Muslims pay Zakat every year, which amounts to 2.5% of their accumulated wealth, excluding items of personal use. Calculating Zakat is not very difficult; by dividing the total amount by forty, one can determine the payable Zakat. However, for those whose wealth is spread across different categories, this task can be a bit more challenging. To facilitate such individuals, Zakat calculators are readily available online, allowing them to easily calculate their Zakat.
However, there is another type of Zakat or charity calculator that the Quran describes. It teaches that Allah increases every penny spent in charity by ten to seven hundred times. On the other hand, if money is spent with the intention of showing off or for seeking people’s praise, the entire amount is reduced to zero. The same applies when charity is followed by reminders of favor or harm to the recipient.
Every believer has the responsibility to measure their spending according to the Quran’s calculator. If they give with sincerity for the sake of Allah, even in the face of difficulty, and consider it not as a favor to others but as a favor from Allah upon themselves, seeing it as a means of purification and closeness to Him, considering it a training and cause of love for the hereafter, then each penny spent will be multiplied by seven hundred.
For instance, if someone’s total Zakat amounts to ten thousand rupees and they spend it in this way, in Allah’s sight it will be worth seventy lakh (7,000,000). If the amount is one hundred thousand, it will be equivalent to seven crore (70,000,000) before Allah. Conversely, if spent with vanity, even millions of rupees of Zakat will amount to zero on the Day of Judgment.
So, the next time you resolve to pay Zakat or give charity, always use the Quran’s Zakat calculator. Instead of calculating the amount of money, evaluate your intentions and feelings. You will soon discover how much the angels are recording in your book of deeds.
Translated by Taqi Ahmed