This is a sub-article of Islamic economical jurisprudence.

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Part of a series on the Islamic creed: Aqidah

Five Pillars (Sunni)

Shahādah - Profession of faith Ṣalāt - Prayers Zakāh - Paying of alms (giving to the poor) Ṣawm - Fasting during Ramadan Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca

Six articles of belief (Sunni)

Tawhīd - Oneness Prophets and Messengers in Islam Islamic holy books Angels The Last Judgment Predestination

Principles of the Religion (Twelver)

Tawhīd - Oneness ‘Adalah - Justice Nubuwwah - Prophethood Imāmah - Leadership The Last Judgment

Practices of the Religion (Twelver)

Ṣalāt - Prayers Ṣawm - Fasting during Ramadan Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca Zakāh - Tithes Khums - One-fifth tax Jihad - Struggle Commanding what is just Forbidding what is evil Tawallā' - Loving the Ahl al-Bayt Tabarrá - Disassociating Ahl al-Bayt's enemies

Seven Pillars (Ismaili)

Walāyah - Guardianship Ṭahārah - Purity & cleanliness Ṣalāt - Prayers Zakāh - Purifying religious dues Ṣawm - Fasting during Ramadan Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca Jihad - Struggle

Others

Kharijite Sixth Pillar of Islam. This box: view • talk •

Zakāh "alms for the poor" (Arabic: زكاة‎ IPA: [zækæːh] is the Islamic principle of giving a percentage of one's income to charity. It is often compared to the system of tithing and alms but unlike these older systems, it serves principally as the welfare contribution to poor and deprived people in the Muslim lands, although others may have a rightful share. It is the duty of the state not just to collect it; but to distribute it fairly as well.

Zakat is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Believers are aware that by giving a fixed percentage of their surplus wealth, they are fulfilling the important religious obligation and that in the process they are purifying themselves from their greed and selfishness. In addition zakat purifies the person who receives it because it saves him from the humiliation of begging and prevents him from envying the rich. ¹

Minimums and Amounts

It is an obligation on Muslims to pay 1/40 (2.5%) of the wealth which they have had for a full lunar year,1/40 (2.5%) of goods used for trade, and 5% or 10% of certain type of harvests depending on irrigation. Exempt from Zakat are a person's house and personal transportation.

Zakat is not mandatory on harvest if the total did not reach the minimum limit of about 653 kilograms ², nor on gold amounts if the owner has less than 85 grams of gold or less than 595 grams of silver³

Causes & Beneficiaries

In the Qur'an, God revealed the beneficiaries of zakat:

إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاء وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيم

"Alms are only for the poor and the needy, and the officials (appointed) over them, and those whose hearts are made to incline (to truth) and the (ransoming of) captives and those in debts and in the way of Allah and the wayfarer; an ordinance from Allah; and Allah is knowing, Wise." ^Qur'an 9:60

The people whose hearts are to be reconciled include (normally new Muslims or those close to becoming Muslim. Non Muslims cannot be included):

• Freed slaves
• Those heavily burdened with paying their debts
• Travelers who find themselves in difficult circumstances

There have been cases where you can't pay zakat for

• Traditional zakaat laws generally do not cover trade.
• It is not permissible to pay zakaat to some members of the family (i.e. grandparents, parents, spouses, children), for if they were needy or poor, they are under the custody of the eligible man, while Zakat is intended for public welfare.
• Zakat doesn't become obligatory on a Muslim if he doesn't have a minimum amount in his possession that has remained unchanged for a whole lunar year; any increase in that money during the year waits for the following year and any decrease as long as the total amount is still above the minimum amount is exempted.

In all the four recognised madhhabs the fiqh of Zakat ⁴ is very much the same with the key elements that make Zakat compulsory for an individual being: Islam, Freedom, the Nisab, Ownership and a Year's Possession.

• Zakat is a form of payment, which has the spiritual development of the believer.

Therefore, it should not be looked at as being only an economic duty.

References

1. ^ Robinson, Neal. Islam; A Concise Introduction. Richmond; Curzon Press. 1999
2. ^ إسلام أون لاين.نت - استشارات الزكاة - زكاة الزروع والثمار
3. ^ Zakat on IslamCity.com
4. ^ The Zakat Pages

See also

• Islamic economics
• Islamic banking
• Kharaj
• Economy of the OIC
• List of Islamic terms in Arabic

External links

• The Zakat Foundation of America's complete Zakat information page
• Zakat Excel sheet calculator

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 2 December 2008, at 01:51.

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