Does zakat differ by madhab? The rate is the same, 2.5% of wealth above the nisab for a lunar year, in every madhab. The schools differ on four points: whether worn jewellery is zakatable, whether debts are subtracted, which nisab (gold or silver) applies to cash, and whether gold and silver are added together. Shia Ja’fari fiqh puts zakat on nine items only and takes khums on savings.
Every school of Islamic law agrees that zakat is 2.5% of wealth above the nisab, but they differ on a few questions that can change your amount a lot. Choose your madhab below for a calculator already set to its rules.
- Hanafi zakat calculator: jewellery counted, debts deducted, silver nisab. Followed by most Muslims in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Turkey and Central Asia (Deobandi and Barelvi).
- Shafi’i zakat calculator: worn jewellery exempt, debts not deducted, gold and silver separate. Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, East Africa.
- Maliki zakat calculator: worn jewellery exempt, debts deducted from cash and trade wealth. North and West Africa.
- Hanbali zakat calculator: worn jewellery exempt, lower nisab. Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
- Ahl-e-Hadith zakat calculator: jewellery counted, lower nisab, following the Saudi Permanent Committee.
- Shia (Ja’fari) zakat calculator: rulings of Ayatollah Sistani, with a link to khums.
Not sure? Use the madhab comparison to see all six results for the same numbers.
How to choose your madhab
Follow the school you already follow for prayer and fasting. If your family is Deobandi or Barelvi, that is Hanafi. If you pray with Ahl-e-Hadith scholars, use the Ahl-e-Hadith calculator. Followers of Fiqh-e-Jafaria should use the Shia calculator. If you are a convert or unsure, ask the imam of the mosque you attend and use that school, rather than picking whichever gives the lowest number.
Why the results differ
The four questions that change the amount are: is worn jewellery zakatable, do debts reduce zakat, which nisab (gold or silver) applies to cash, and are gold and silver added together. For a family with a lot of jewellery, the Hanafi and Ahl-e-Hadith results are usually the highest; for someone with large debts, the Shafi’i and Ahl-e-Hadith results can be higher because debts are not subtracted. Each calculator page lists its source fatwas, and our methodology explains how we read them.
The four differences at a glance
- Worn jewellery: zakatable for Hanafi and Ahl-e-Hadith; exempt for Shafi’i, Maliki and Hanbali if permissible and worn; not zakatable in Ja’fari fiqh. Details in zakat on jewellery.
- Debts: subtracted in the Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali calculations; not subtracted in the Shafi’i and Ahl-e-Hadith ones.
- Nisab for cash: silver for Hanafi; the lower of the two (silver today) for Hanbali and Ahl-e-Hadith; gold in Shafi’i practice in Malaysia and Singapore; see nisab today.
- Gold with silver: added together by value in every Sunni school except the Shafi’i, which checks each against its own nisab.
Whichever school you follow, the calculator gives an estimate. It is not a fatwa; see the disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
Which madhab is followed in Pakistan?
Most Sunni Muslims in Pakistan follow the Hanafi madhab (Deobandi and Barelvi). There are also large Ahl-e-Hadith and Shia (Ja'fari) communities.
Can I choose the madhab that gives less zakat?
Scholars advise following the school you already follow, not choosing rulings for convenience. If unsure, ask a scholar.
Main kaunsa maslak chunoon?
Jis maslak par aap namaz aur roza mein amal karte hain, wahi chunain. Deobandi aur Barelvi dono Hanafi hain.
Kya har maslak mein zakat 2.5% hai?
Haan. Farq sirf is mein hai ke zevar, qarz aur nisab ko kaise gina jaye. Fiqh-e-Jafaria mein naqdi par zakat ke bajaye khums hai.
Deobandi aur Barelvi ki zakat mein farq hai?
Dono Hanafi fiqh par hain. Zevar, qarz aur nisab ke masail mein hamein un mein koi farq maloom nahi, is liye dono Hanafi zakat calculator istemal karen.
Ahl-e-Hadith ke liye kaunsa calculator hai?
Ahl-e-Hadith zakat calculator, jo Saudi Permanent Committee ke fatwon par chalta hai: pehne hue zevar par zakat, qarz minus nahi, aur naqdi ke liye dono nisab mein se kam wala.