Zakaat Tracker

Zakaat is one of the five pillars of Islam and an obligatory act of worship through wealth purification. It is a fixed portion of one's wealth given annually to those entitled to receive it.

In Hanafi fiqh, as detailed in Bahar-e-Shariat and Fatawa Razawiyyah, Zakaat is a right of the poor over the wealth of the rich — not a charity, but an obligation that purifies one's wealth and soul.

Reference: Bahar-e-Shariat, Vol. 1, Part 5 · Fatawa Razawiyyah, Vol. 10

Zakaat is obligatory upon a person who meets ALL of the following conditions:

• Muslim
• Sane (Aaqil)
• Adult (Baaligh)
• Free (not enslaved)
• Possessing wealth at or above the Nisab
• The wealth has been in one's possession for one complete lunar year (Hawl)

Note: The Hawl (lunar year) begins from the date one first acquires Nisab-level wealth.

Allah ﷻ specifies the eight categories of Zakaat recipients in Surah At-Tawbah (9:60):

1. Fuqaraa — The poor (those who own less than Nisab)
2. Masaakeen — The needy (those in greater deprivation)
3. Aamileen alayha — Zakaat collectors appointed by a Muslim authority
4. Mu'allafat al-Quloob — Those whose hearts are to be reconciled to Islam
5. Ar-Riqaab — For the freeing of those in bondage
6. Al-Ghaarimeen — Those burdened with debt (not incurred in sin)
7. Fi Sabeelillah — In the path of Allah
8. Ibn as-Sabeel — The stranded traveller who lacks funds to return home

Zakaat cannot be given to one's own parents, children, spouse, or to a non-Muslim.

Zakaat becomes due once one full lunar (Hijri) year has passed over wealth that equals or exceeds the Nisab threshold. This anniversary is known as the Hawl.

Many scholars and the tradition of the blessed Companions (Sahaba) recommend paying Zakaat during the holy month of Ramadan due to the immense spiritual reward multiplied in that month.

It is permissible to pay Zakaat in advance before the Hawl has completed, as long as the Nisab has been reached. (Fatawa Razawiyyah, Vol. 10)

Reference: Bahar-e-Shariat, Part 5, Chapter on Zakaat · Fatawa Razawiyyah, Vol. 10