Zakat and Sadaqah

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Zakat and Sadaqah have many similarities. For one, both involve giving something that belongs to you to someone who has a need for it. However, there are a few key differences, which we will go over in detail in today’s post.

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What is the Difference between Sadaqah and Zakat?

The first thing to know about Zakat and Sadaqah is that under no circumstances can both terms be used interchangeably. If a Muslim is paying Zakat, they are not paying Sadaqah. If a person is paying Sadaqah, they are not paying Zakat. Even though both tasks entail providing financial, material, and economic help for those who cannot provide for themselves, they are two completely different Islamic concepts.

Zakat at a Glance

Zakat is one of five fundamental concepts in Islam, also referred to as the Five Pillars of Islam. As such, it is compulsory for all Muslims to perform this duty, provided they meet certain conditions. The concept of Zakat is to purify one’s wealth and soul. All those Muslims whose savings meet or exceed Nisab values are obligated to pay 2.5% of their total yearly savings to the poor and needy and for the welfare of the Muslim community. Zakat is calculated based on total savings during one lunar year. Even items like gold and jewellery fall under Zakatable items, and their worth is taken into account during the calculations.

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Sadaqah

Sadaqah, on the other hand, is purely voluntary. It can be given at any time to anyone, and it can be of any amount or anything, including a material object. As such, there is an enormous amount of flexibility here. Anyone can receive it, but the idea is to give Sadaqah to those who truly need it. This is an act done purely to earn the blessings of Allah (SWT) and to assist other people. Saqadah can be any monetary amount; however, it is not limited to that. Food rations, clothing garments, and any type of household accessories work perfectly fine as well. In fact, when it comes to relief aid efforts, such items are often desired and eagerly sought. The idea is to donate something for a noble cause of your own free will, not because it was preordained by Allah (SWT) like Zakat. Sadaqah is not a religious obligation. It is, however, greatly endorsed and favoured in Islam.

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The Holy Qur’an and Islamic literature are full of information about both these concepts. However, for the sake of simplicity, we wanted to break things down into easy-to-understand explanations for our readers. We hope that this post clarifies the two Islamic concepts adequately. For more information on Zakat, Sadaqah, or similar topics, be sure to visit Muslim Aid’s Ramadan blog for a list of unique topics pertaining to Islam, Ramadan, and Muslim Aid’s latest relief aid activities.

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