Beyond charity: Under what conditions can zakat complement social protection floors?

Zakat is an obligatory Islamic practice that promotes redistribution of wealth in Muslim‐majority countries. It functions by channelling resources from those who have enough to those considered deprived. This redistributive mandate places it in close proximity to non‐contributory social assistance. Yet, in practice, zakat programmes vary widely in their legal status, governance arrangements, benefit design, and coordination with state‐led social protection systems. This article asks: under what conditions can zakat contribute to the realization of social protection floors (SPFs) in national social protection systems? Drawing on a qualitative comparative case study of Jordan and Pakistan and using the International Labour Organization’s SPF framework as the main analytical lens, the analysis is structured around four SPF‐related dimensions: institutional governance, coverage and targeting, adequacy of benefits, and integration with national social protection frameworks. The findings suggest that zakat can complement national floors by extending support to poor and vulnerable groups, but its contribution remains conditional. Importantly, zakat cannot substitute for state‐guaranteed social protection as a legal entitlement. Its relevance lies in complementing rights‐based systems in financing and/or delivery, provided that governance, transparency and targeting safeguards are maintained. In both Jordan and Pakistan, limited coverage and adequacy, fragmented coordination, and reliance on discretionary beneficiary selection constrain SPF‐alignment. Moreover, weak trust and governance challenges undermine compliance and predictability, particularly where zakat revenues depend on voluntary contributions or are vulnerable to evasion. The article concludes that zakat’s SPF potential is most likely to be realized when governance and transparency mechanisms strengthen public trust, targeting rules are clear and monitored, benefits are predictable and closer to basic needs, and coordination is institutionalized through shared systems such as interoperable registries and consistent eligibility verification.