What is Zakat?
Zakat (زکات) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and an obligatory act of worship for every eligible Muslim. It is a mandatory annual charity — equal to 2.5% of a Muslim's total net savings and wealth that has been held for a full lunar year (Hawl) above the minimum threshold known as the Nisab. Zakat is not optional; it is a right of the poor and needy in a Muslim's wealth.
In Afghanistan, Zakat plays a vital social role, helping support families in need, funding education, and providing relief during hardship. Understanding how to calculate Zakat correctly ensures you fulfil your religious obligation with confidence.
What is Nisab?
Nisab is the minimum amount of wealth a Muslim must possess before Zakat becomes obligatory. There are two Nisab standards:
- Gold Nisab: 87.48 grams of gold (equivalent in value).
- Silver Nisab: 612.36 grams of silver (equivalent in value).
Because silver Nisab is typically lower in value than gold Nisab, many contemporary scholars recommend using the silver Nisab to ensure more people can give Zakat and more people in need receive it. This calculator shows both and lets you decide.
How to Calculate Zakat Step by Step
- Determine your Hawl (lunar year): Your wealth must have been above Nisab for a full Islamic lunar year.
- Add all zakatable assets: Gold, silver, cash, business inventory, and debts owed to you.
- Subtract short-term debts: Deduct any liabilities due within the year.
- Check against Nisab: If your net wealth is above Nisab, Zakat is due.
- Pay 2.5%: Multiply your net zakatable wealth by 0.025 to find your Zakat amount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Zakatable assets include: gold and silver (in any form), cash and bank savings, business inventory and goods for trade, money owed to you (receivable debts that you expect to collect), and investments. Personal items like your home, car, clothing, and furniture are generally not subject to Zakat.
Zakat is generally not due on income the moment you receive it. Instead, any salary that remains in your savings at the end of your Hawl (lunar year) and pushes your total savings above Nisab becomes part of your zakatable wealth. Most scholars advise calculating Zakat on your total savings on your chosen annual Zakat date, not on each paycheck individually.
Zakat becomes due once a full lunar year (Hawl) has passed from the date your wealth first reached or exceeded the Nisab. Many Muslims choose to pay Zakat during Ramadan for added spiritual reward, but it can be paid at any time during the year. Paying it early is permissible; delaying it without reason is not.
This is a matter of scholarly difference. The majority of Hanafi scholars (which is the predominant school in Afghanistan) hold that Zakat is obligatory on gold and silver jewellery if it exceeds the Nisab, regardless of whether it is worn or stored. Shafi'i and Maliki scholars have a different view. It is safest to pay Zakat on jewellery to be on the cautious side.
Yes. Zakat can be paid in any currency, including Afghan Afghani. This calculator supports both USD and AFN. The exchange rate used is approximately 1 USD = 70 AFN. For the most accurate Nisab calculation, use current gold or silver market prices to determine the Nisab value in AFN on your Zakat date.