The shared bar for Muslim nonprofits.

Ten standards, scored independently.

Each standard is its own score. Form 990 data is used where available; the Ihsan audit fills the gaps it doesn’t cover and goes deeper where the 990 only scratches the surface. A masjid that hasn’t filed Form 990 (most don’t — church exemption) still scores on every standard via the audit and structured attestations. A national relief org with a strong audit record but no public scholar consultation scores high on Financial Honesty and low on Scholar Consultation. The directory shows every cell honestly.

• A

  Zakat fidelity & transparency

  Zakat allocated across the eight Qur'ānic categories, with public honesty about actual practice. The org states its tamlīk position (ownership must pass to an eligible recipient) and discloses whether it uses any ḥīla (legal stratagem) to satisfy tamlīk requirements while ultimately directing funds somewhere other than the needy recipient themselves — e.g. routing zakat toward a needy person's tuition or health-care bills rather than giving it to them directly to decide where they wish to spend. Each category carries its proper weight — fī sabīlillāh not emptied of meaning to justify general programming — with a clear distribution timeline (within the hawl, or the followed one stated). Documentation is scholar-vetted, any on-site nisab/calculator is pinned to current spot prices, and admin fees or building costs never sit quietly on the zakat ledger.

• B

  Religious products integrity

  Qurbani, fidya, kaffara, and zakat al-fitr — pricing, timing, and scholar sign-off. Zakat al-fitr cleanly closed before the eid prayer; qurbani timing publicly stamped so donors know when tied actions (hair, nails) can be performed; pricing rooted in actual cost, not anchored fundraising figures.

• C

  Financial discipline

  No interest-bearing operating accounts. Donation-processing fees driven to a minimum so the maximum dollar reaches the project — not bleeding 3–5% on expensive donate buttons. Honest gift-in-kind reporting, reclassified program ratio, transparent reserves.

• D

  Investment ethics & sustainable infrastructure

  Reserves and endowment invested only in shariah-compliant instruments and screened against community-harm exposure — divested from companies complicit in atrocities or building surveillance tech against vulnerable populations. Sustainable donation pipeline established: waqf or a credible plan toward one, DAF acceptance, stock-receipt capability so the maximum dollar reaches the project.

• E

  Vendor ethics & community sourcing

  Tech stack on a documented transition plan off boycotted vendors (e.g. Wix, Gusto). Deliberate preference for Muslim-owned and community vendors at equal or higher standard to commercial alternatives — and donor money not wasted on expensive tools or services when an equal-quality, more affordable alternative exists. No Qur'ānic verses or the name of Allah on mailers with high assumed trash-rate.

• F

  Donor stewardship & protection

  Restricted-fund honor rate, designation accuracy, refund and grievance policy. For mosques and cash-heavy collections: a documented oversight framework so jumu'ah cash is counted, witnessed, and bucketed against donor intent. Donor data architected to protect against big-tech surveillance.

• G

  Scholar consultation

  Clear public identification of the religious scholars the org consults on zakat eligibility, fidya/kaffara pricing, qurbani timing, and other fiqh questions. Not necessarily a permanent standing board — but an honest, public answer to "who do you ask?"

• H

  Programmatic clarity & impact

  Defined program boundaries, sub-grantee disclosure, measurement of outcomes — tying each dollar a donor gave for a thing to the thing actually happening. Beneficiary counts and downstream chain depth disclosed where the program operates.

• I

  Governance & regulatory record

  Board independence, term limits, conflict-of-interest policy, succession plan. Plus filings on time, registration status across states, and any sanctions or enforcement history on the public record. Audit trail on every administrative action.

• J

  Environmental stewardship

  Khulafāʾ al-arḍ applied to operations. Energy, waste, packaging, supply-chain footprint. Substance over marketing. The Khulafāʾ al-Arḍ Stewardship Audit, run in collaboration with the Art and Wilderness Institute, deepens this dimension.

The methodology page spells out the data we draw from, the score thresholds, and the documentation we ask for in audit.