Zakat vs sadaqa: the clear difference
Two coins can leave the same hand on the same day. One is zakat. The other is sadaqa. They look alike. They are not the same.
Short answer: Zakat is a yearly duty on a Muslim whose wealth stays above the nisab for a lunar year. It has a set rate, usually 2.5% on savings, and goes only to the 8 groups in Quran 9:60. Sadaqa is voluntary charity: any amount, at any time, and open to anyone in need.
Want to know how much zakat is due on your savings first? Use the free zakat calculator. It runs on your device and sends nothing.
Side by side
| Question | Zakat | Sadaqa (voluntary charity) |
|---|---|---|
| Is it required? | Yes, for a Muslim who meets the conditions | No, it is voluntary |
| Who pays it? | A Muslim whose wealth stays above the nisab for one lunar year. The schools differ on some details. | Anyone |
| How much? | A set share. On money, gold, silver and trade goods it is 2.5%. Crops and livestock have their own rules. | Any amount, even a very small one |
| When? | Once a lunar year, when the year on your wealth (the hawl) is complete | Any time |
| Who receives it? | Only the 8 groups named in Quran 9:60 | Anyone in need, of any faith, and good causes |
| Can it pay for a mosque or a well? | Most classical jurists say no, because zakat must reach eligible people. Some modern views differ. | Yes |
The Quran uses both words
Here is a surprise. In Quran 9:60, the word used for the obligatory zakat is al-sadaqat. The Arabic text is at the end of this article.
So in the Quran, "sadaqa" can mean the obligatory zakat. In everyday speech today, sadaqa usually means voluntary charity. This article uses the everyday meaning.
Who can receive sadaqa?
Voluntary charity (sadaqah) may be given to anyone in need who is not at war with Muslims; this is widely held in the schools (al-Nawawi, al-Majmu'; Ibn Qudamah, al-Mughni). They cite Quran 60:8, on being kind and fair to people who have not fought you over your faith, and Quran 76:8, which praises giving food to the needy, the orphan and the captive.
Zakat is narrower. It goes to the 8 groups only. Our article on who can receive zakat explains them.
What about zakat al-fitr?
Zakat al-fitr is a third, separate thing. It is a small amount per person, paid before the Eid prayer at the end of Ramadan. Your country's official zakat body usually announces the amount each year. It is not the same as the yearly zakat on wealth.
If you are not Muslim
Zakat is an obligation on Muslims who meet its conditions. If you are not Muslim and these causes speak to you, you are welcome to give to them too: to the poor, the needy, people in debt and stranded travellers, in the same spirit. That gift is sadaqah: voluntary charity, open to everyone. We never call it zakat.
Does Mustahaqat collect either?
No. Mustahaqat does not collect or pass on zakat or charity. We explain and calculate only.
Two coins, one hand: one settles a duty, the other is a free gift. Knowing which is which helps you count both correctly.
Read next
Work it out
The zakat calculator shows both nisab views side by side and keeps your figures on your device. Then see the official bodies on where to pay zakat.
Please note
This article explains zakat for general learning. It is not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar or your country's zakat authority. Mustahaqat does not collect or pass on zakat or charity.
هذا المقال للتعريف العام بالزكاة وليس فتوى. لحالتك الخاصة راجع عالماً مؤهلاً أو جهة الزكاة الرسمية في بلدك. موقع مستحقات لا يجمع الزكاة ولا الصدقات ولا يوصلها.
Compiled from cited sources; ask a scholar you trust for your own case. This is not a fatwa. Drafted with AI help and checked against the sources listed. Sami Adham is a professional name, not a scholar or mufti.
Quran cited
﴿۞ إِنَّمَا ٱلصَّدَقَـٰتُ لِلْفُقَرَآءِ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينِ وَٱلْعَـٰمِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَٱلْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ وَٱلْغَـٰرِمِينَ وَفِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ ۖ فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ﴾ [9:60]Meaning (our own wording): The sadaqat (here: the obligatory zakat) are only for the poor, the needy, those who work on collecting and handing it out, those whose hearts are to be drawn together, freeing people from bondage, people in debt, the way of God, and the traveller cut off from home. It is a duty set by God, and God is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
﴿لَّا يَنْهَىٰكُمُ ٱللَّهُ عَنِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَـٰتِلُوكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَـٰرِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُقْسِطِينَ﴾ [60:8]Meaning (our own wording): God does not stop you from being kind and fair to those who have not fought you over your faith or driven you from your homes. God loves those who are fair.
﴿وَيُطْعِمُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِۦ مِسْكِينًا وَيَتِيمًا وَأَسِيرًا﴾ [76:8]Meaning (our own wording): They give food, though they love it themselves, to the needy, the orphan and the captive.
Sources
Corrections
- : Source review: one strength word for sadaqah to non-Muslims ("widely held in the schools", al-Nawawi and Ibn Qudamah named). Non-Muslim givers: the gift is called sadaqah.