Learn about Zakat and Hajj

Learn the basics of Zakat

• Zakat is an obligatory annual charity of 2.5% of your savings and qualifying wealth.
• It is due once your savings pass a minimum threshold called the nisab, roughly the value of 85 grams of gold, which is updated every year.
• The wealth has to have been held for one full lunar year (hawl) before Zakat is due on it.
• It is calculated on savings, investments, gold, silver, and business assets. Your home, your car, and your everyday belongings are not counted.
• It goes to specific categories of people in need, including the poor, people in debt, and travelers who are stranded.
• Many Muslims pay their Zakat during Ramadan, though it can be paid at any time of year.

Learn how to calculate your Zakat

• Add up your total qualifying wealth: savings accounts, cash, investments, gold, silver, and business inventory.
• Subtract any debts you owe.
• If what is left is above the nisab threshold, pay 2.5% of that total as Zakat.
• Use an online Zakat calculator, since many Islamic organizations offer free ones.
• Keep your first year simple and stick to cash savings. The finer details can wait until your finances get more complicated.

Understand Sadaqah (voluntary charity)

• Alongside obligatory Zakat, Islam strongly encourages voluntary giving, called Sadaqah.
• Sadaqah can be money, and it can also be a kind word, helping someone carry their groceries, or smiling at somebody.
• The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Every act of goodness is charity.'
• You can give Sadaqah at any time, in any amount, to anyone in need.
• Get into the habit of giving regularly, even if the amounts are small. Consistency in charity is beloved to Allah.

Learn about the Hajj pilgrimage

• Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, that every Muslim must make once in their lifetime if they are physically and financially able.
• It falls in the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah and lasts five to six days.
• Pilgrims wear plain white garments (ihram), which put everyone on the same footing before Allah whatever their wealth or status.
• The rituals include circling the Ka'bah (tawaf), walking between the hills of Safa and Marwa, standing at the plain of Arafat, and the symbolic stoning of the devil.
• Hajj ends with Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, which Muslims celebrate worldwide.
• Ask anyone who has been, and most will tell you nothing else in their life compares.

Plan for the future

• Nobody is pushing you to go now. Many Muslims save for years first.
• Hajj becomes obligatory only when you are physically and financially able, meaning you can afford it without shortchanging your own needs or the people who depend on you.
• In the meantime, Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) can be done at any time of year and is worth doing.
• Open a Hajj savings fund, even for a small amount each month. It adds up.
• Read about Hajj, watch documentaries, and listen to people who have been. It gets you ready long before you go.