(11) Zakat – Almsgiving
The practice of the Islamic faith rests on five “pillars”. These are:
- The profession of faith (shahâda);
- Ritual prayer (ṣalât)
- The alms tax (zakât)
- Fasting during Ramadan (ṣawm)
- Pilgrimage to Mecca (ḥajj)
It can be seen from this list that for Muslims almsgiving is an essential requirement. Zakât is, in fact, a tax of 2.5% levied on a Muslim’s net income, once all expenses have been deducted. The root meaning of the word is ‘purity’, so this leads to the understanding that if a Muslim has duly paid zakât, then he or she can enjoy the rest of his or her wealth with a clear conscience. A passage from the Qur’an illustrates this:
Goodness [or “piety”, “righteousness”] does not consist in turning your face towards East or West. The truly good [or “righteous”] are those who believe in God and the Last Day, in the angels, the Scripture, and the prophets; who give away some of their wealth, however much they cherish it, to their relatives, to orphans, the needy, travellers and beggars, and to liberate those in bondage; those who keep up [“perform”] the prayer and pay the prescribed alms tax; who keep pledges whenever they make them, who are steadfast in misfortune, adversity, and times of danger. These are the ones who are true, and it is they who are aware of God (Q 2:177).
At the end of Ramadan a Muslim is expected to pay a special tax, the zakât al-fir, the almsgiving of the breaking of the fast. This is a special donation for the poor which can be made either in kind or by a financial offering (in 2019 the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque indicated the amount to be given as five pounds per person).
Zakât can thus be seen as an expression of solidarity, and this overflows into the practice of free-will offerings (ṣadaqât).
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