Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islamic dogma, which means they're as important as salat and fasting Ramadan for a Muslim.
However, just like going to Hajj, giving Zakat is not for everyone. Some people give Zakat, and others receive it. That's the will of God; he made it that some people receive Zakat, and others give it. The spiritual lesson is purifying the soul through sharing!
Unlike communism, Islam's spiritual and economic codes are based on divine revelation, which means there's great wisdom behind them.
So, what are the different types of Zakat? And how to deal with Zakat properly?
In Islam, Zakat is one of the pillars of our faith; it's an obligatory charity that we must pay every year.
Zakat can be translated as the verb to Purify. Therefore, in the context of the Islamic faith, the act of giving charity to the people who need it the most is purifying the soul.
Zakat is a religious ritual and must be performed correctly. First of all, a Muslim has to know how to calculate Zakat, which is not a big deal if you're already good with taxes. In some cases, you might need a supervisor to ensure you're doing your religious rite correctly, namely giving the Zakat to the most suitable beneficiaries.
There are two types of Zakat in the Islamic faith. Middle and upper-class Muslims are obligated to pay for both of them:
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This type is commonly referred to as "Zakat"; as in regular Zakat. Muslims are required to pay Zakat annually on stored wealth that includes all their financial assets.
The zakat is the subtracted 2.5% of the total of your assets once your reach a certain threshold of wealth, known as Nisab. Thus, not all Muslims are required to pay Zakat Al-mal.
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Zakat al-Fitr is a required charity that we pay at the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Also known as Sadaqat al-Fitr (the Charity of Breaking the Fast of Ramadan), and al-Fitrah, this Zakat is a mandatory charity that the father of a family pays for every family member that fasts Ramadan.
The amount of Zakat-Al-Fitr a Muslim has to pay has to be the cost of a meal. Most Islamic countries calculate the median amount that every citizen has to pay. The amount of the Zakat has to be paid to the people who need it at the end of Ramadan.
While paying Zakat is obligatory if you're meeting the requirements of the Nisab, Sadaqah is not. The only difference between Zakat and Sadaqah is the obligation.
Sadaqah is all voluntary charities that you give to anyone to help them. Sadaqah can either be money or a physical/abstract object. As long as you're not obligated to pay it, you just did so because you want to help voluntarily; it's considered Sadaqah.
Therefore, the only difference between Zakat and Sadaqah is the obligation. Zakat is a religious rite that you have to do. And, Sadaqah is a voluntary humanitarian aid made in the name of God.
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Make sure to delegate calculating your Zakat obligations to a supervising authority, such as the local Imam or someone trustworthy.
Some websites allow you to pay the right amount to the right people. But, if you're the kind of person who likes to help local communities, it's better to give your Zakat to the right people in your town: orphans, widows, people with special needs, and poor elderly people.
