Zakat, Sadaqah and Sadaqah Jariyah: what is the difference?
By Team Sukon
Giving is woven into Islam. Allah says: “The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed which grows seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains” (Quran 2:261). But not all giving is the same.
Zakat: the obligatory pillar
Zakat is fard on every adult Muslim whose wealth reaches the Nisab and stays for a lunar year. It is 2.5% of Zakatable wealth — cash, gold, silver, investments and trade goods. It may go only to the eight groups named in Quran 9:60: the poor, the needy, those who collect it, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, freeing captives, those in debt, in the way of Allah, and the stranded traveller.
Sadaqah: voluntary charity
Sadaqah is any voluntary giving, at any time, to anyone in need. It is not only money: “Your smile in the face of your brother is charity” (Jami at-Tirmidhi 1956). Sadaqah does not decrease wealth (Sahih Muslim 2588).
Sadaqah Jariyah: charity that continues
The Prophet ﷺ said: “When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who prays for him” (Sahih Muslim 1631). Building a well, a masjid, a school, planting trees or printing the Quran are examples.
Zakat al-Fitr (Fitrah)
Given before the Eid prayer at the end of Ramadan, on behalf of every member of the household, so the poor can celebrate too (Sahih al-Bukhari 1503). Local scholars announce the amount in rupees each year.
Fidya and Kaffarah
Fidya is feeding a poor person for each Ramadan fast that someone can never make up because of old age or permanent illness (Quran 2:184). Kaffarah is the expiation for deliberately breaking a fast or an oath.
Giving through Sukon
Use the Zakat calculator to work out what you owe, then give through Sukon Donate, where Zakat and Sadaqah are kept separate and go only to verified partners with receipts.