Zakat is the obligatory charity that Muslims pay on qualifying wealth. The word is connected with purification and growth, and zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam.

The Qur'an repeatedly joins zakat with prayer. In Surah Al-Baqarah, chapter two, verse forty-three, an English translation of the meaning reads: “And establish prayer and give zakah and bow with those who bow”. And in Surah At-Tawbah, chapter nine, verse one hundred and three, the Prophet, peace be upon him, is told: “Take, O, Muhammad, from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase”. So zakat is described as something that purifies, and causes growth.

The hadith confirm its place. Ibn Umar reported that Islam is based on five principles, including paying zakat, in Sahih al-Bukhari, number eight. And when the Prophet sent his companion Mu'adh to Yemen, he told him to teach the people that Allah had made zakat obligatory on their property, to be taken from the wealthy among them and given to their poor. That is in Sahih al-Bukhari, number thirteen hundred and ninety-five.

It helps to distinguish zakat from sadaqah. Zakat has a fixed threshold, a fixed rate, and defined recipients, and it is due each year in which your qualifying wealth stays above the threshold. Sadaqah is voluntary charity. It has no minimum, and it can be given at any time, in any amount. Both are valuable, but only zakat is a pillar.

Scholars differ on some general points, such as whether zakat is due on the wealth of children, or of people who are not of sound mind. The majority hold that it is, paid by the guardian, while the Hanafi school holds that it is not. Follow your school or a trusted teacher.

The next lessons cover the threshold and the rate, zakat on gold, cash, business and investments, who may receive it, and the separate zakat al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan.