Short answer
There is no required dua. What makes zakat valid is the intention in your heart that it is zakat. It is sunnah for the person collecting or receiving it to pray for the giver, as the Prophet ﷺ did, and you may ask Allah to accept it: Rabbana taqabbal minna, innaka anta as-Sami' al-'Alim.
The intention (niyyah) of zakat is a condition, made when you hand it over or when you set the amount aside; saying it aloud is not needed. No fixed words are required of the giver. It is recommended for the collector or recipient to pray for the giver.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Zakat is valid when you give it with the intention that it is zakat. You can make that intention when you hand the money over, when you give it to an agent such as a charity, or when you set the amount apart for zakat. Nothing needs to be said aloud, and you do not need to tell the recipient (see do you have to tell someone it is zakat).
Duas around giving are a sunnah, not a condition:
- For the giver: ask Allah to accept it, with the words Ibrahim and Ismail said while raising the Kaaba: Rabbana taqabbal minna, innaka anta as-Sami' al-'Alim (Our Lord, accept this from us; You are the Hearing, the Knowing) (2:127).
- For the collector: Allah told the Prophet ﷺ to pray for those who bring their zakat, since his prayer is reassurance for them (9:103). When people brought their zakat he would say: O Allah, send blessings on the family of so-and-so.
- For the recipient: Jazakallahu khayran (may Allah reward you with good). The Prophet ﷺ said whoever says this to someone who did him a kindness has praised him fully.
Imam al-Shafi'i recommended that the collector say: May Allah reward you for what you gave, bless what you kept, and make it a purification for you. All four schools agree that such duas are recommended and that the intention, not any wording, is what counts.
There is no special surah to recite for zakat. Give from lawful wealth, without reminding anyone of your favour (2:264), and see the duas collection for more.
The evidence
Quran, Surah At-Tawba 9:103
خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَٰلِهِمْ صَدَقَةًۭ تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِم بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ إِنَّ صَلَوٰتَكَ سَكَنٌۭ لَّهُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿١٠٣﴾
Take, [O, Muhammad], from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase, and invoke [Allah 's blessings] upon them. Indeed, your invocations are reassurance for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.
The collector is told to pray for those who give.
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:127
وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَٰهِۦمُ ٱلْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ ٱلْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَٰعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّآ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ﴿١٢٧﴾
And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael, [saying], "Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing.
A Quranic dua asking Allah to accept a good deed.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1497
Sahih... اللهم صل على آل أبي أوفى ...
"O Allah, send blessings on the family of Abu Awfa."
The Prophet ﷺ prayed for those who brought their zakat.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2035
Grading to be checked... فقال لفاعله جزاك الله خيرا فقد أبلغ في الثناء ...
"Whoever is done a kindness and says to the one who did it, may Allah reward you with good, has praised him fully."
What a recipient can say to the giver.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Zakat, opening section, on intention. Zakat is valid only with intention at payment or when setting aside the amount.
- al-Majmu' (al-Nawawi), Kitab al-Zakat, on the collector praying for the giver. The recommended words of al-Shafi'i for the collector's dua.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.