# Pillar 3: What is Zakat (Almsgiving)? **Author:** Sh. Abdullah Oduro **Series:** 5 Pillars Made Plain **Published:** 2020-10-06 **YouTube:** https://youtu.be/EH1N5-d35e4 **URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-what-is-zakat-almsgiving **Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia ## Description Growth. Increase. Purification. Sh. Abdullah Oduro gives us a thorough explanation on what Zakat (almsgiving) is, including the 4 items that a Muslim is expected to pay Zakat (almsgiving) from. ## Transcript **[0:00]** Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all. I'm Abdullah Oduro and welcome. What is zakat? **[0:16]** Linguistically, zakat comes from that which means to grow or increase as a means of purification. So growth, increase, and purification. The technical meaning of zakat is an obligatory amount that is taken from one's surplus wealth **[0:32]** once it reaches a certain threshold. When we look in the Qur'an, in the beautiful Qur'an, we see that there are categories of zakat. The items that one gives from, and there are primarily four of them. First of them being gold and silver. **[0:48]** Now let's not forget this. I know we don't have gold in our bank accounts or gold in our glove compartments and we can't fit gold coins into our wallets or bars, but it emerges and expands from that. So gold and silver is the first item of zakat. **[1:03]** Secondly, the agricultural output from crops and yields or that which comes from the earth from minerals and treasures. Thirdly, business inventory. So if you are a seller of a product or shoes or any type of products that you have **[1:20]** and you want to exchange that for money, there is zakat on that. There is a certain amount that one takes to give zakat. And fourthly, livestock. Primarily the four types of livestock which zakat is due on are camels, cows, goats, and sheep. **[1:37]** So zakat is due on all of these four general items that I mentioned. We will talk roughly about the amounts per item and the conditions for each one of these items. May Allah the Exalted make us of those that give the zakat if we reach that threshold **[1:53]** and make us of those that are sincere and truthful with ourselves in front of the provider of these items that we may possess. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all. Thank you. ## Other Episodes in "5 Pillars Made Plain" - [Pillar 5: Who Can Perform Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-who-can-perform-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: Where do Muslims Perform Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-where-do-muslims-perform-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: When do Muslims Go On Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-when-do-muslims-go-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: Why do Muslims Perform Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-why-do-muslims-perform-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: What is Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-what-is-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: Introduction to Hajj (Pilgrimage)](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-introduction-to-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 4: Where Do Muslims Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-where-do-muslims-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: Why Do Muslims Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-why-do-muslims-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: When Do Muslims Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-when-do-muslims-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: What is the Purpose of Fasting? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-what-is-the-purpose-of-fasting.md) - [Pillar 4: Who Should Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-who-should-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: Intro to Fasting | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-intro-to-fasting.md) - [Pillar 3: Zakat Al-Fitr](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-zakat-al-fitr.md) - [Pillar 3: Where Should We Give Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-where-should-we-give-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: Who receives Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-who-receives-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: When do we give Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-when-do-we-give-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: Why do we give Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-why-do-we-give-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: Intro to Zakat (Almsgiving)](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-intro-to-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 2: Where Can Muslims Pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-where-can-muslims-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: When Do We Pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-when-do-we-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: Who Should Pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-who-should-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: Why do we pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-why-do-we-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: What is Prayer?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-what-is-prayer.md) - [Intro to Pillar 2: Prayer](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/intro-to-pillar-2-prayer.md) - [Pillar 1: Why Do We Make the Shahada (Testimony of Faith)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-1-why-do-we-make-the-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md) - [Pillar 1: Where Should We Make the Shahada (Testimony of Faith)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-1-where-should-we-make-the-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md) - [Pillar 1: When Should We Make the Shahada (Testimony of Faith)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/when-should-we-make-the-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md) - [Pillar 1: Who is the Shahada (Testimony of Faith) For?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-1-who-is-the-shahada-the-testimony-of-faith-for.md) - [Intro to Pillar 1: Shahada (Testimony of Faith)](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/intro-to-pillar-1-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md)