is a compulsory charity act upon those Muslims who are unable to fast during the month of Ramazan. And that is because of an illness, pregnancy, travel, menstruation, old age, and any other valid reasons. As described in the Holy Quran, Allah says: “Fast a prescribed number of days. But whoever of you is ill or on a journey, then let them fast an equal number of days after Ramadan. For those who can only fast with extreme difficulty, compensation can be made by feeding a needy person for every day not fasted. But whoever volunteers to give more, it is better for them. And to fast is better for you, if only you knew.” Al-Baqarah 2:184
The prescribed amount for Fidya as described in the Holy Quran is to feed a needy for every day not fasted which is equal to 5 pounds/day in the UK. If you are not sure about the amount of Fidya per day in your country, please consult a scholar in your hometown.
At Hayat Orphanage, we do accept your Fidya and we spent it by providing food facilities to the orphan boys and girls in our orphanage in Afghanistan. And, while with your Zakat we help their families financially and also provide the best class education to the orphan children. However, we need your support and cooperation to further provide assistance and humanitarian aid to the orphans in Afghanistan.
What is Kaffarah?
Kaffarah becomes compulsory when a Muslim intentionally and without a valid reason breaks his/her fast during the month of Ramazan. Kaffarah is a kind of penalty set forth by Allah for those who intentionally break their oath. And by paying Kaffarah Allah in this way forgives their sins. However, Kaffarah becomes obligatory when a person while fasting in Ramazan
- Intentionally eat or drink
- Intentionally vomit
- Have sexual intercourse or masturbate
- Intentionally miss fast during Ramazan
And to compensate Kaffarah for each day of Fasting missed during Ramazan, the person must either
- Feed 60 needy, or
- Free a slave from captive, or
- Fast for two consecutive months
In the UK, the per day of Kaffarah for 60 people is calculated as 300 pounds. If you are not sure about the amount of Kaffarah set in your country, please consult an Islamic scholar in your hometown.
However, we accept your Kaffarh at Hayat Orphanage and we use it to provide food facilities to the Afghan orphan children in our orphanage in Afghanistan. Currently, we support 200+ orphans at the orphanage, and the number increases day by day. Apart from supporting them financially, we also provide them with the best class education services with proper accommodation, clothing, stationeries, and much more.