Deenelio Quiz — Zakat: Assets and Recipients

Key concepts

Thresholds and the lunar year

The nisab is the minimum amount at which the relevant zakat becomes due. The coin report gives twenty gold dinars and two hundred silver dirhams, equivalent to five awqiyahs of silver. A complete lunar year is required for the coins described. The silver rate is one fortieth, or 2.5%, distinguishing a threshold from the amount to pay.
Crops and irrigation rates

The zakat rate for qualifying crops watered by rain is a tenth, while the rate for crops watered with irrigation effort is half a tenth. The distinction reflects how the crop receives water. These figures concern the qualifying produce addressed in the texts.
The livestock examples

Five camels are the minimum mentioned, with one sheep due on five to nine qualifying camels. The collection letter specifies one sheep on forty to one hundred twenty grazing sheep. Combining or dividing herds to evade zakat is prohibited. Elderly or defective animals are normally excluded from collection, subject to the collector’s choice mentioned in the report.
The eight categories of recipients

Quran 9:60 names eight categories: the poor, the needy, zakat workers, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, freeing people from bondage, debtors, Allah’s cause and the stranded traveller. These named purposes guide distribution. The Arabic terms al-gharimun and ibn al-sabil refer respectively to debtors and the traveller.
Giving and kinship

A hadith gives charity to a needy relative two merits: charity itself and maintaining kinship. This encourages attention to genuine needs within the family. The qualifying conditions and the named zakat categories still guide obligatory distribution, while the hadith explains the added value of helping a relative.

Zakat: Assets and Recipients

Key concepts

Further reading and resources