Zakah Obligatory Charity: its essential Conditions By Yahya Ondigo

Zakah is the third pillar of Islam — an act of worship obligatory on every Muslim whose wealth reaches the nisab and remains in their possession for a full lunar year. Yet it is one of the most neglected obligations in the ummah today, with many Muslims uncertain about whether it applies to them, what their wealth is actually zakatable, and how to calculate and discharge it correctly.

Zakah: Obligatory Charity and Its Essential Conditions by Yahya Ondigo is a clear, evidenced guide to understanding and fulfilling this pillar — covering not only the rulings but the wisdom behind them and the serious warning for those who withhold what Allah has made due.

What This Book Covers

The Importance and Status of Zakah

The book opens by establishing zakah's place in Islam — its mention alongside salah in the Qur'an, the hadith on those who withhold it, and the effect zakah has on the spiritual health of the giver and the material wellbeing of the community. The author makes clear that zakah is not charity in the modern sense — it is a right owed from the wealthy Muslim to those Allah has designated.

The Conditions (Shurut) of Zakah

Each condition that must be met before zakah becomes obligatory is covered with its evidence: Islam, freedom, full ownership of the nisab, completion of the hawl (lunar year), and the nisab thresholds for gold, silver, trade goods, crops, livestock, and other categories of wealth. The author explains each condition carefully so that the Muslim can determine for themselves whether zakah is due on their specific situation.

The Categories of Zakatable Wealth

Gold and silver (and cash in their ruling), trade goods, livestock, agricultural produce, and buried treasure are all addressed in turn — with their respective nisab thresholds, rates of zakah, and the scholarly positions on contemporary forms of wealth such as stocks and business assets.

Those Entitled to Receive Zakah

The eight categories of zakah recipients specified in Surah at-Tawbah are explained, with guidance on how zakah should be distributed and the conditions that apply to each category.

About the Author

Yahya Ondigo is a Kenyan Islamic scholar and author of several works on Islamic practice published through International Islamic Publishing House (IIPH), aimed at making the evidences and conditions of worship accessible to English-speaking Muslim audiences.

Who This Book Is For

Any Muslim who earns income, holds savings, or owns business assets and wants to understand clearly whether zakah is due on them and how to discharge it correctly. Essential for those who have been estimating or guessing at their zakah obligation, and for new Muslims encountering this pillar for the first time.