Zakāt — Almsgiving

The obligatory giving of a portion of one's wealth to those in need is the third pillar — worship expressed as social justice.

At a glance

Zakāt is a yearly, obligatory transfer of a fixed share of one's accumulated wealth to specified categories of recipients — the poor, the destitute, those in debt, travellers, and others named in the Qur'an. The word itself carries the senses of purification and growth: giving is understood to purify the remaining wealth and the giver's heart, and to make both flourish.

Distinct from voluntary charity (ṣadaqa), zakāt is a defined duty with rules on what wealth is liable, the threshold (niṣāb) below which none is due, and the rate — commonly a fortieth, or 2.5 percent, on money and trade goods. In much of Islamic history it functioned as a public institution, collected and distributed by the state.

By binding worship to the redistribution of wealth, zakāt places social responsibility at the centre of the faith rather than at its margin.

Related in Chronicle

Curated reference on Islamic belief and thought. On matters where traditions differ, positions are attributed rather than adjudicated; verify points of doctrine with qualified scholars.