What is zakat?
Zakat is the third pillar of Islam: a yearly due of 2.5% on the wealth a Muslim has held for a lunar year, given to those entitled to it. Allah pairs it with prayer throughout the Quran, and commands: 'Take from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them to grow' (Surah at-Tawbah 9:103). It is not a tax on income but a yearly share of standing wealth above a threshold (the nisab), purifying what remains and circulating it to the poor.
The nisab and what is counted
Zakat is due only once your net zakatable wealth reaches the nisab - the value of 85g of gold or 595g of silver - and a lunar year has passed over it. Zakatable wealth includes cash, gold and silver, money saved, trade goods, and money owed to you that you expect back; debts you owe are deducted. Scholars differ on whether to use the gold or the silver nisab; many use the lower (silver) so that more reaches the poor. The rate is a quarter of a tenth - 2.5%.
Who receives zakat
The Quran names eight categories who may receive zakat: 'Zakat is only for the poor and the needy, and those employed to collect it, and for bringing hearts together, and to free captives and debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and for the stranded traveller' (Surah at-Tawbah 9:60). Giving it to those entitled - often through a trusted local mosque or charity - completes the act.
Why zakat purifies
Zakat is not a tax; it is an act of worship with a promise attached. The Quran commands: 'Take from their wealth a charity to cleanse and purify them' (Surah at-Tawbah 9:103) - the word zakat itself carries the meanings of purification and growth. Paying it cleanses the rest of your wealth and your heart of attachment to it, and what leaves your hand for the poor does not diminish you before Allah. Scholars describe it as the bridge between worship and society: the third pillar of Islam, sitting right after prayer in dozens of Quranic verses. Treating the calculation seriously - counting properly, on time, every lunar year - is part of honoring that. A few careful minutes with an honest number is worth more than a rounded guess, because the recipients have a defined right to the exact amount.
Using this calculator
Enter each asset class you have held over the lunar year: cash in hand and bank, gold and silver by weight or value, business inventory, investments, and money owed to you that you expect back. Then enter deductible debts. The calculator compares your net total against the nisab - you can base it on gold or silver, and the toggle explains the difference - and if you are above it, applies the classical 2.5% rate. The breakdown chart shows exactly where your zakat comes from, you can save scenarios to compare (for example, before and after settling a debt), and the printable summary is handy for your records or for your local mosque. Everything runs in your browser: no amounts are sent anywhere, ever.