Zakat FAQ 2025
Salary. Gold jewellery. Pension. Shares. Missed years. Family members. These are the questions people actually search for — answered plainly.
No skipping. Zakat is fard — compulsory — on every adult, sane Muslim who owns wealth above the Nisab for a full lunar year. Deliberately withholding it is a major sin in Islam. The Quran is explicit about this in multiple verses. That said, if your wealth is genuinely below Nisab, it simply doesn't apply to you.
The Nisab is 87.48 grams of gold (roughly ₹7–8 lakh in India right now) or 612.36 grams of silver (roughly ₹61,000–₹65,000 in India). For most people with a mix of assets — cash, investments, gold — use the silver Nisab. It's lower, which is what most contemporary scholars recommend for mixed assets.
Not monthly. Zakat isn't on income — it's on savings. What you've accumulated and held above Nisab for a full lunar year. On your Zakat anniversary date each year, total up what you have saved, check if it's above Nisab, and pay 2.5% on the total. Salary you received and already spent doesn't count.
This is the most-debated Zakat question among scholars. The Hanafi school — followed by most Muslims in South Asia — says yes, Zakat is due on all gold jewellery regardless of whether you wear it. The Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools generally exempt jewellery worn regularly. If you're unsure, include it. Better to give more than to miss an obligation.
Your home that you live in: no. Your car that you use daily: no. Property you bought to sell or rent out: Zakat applies to the rental income. A second property sitting idle as investment: some scholars say Zakat is due on its market value, others disagree. Consult a scholar for property-specific rulings.
For Defined Contribution plans like EPF or NPS where you can eventually withdraw: most scholars say Zakat is due on the current withdrawal value each year. For Defined Benefit pensions where you get fixed payments: Zakat applies to each payment once received, if you hold it above Nisab. This area has genuinely varied scholarly opinions.
Yes. Stocks and mutual funds are zakatable at their current market value on your Zakat date. If you're a long-term investor, pay 2.5% of whatever your portfolio is worth on that day. If you actively trade shares as a business, the same applies — 2.5% on the market value of your holdings.
The majority scholarly position: no, not directly. Zakat must be given to eligible individuals — the 8 categories listed in the Quran. A mosque itself isn't a 'recipient.' Some contemporary scholars allow it under Fi Sabilillah, but this is a minority view. The safer position is giving Zakat to individuals, not institutions.
Not to people you're financially responsible for — parents you support, your children, your grandparents. You also can't give it to your spouse (who you're obligated to maintain). But extended family? Yes. Siblings, cousins, in-laws, aunts and uncles — all fine if they're eligible. Giving to needy relatives even earns extra reward.
Pay it all. There's no expiry on missed Zakat — it remains a debt on your wealth until settled. Go back through the years you missed, estimate what you owned above Nisab each year, and pay 2.5% for each. Make sincere tawbah and get it sorted. The sooner the better.
Yes, this is called ta'jeel — paying in advance. It's permissible if you're confident your wealth will stay above Nisab. Many Muslims do this deliberately in Ramadan to get the multiplied reward. If for some reason your wealth drops below Nisab before your Hawl ends, you can ask for the amount back or apply it to the following year.
If the debt is genuine and you reasonably expect to get it back — include it in your zakatable assets. If it's a doubtful debt (you're not sure you'll ever see the money), most scholars say hold off until you actually receive it. When you do get it, pay Zakat for all the years it was owed in one payment.
Zakat: compulsory, 2.5% rate, specific conditions, specific recipients only, paid annually. Sadaqah: completely voluntary, any amount, no conditions, can go to anyone. Both are acts of worship. But they're not interchangeable — you can't fulfil your Zakat obligation by giving sadaqah.
Agricultural produce has its own category — Ushr, not the regular 2.5% Zakat. The rate is 10% if the land is naturally irrigated (rain-fed), 5% if artificially irrigated (borewell, pump), or 7.5% for a mix. It's paid at each harvest, not annually, and there's no Hawl condition.
Your primary home: exempt. Property held as investment to sell: Zakat on its market value, some scholars say. Rental property: Zakat applies to the rental income you receive and accumulate above Nisab. Commercial property: Zakat on the business income and stock, not the building itself. Real estate Zakat gets complicated — a scholar's input is worth it here.