ISLAM AND THE WEST - 39

 Zakah literally means "to purify". In Islamic terminology it means giving in charity a portion of one's wealth subject to certain prescribed conditions. Beside Salah, it is the one act of worship the command for which appears most times in the Noble Qur’an. While this is not the place to go into its Fiqh details, there are very specific rules about who needs to pay Zakah, how much, and to whom it can be paid. Generally it ensures transfer of wealth from Muslims who are above a certain assets threshold, to Muslims who are below that assets threshold. In general, it has been stipulated in the Noble Quran;

 

“The Sadaqat (prescribed alms) are only for the poor, the needy, those employed to collect these, those whose hearts are to be won, in (freeing) slaves, in (releasing) those in debt, in the way of Allah and for a wayfarer - this being prescribed by Allah…” (9:60) 

 

Even though the word ‘Sadaqah’ (charity) has been used in this verse, it refers to compulsory Sadaqah i.e. Zakah, as there are many more ways in which voluntary (Nafl) charity can be spent, in addition to the purposes above.