Difference Between Zakat And Sadaqah According To Quran

What Is Zakat?

Zakat is a form of almsgiving to the Muslim Ummah treated in Islam as a religious obligation or tax, which, by Quranic ranking, is next after prayer (salat) in importance. Zakat is a required minimum contribution by Muslims in terms of money and property or goods that can help the muslims who mostly need assistance. Islam considers Zakat as tax which is obligatory to pay.

As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, zakat is a religious duty for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria of wealth to help the needy. It is a mandatory charitable contribution, often considered to be a tax. The payment and disputes on zakat have played a major role in the history of Islam, notably during the Ridda wars.

Zakat on wealth is based on the value of all of one’s possessions. It is customarily 2.5% (or ​¹⁄₄₀) of a Muslim’s total savings and wealth above a minimum amount known as nisab, but Islamic scholars differ on how much nisab is and other aspects of zakat. According to Islamic doctrine, the collected amount should be paid to the poor and the needy, Zakat collectors, recent converts to Islam, those to be freed from slavery, those in debt, in the cause of Allah and to benefit the stranded traveller.

Today, in most Muslim-majority countries, zakat contributions are voluntary, while in Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen, zakat is mandated and collected by the state (as of 2015). Shias, unlike Sunnis, traditionally regarded zakat as a private and voluntary action, and they give zakat to imam-sponsored rather than state-sponsored collectors.

What You Need To Know About Zakat

1. Zakat is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and is an obligatory annual payment made to purify all wealth held above the Nisab threshold value.
2. Zakat is enjoined in Islam on specific things, which are: gold, silver, crops, fruits, trade goods and animal livestock, i.e., camels, cattle and sheep.
3. Zakat is subject to the conditions that one full Hijri have passed since acquiring the wealth, and that the wealth meets the minimum threshold (nisaab), and it is a specific portion of wealth.
4. Allah has enjoined that Zakat be given to certain types of people, and it is not permissible to give it to anyone else.
5. Whoever dies and owes zakat, his heirs must pay it from his wealth, and that takes precedence over the will (wasiyah) and inheritance.
6. The one who withholds zakat is to be punished.
7. According to the four schools of law, it is not permissible to give zakat to one’s ascendants or descendents. Ascendants include one’s mother, father, grandfathers and grandmothers; descendents include one’s children and their children.
8. It is not permissible to give zakat to one who is rich or who is strong and able to earn a living.
9. It is not permissible to give zakat to kuffaar and mushrikeen.
10. It is not permissible for a Muslim to give zakat to his wife.
11. In the case of zakat, it is better for it to be taken from the rich of a land and given to their poor. Many scholars are of the view that it is not permissible to send it to another country unless that serves an interest
12. Zakat is mentioned 32 times in the Quran.
13. According to some schools of law, Zakat can be forcefully taken. The state can take punitive measures on the non-payers.
14. Zakat is most often monetary in nature.
15. Zakat amounts to 2.5% of an individual’s annual savings and cannot be given on behalf of another person.

What Is Sadaqah?

Sadaqah or Sadqah Arabic word for ‘’charity’’ or ‘’benevolence’’, in modern context the word refers to voluntary charity towards others, whether through friendship, generosity, love, compassion or faith. In other words, it is worshiping Allah by giving wealth without that being mandatory in Islamic law. According to the Quran, the words means voluntary giving of alms or charity whose amount is at the will of the ‘’benefactor’’. In Islamic context around the world, Sadaqah has been defined as an act of giving something without seeking a substitute in return and with the intention of pleasing Allah.

Sadaqah can be as simple as sharing a smile with a stranger or offering answers to someone seeking information or provide longer-term support such as donating to a homeless person you pass on the street or giving time to a friend or family member that needs support. Sadaqah can also be given in times of sadness, sickness and bereavement or even on behalf of others living or deceased. Regardless of your motivation, what counts when giving Sadaqah is sincerity. Sadaqah can be given in any amount one wishes and can be given on behalf of another person.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us the necessity of giving charity without delay, how it gives us protection, saves us from hellfire and also how it acts as a purifier of wealth.

What You Need To Know About Sadaqah

1. Sadaqah is the act of charity given purely out of compassion, love, friendship, religious duty or generosity.
2. With regard to sadaqah, it is not obligatory on any kind of wealth; rather it is what a person can give, without any specific limits or guidelines.
3. Sadaqah is not subject to any conditions, and it may be given at any time, in any amount.
4. With regard to Sadaqah, it may be given to those mentioned in the verse on Zakat and to others.
5. Whoever dies and owes Sadaqah, his heirs are under no obligation pay it from his wealth.
6. With regard to Sadaqah, the one who does not pay it will not be punished.
7. Sadaqah may be given to one’s ascendants and descendants.
8. Sadaqah may be given to those who are rich and those who are strong and able to earn
9. Sadaqah may be given to kuffaar and mushrikeen.
10. But Sadaqah may be given to one’s wife.
11. But charity may be spent on those who are near and those who are far.
12. Sadaqah is mentioned only four times in the Quran.
13. Sadaqah is never enforced upon people.
14. Sadaqah can be in the forms of money, deeds, property or salutations.
15. Sadaqah can be given in any amount one wishes and can be given on behalf of another person.

Also Read: Difference Between Sunni And Shia Muslim

Difference Between Zakat And Sadaqah In Tabular Form