Zakāt (Arabic: زكاة [zæˈkæːt], "that which purifies",[1]) is a form of obligatory alms-giving and religious tax in Islam.[2][3] It is based on income and the value of all of one's possessions.[4][5] It is customarily 2.5% of a Muslim's total income, savings and wealth above a minimum amount known as nisab,[6] but Islamic scholars differ on how much nisab is and other aspects of zakat.[6] The collected amount is paid first to zakat collectors, and then to poor Muslims, to new converts to Islam, to Islamic clergy, to those fighting for Islamic causes, and others.[7][8][9]
Zakat is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, mandatory for all Muslims.[10] Zakat is not a charitable contribution,[11] and is considered as a tax.[12][13] The payment and disputes on zakat have played a major role in the history of Islam, such as the Ridda wars that fueled the conflict between the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam.[14][15]
Shias, unlike Sunnis, regard zakat as a private and voluntary decision, and they give zakat to Shia Imam-sponsored collectors, not to Muslim state-sponsored collectors