Our Muslim faith explicitly calls for two distinct forms of giving: voluntary giving (Sadaqah) and obligatory giving or sharing (zakat). Because both involve generosity, we often conflate the two. Yet they represent different concepts and serve different purposes, even though they may overlap in how resources are directed and used.
Zakat refers to the obligation to give a fixed portion of one’s wealth for the benefit of the wider community. Sadaqah, by contrast, is a voluntary act of generosity that comes from the heart and is offered to help those in need. Zakat is calculated on a person’s accumulated wealth at a specific point in time—usually once a year—rather than on regular income. Once a Muslim’s wealth reaches the minimum required threshold, they are obligated to give approximately 2.5% of their eligible wealth for that year. Traditionally, many Muslims choose the month of Ramadan to fulfill their Zakat obligation. Sadaqah, on the other hand, may be given at any time and in any amount, according to an individual’s generosity.
Zakat is also a collective obligation. It is traditionally administered by a governing authority or community body and distributed for the benefit of the wider society. Sadaqah, by contrast, is an individual act of giving. Members of a community may, however, choose to pool their Sadaqah—and even their zakat—to support larger charitable initiatives for those in need and for the eligible recipients identified in Qur’anic verse 9:60.
In the Qur’an, Zakat is repeatedly placed side by side with daily prayer—nearly thirty times—signaling that care for society is not secondary to worship, but stands alongside it as a core expression of faith. This pairing suggests that believers fulfill their duty to God through prayer and their duty to society through Zakat. It reflects a central Islamic principle: the inseparable link between faith and moral action, frequently expressed in the Qur’an as “those who believe and do good deeds.”
The Qur’an does not provide detailed instructions on how Zakat should be administered, just as it does not specify the practical details of how daily prayers are performed. For these details, Muslims rely on the teachings and practices of the Prophet and the early generations closest to him. At the same time, the Qur’an calls on every generation and every society to apply Zakat and Sadaqah thoughtfully and responsibly—guided by Qur’anic principles and prophetic example—rather than simply replicating the practices of earlier generations without reflection.
Based on early interpretive tradition, verse 9:60 has often been used to define the recipients of both Zakat and Sadaqah. As a result, the practical scope of Zakat has frequently been treated as narrowly limited to the categories listed in this verse. The verse states:
Charity (ٱلصَّدَقَـٰتُ) should be directed to (1) the poor and the needy, (2) those employed to administer the funds, (3) those whose hearts are inclined toward faith, truth, and justice, (4) the freeing of people from captivity and debt, (5) those who strive selflessly in God’s way to establish truth and justice, and (6) travelers—those away from home, including strangers and immigrants. This is an obligation (فَرِيضَةً) from Allah. Allah is Knowing and Wise. (9:60)
If the verse is read carefully, it begins with Sadaqah, not Zakat. On this basis, one could argue that the verse is primarily addressing Sadaqah rather than Zakat.
Some scholars argue that because the verse concludes by describing this distribution as an obligation from God, it must therefore be referring to Zakat. While this interpretation is plausible, it overlooks an important point: the Qur’an could easily have begun the verse by explicitly mentioning Zakat and then reinforced its obligatory nature at the end. It does not do so.
It is therefore possible to understand the concluding statement of obligation as referring to the specified categories and purposes through which Sadaqah may be directed, while leaving the practical and collective mechanisms for fulfilling Zakat open to communal deliberation, consensus, and evolving social priorities—such as food security, access to education and healthcare, public safety, income security, and broader social and economic resilience.
Two hadith also provide helpful insight. The Prophet said, “When you pay the Zakat, you have fulfilled what is required of you.” (Jamiʿ at-Tirmidhi 618, Book 7, Hadith 2, #26183) He also said, “Indeed, there is a duty on wealth aside from Zakat.” (Jamiʿ at-Tirmidhi 660, Book 7, Hadith 44, #26225).
It is time for the Muslim community to begin a broader conversation about Zakat—a central pillar of our faith—whose effectiveness has, in practice, been diluted by conflating it with Sadaqah. For further discussion, please see this month’s editorial.
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