What are essential needs?
Essential needs are goods or property that meet the essential needs and therefore are not subject to zakat. In Islam, the situation of the mukallaf (competent person obliged to observe the precepts of religion) is taken into consideration in zakat as it is the case in other bodily and financial responsibilities, and he is given a reasonable and affordable responsibility. Therefore, Islamic scholars laid it down as a condition to have money or goods more than one’s debts and his essential needs and equal to or more than the amount of nisab for a person to be a mukallaf for zakat and fitrah. The amount of essential needs does not bring about welfare or richness. The amount of essential needs is the amount that is necessary for a person to live. Allah, the Exalted, says, “They ask thee how much they are to spend; say: “What is beyond your needs…” (al-Baqara 2/219). The following is stated in a hadith regarding the issue: “A man came to Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) and said, ‘I have a dinar. Wh
