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[SukainaRoshan]

Khums means 'a fifth' (or 20 per cent) in Arabic. It is the sixth of the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi'a Islam. This tax is paid on any profit earned by Shi'a Muslims.

Can u please explain this in details. ie: How is it paid, What portion of amount it is supposed to be paid and it is wajib on you if ur not earning enough?

[Syed Adeel Raza]

Alaikum Salams
Khums’ literally means ‘one-fifth’. In Islamic law, it refers to an obligatory (wajib) religious tax which one must pay on several things, the most common of which is surplus income from earnings and gains. The amount of khums one must pay on surplus income is 20%.

Khums payments are divided into two equal parts:

One half is given to the Imam (a) of the time; this is called ‘Sahm-e Imam’ (The Portion for the Imam (a)). According to His Eminence al-Sayyid al-Sistani, the obligatory precaution is that this part must either be given to the most learned Marja, or to an individual or organisation that has been given permission (ijaza) to collect khums on behalf of the Marja. This portion is then used for worthwhile purposes authorised by the Marja.

The other half is given to Sayyids (descendants of the great grandfather of the Prophet (saw)) who are poor, orphans (only if poor), or stranded travelers (who may be self-sufficient in their home-town but become needy in foreign lands). This is called ‘Sahm-e Sadat’ (the Portion for Sayyids