Zakah, Zakat al-Fitr, & Fidya
Obligatory Charities
What is Zakah?
a.k.a. Zakat al-Mal
Zakah is charity we give once a year, usually during the month of Ramadan. It is one of the 5 pillars of Islam and is considered mandatory for Muslims.
Sidi used to say that it was important to pay your zakah early in the month of Ramadan.
Zakah is one of the obligations for the seeker because giving even a small amount from your wealth cleans and purifies the heart. In fact, the word “zakah” literally means, “that which purifies.”
Zakah is so important to Allah, Most High, that He revealed it to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as part of the Qur’an. Zakah is mentioned 30 times in the Qur’an, alongside and second-only to salah.
The Spirit of Zakah
A famous saying of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is, “All people are beloved to Allah, but the most beloved to Him are the ones who are most beneficial to His children.”
Why? Because Allah tenderly loves and cares for all of His creation, and therefore He loves those who help His children.
Our beloved guide Sidi always encouraged us to give to the poor and the needy. He reminded us and showed us how to hear the crying of all who are in need, all who are sick, all who have been harmed unjustly, and to immediately respond with not just words, but with action.
In Sufism, feeding and clothing the poor, giving them shelter and comfort and kindness, is one of the holiest acts of remembering Allah. Because when we care for others as we care for ourselves, and we want for others what we want for ourselves, we are truly embodying Allah’s Unity.
When we give zakah it purifies and beautifies our hearts. But that’s not the only reason we give it.
We give zakah because it creates a world that is beautiful, where we all love and support one another. In it we embody and live the Divine Truth that we are all made from one soul (Qur’an 7:189).
To create the world we wish to live in, we have to help one another as best as we can
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the early leaders of Islam would not go to sleep at night if they knew someone in their village was hungry or unsafe. They cared for every person in the community, regardless of race or social class. When they looked at anyone, they saw Allah.
Paying zakah is our yearly reminder that we need to care for all people–not just our own families. This includes our neighbors, our town, and our whole region.
Can you extend your heart to embrace not just your region but your whole country? The whole world?
Take a moment and imagine embracing everyone in the entire world and loving all of them, caring for all of them, wanting all of them to have every need met, every hurt soothed, and every hardship eased.
Imagine what life would be like if, when we looked at someone we didn’t know, we perceived that they were just like us. Their spirit is from Allah’s spirit. Their body is just like yours and everyone else’s.
In Sufism, everyone is considered a brother or sister in humanity. This is how the heart of a Sufi perceives the world.
And this is why we give zakah.
Calculating your Zakah
The amount of zakah you give depends upon the value of all of the items you own today minus any debt you are carrying. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ informed us that we should pay half a dinar for every twenty dinars we possess, which is 2.5% (Sahih ibn Majah, 3/291).
When calculating your yearly zakah payment, first find the total value of all assets you own. If today your house is worth $400,000, use that number minus any debt you still owe on it.
Next, subtract all debt you owe from the total value of your assets. Calculate 2.5% of the difference and that amount is what you pay for zakah.
When considering a debt like a student loan, subtract out the amount you paid over the course of the last year, not the total amount you owe.
How to give Zakah
Giving zakah to beloveds in the U.S.
Over two decades ago SSC created a program to support members of our community who have immediate and critical financial need. This program is our Beloveds In Need program.
This program operates all year long to help those who find themselves in financial crisis.
This program does not only provide money, it provides financial counseling and free healings for those who need them.
When you give your zakah to the Beloveds In Need program, it will go directly to individuals in the U.S. who need financial support to meet their basic needs, which is the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
The Highest Ethical Standards
SSC is committed to operating in an ethical and transparent manner in all of our operations.
If you have any questions about the donation process you are free to contact us at any time.
Our intention is to always be in service to Allah through serving His beloveds in the cleanest way possible.
And Allah is the Help, the Guide, the Generous, and the Best Manager of Our Affairs.
May He always help and guide us and manage our affairs with mercy and generosity. Amin.
Zakat al-Fitr
Zakat al-Fitr is a special obligatory charity we give to help everyone in need during `Eid al-Fitr, the 30day feast that takes place immediately after Ramadan. Your Zakat al-Fitr ensures everyone will have money for food and new clothing for the holiday.
To fulfill this obligation, Sidi instructed us to give $15-$25 per person in our household. As with all zakah and sadaqah, we give charity only if we have the means to do so.
One important point Sidi made often about Zakat al-Fitr: because its purpose is to help people with ‘Eid expenses, it’s important to donate earlier in the month. SSC distributes Zakat al-Fitr to community members in need on the 20th day of Ramadan, insha’allah, so that people will have plenty of time to shop for food and new clothing.
Fidya
When we are unable to fast during Ramadan, we are obligated to make up the fasting days we missed. To make up missed days, we can either fast during a different time of the year or we can give charity (called fidya).
To give Fidya you donate food for one person for one day for every day of fasting you missed. If you missed five days of fasting, you give five days of food to someone in need. You can also give this person the money to buy five days of food.
Typically, the value of one day’s food is considered $5-$15 a day. However, Sidi always urged us to spend on food for the poor what we would spend on food for ourselves.