Zakat is an Islamic finance term referring to the obligation that an individual has to donate a certain proportion of wealth each year to charitable causes.

Zakat is mandatory for all Muslims in most countries and is considered to be a form of worship.

Giving away money to the poor is said to purify yearly earnings that are over and above what is required to provide a person and their family with their essential needs.

As one of the pillars of Islam, Zakat is a form of obligatory charity that has the potential to ease the suffering of millions. Crisis Aid utilises zakat to help some of the world’s poorest and most destitute communities.

Your donations bring joy to these people and bring hope that one day they will be able to give rather than receive zakat.

With the literal meaning of the word being ‘to cleanse,’ Muslims believe that paying zakat purifies, increases and blesses the remainder of their wealth.

Zakat is also a spiritual connection to one’s maker – to purify your wealth for the will of Allah is to acknowledge that everything we own belongs to Him, and it is for Him that we strive to end poverty and help our brothers and sisters.

As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, Zakat is a religious duty for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria of wealth.

It is customarily 2.5% 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.