How much of my wealth should I actually give away?

By Mehdi, Senior Sukuk Fund Manager · Updated May 2026

I want to answer this without laying a single ounce of guilt on you, because giving that comes from guilt rarely lasts. Let us talk about it as an opportunity, which is what it actually is.

The short answer: There is a floor and there is a sky. The floor is Zakat — generally 2.5% of your qualifying wealth each year, and it is not optional; it is a right the poor hold over you. Above that is Sadaqah, between you and Allah — and that is where the real, eternal return lives.

Start with the floor, because it is the clear part. Zakat is an obligation, not generosity — generally two and a half percent of the wealth you have held above a threshold for a year. It is the poor's right over your wealth, and paying it accurately is itself an act of worship. Most people overestimate how complicated this is; it is very calculable.

Above Zakat, there is no fixed number for Sadaqah — and that is the point. It is the one investment whose return is promised to multiply far beyond anything a market can offer. So the better question than "what is the minimum" is "what is my heart ready for this year?" Some give a set percentage of income; some give as Allah opens a door. Start where you can sustain, and let it grow as your means and your barakah grow.

Here is the reframe at the center of everything we do: your portfolio is not the destination. Earning is the door; giving is the room. The money you give is the only money you truly send ahead of you — the rest you leave behind. So do not think of giving as wealth leaving your hands. Think of it as the only part you actually get to keep.

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The cleanest way to handle this is to work it out properly, not by guesswork.

The free Zakat tool walks you through it — set the method that fits you, and it calculates on live gold and silver prices, with a dedicated step for purifying anything impermissible. So you give exactly what is due, with confidence.

Open the Zakat tool

This is education, not personalized financial advice or a religious ruling. Screening status can change, and your situation is your own. Confirm a specific holding against its current Shariah screening, and any ruling with a qualified scholar you trust. The decision, as always, is yours, before Allah.