Annual 2.5% Ramadan charity donation

Northen Southener —

I was once told that we should all pay 2.5% of all our worldly posessions as like a charity tax every year.

My cashflow is usually a bit all over the place and I don't think I ever have 2.5% of what I own as liquid capital in my account at any point in the year.

I do however make regular donations (monthly ones to like Water Aid and NSPCC and one offs like to the chap whos doing the 10k to raise money for the Revival) throughout the year that amount to more than 2.5% of everything I own.

Does this count? Do I get let off the hook for not having made that one off donation last Ramadan?

Northen Southener — Thu, 3 May 2012 - 16:52

Is that what the technical term for it is?
I wrote a whole essay explaining myself.
Where's my essay gone? Why's there only a title on this blog and no main body?
I know I'm old and all that, but I didn't think basic IT tasks like this would have been beyond me.
Not happy...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Northen Southener — Thu, 3 May 2012 - 16:52

Is that what the technical term for it is?
I wrote a whole essay explaining myself.
Where's my essay gone? Why's there only a title on this blog and no main body?
I know I'm old and all that, but I didn't think basic IT tasks like this would have been beyond me.
Not happy...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TPOS — Thu, 3 May 2012 - 18:13

There seems to be a technical glitch. If that happens to me, I press the back button and the writing is all there, then I click edit on the blog and copy and paste what I wrote 🙂

You — Thu, 3 May 2012 - 18:52

Charity and zakaah are different.

Charity is voluntary and encouraged, zakaah isnt and is obligated.

 

Zakaah is not due in ramadan, but at any moment that you are above the needed criteria and have been so for 1 year.

At that point you take stock of your wealth (minus car, property etc), minus your owables (debts to be paid within the next year, or part debt, like what the mortgage you will pay will be) and then divide that figure by 40 in the case of normal wealth.

That is obligated on you to give to one of a specifically ordained groups of people.

If you have eg livestock, the figures work differently from money and if you are a farmer, your owables are higher too (up to 20% but here you should really consult a scholar).

This is different from charity and the two should not be seen as the same one one does not cover the moral obligation of the other - you cant think that you give zakaah and then stop being "generous" otherwise.

Northen Southener — Thu, 3 May 2012 - 19:08

So if I don't have livestock and am not a farmer - just a normal chap who works in a dull office in the north of england who rents a little 3 bedroom house and has a car on finance and doesn't have any debts (other than the shopping he's done using the credit card) and no savings that i've had or will have for over a year - am I not expected to pay any zakaat?

Northen Southener — Thu, 3 May 2012 - 19:26

[quote=You]

if you have more than the monetary value of 595 grams of silver (used to be around £80 a year or two ago but prices have gone up, so will need to be checked) in your account, you need to pay up.

you can listen to a radio question and answer session on zakaah over here:

http://www.therevival.co.uk/audio/lets-talk-show-q-on-zakaah

[/quote]

Is there like an up to date currency version of these rules?

I don't farm, don't have cattle, don't have gold and silver in my savings

I live in 2012

*dash1*

TPOS — Thu, 3 May 2012 - 19:56

[quote=Northen Southener]

[quote=You]

if you have more than the monetary value of 595 grams of silver (used to be around £80 a year or two ago but prices have gone up, so will need to be checked) in your account, you need to pay up.

you can listen to a radio question and answer session on zakaah over here:

http://www.therevival.co.uk/audio/lets-talk-show-q-on-zakaah

[/quote]

Is there like an up to date currency version of these rules?

I don't farm, don't have cattle, don't have gold and silver in my savings

I live in 2012

*dash1*

[/quote]

Dude, read the article!

Zakah is also paid on savings of money and is obligatory upon every person that has hit puberty. 

www.hidaya.org << there should be a zakah caculator here, my internet is being stupid and not loading the page, so I'm not sure what exactly it looks like.  

EDIT: It calculates in dollars. I'm sure you can find one that is english though. Google to the rescue.

Northen Southener — Thu, 3 May 2012 - 21:53

So - why do people do it in Ramadan?
Is it because you get more house points?
What if you decide to do it when you get your Christmas bonus from work every year rather then wait until Ramadan? Is that allowed?

TPOS — Thu, 3 May 2012 - 22:14

[quote=Northen Southener]So - why do people do it in Ramadan? Is it because you get more house points? What if you decide to do it when you get your Christmas bonus from work every year rather then wait until Ramadan? Is that allowed?[/quote]

You can do it at any time of the year as long as it's done once within the (Islamic?) year and you calculate it based on having those savings for a whole year.

I think the reason why people do it during Ramadhan is because the reward for any good deed done in Ramadhan is multiplied so the reward of giving zakah should be better too. Also Ramadhan is a time of reflection and many people will think of those less fortunate themselves and so it'd be a good time to give this charity, then.

However I've never come across anything which explicitly encourages giving zakah during Ramadhan or any potential better reward for it. Dunno about anyone else...

Northen Southener — Fri, 4 May 2012 - 07:35

[quote=ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcE]

Zakah is also paid on savings of money and is obligatory upon every person that has hit puberty. 

[/quote]

 

What if I don'[t have savings but have equity.

So if I have a £7m worth of property that I rent out, and because of my extremely lavish lifestyle don't have any of the rental proceeds saved?

I'm just trying to get clear in my head when it's "obligatory"

Only have you have liquid funds rather than equity? If so, why is the ruling different for Gold / Silver?

TPOS — Fri, 4 May 2012 - 09:19

[quote=Northen Southener]

[quote=ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcE]

Zakah is also paid on savings of money and is obligatory upon every person that has hit puberty. 

[/quote]

 

What if I don'[t have savings but have equity.

So if I have a £7m worth of property that I rent out, and because of my extremely lavish lifestyle don't have any of the rental proceeds saved?

I'm just trying to get clear in my head when it's "obligatory"

Only have you have liquid funds rather than equity? If so, why is the ruling different for Gold / Silver?

[/quote]
5. I’m rubbish at maths, how can I work out how much I need to give?
Zakat-al-Mal (Zakat on wealth) can be subdivided into Zakat on: business, rental income, personal income, savings, gold and sliver, shares, livestock and crop. A total of 2.5% of that wealth should be given as Zakat. Basic necessities such as food, water, clothes, shelter etc, ain't included.

Taken from this article: http://www.therevival.co.uk/back-2-basics-zakaah