{"id":1628,"date":"2016-03-24T18:33:31","date_gmt":"2016-03-24T18:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/?p=1628"},"modified":"2018-03-27T02:07:48","modified_gmt":"2018-03-27T07:07:48","slug":"the-third-pillar-of-islam-compulsory-charity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/the-third-pillar-of-islam-compulsory-charity\/","title":{"rendered":"The Third Pillar of Islam: Compulsory Charity"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Imam Kamil Mufti<\/em><\/p>\n

Charity is not just recommended by Islam, it is required of every financially stable Muslim.\u00a0 Giving charity to those who deserve it is part of Muslim character and one of the Five Pillars of Islamic practice.\u00a0Zakat<\/i> is viewed as “compulsory charity”; it is an obligation for those who have received their wealth from God to respond to those members of the community in need.\u00a0 Devoid of sentiments of universal love, some people know only to hoard wealth and to add to it by lending it out on interest.\u00a0 Islam\u2019s teachings are the very antithesis of this attitude.\u00a0 Islam encourages the sharing of wealth with others and helps people to stand on their own and become productive members of the society.<\/p>\n

In Arabic it is known as\u00a0zakat<\/i> which literally means “purification”, becausezakat<\/i> is considered to purify one\u2019s heart of greed.\u00a0 Love of wealth is natural and it takes firm belief in God for a person to part with some of his wealth.\u00a0 Zakat<\/i>must be paid on different categories of property \u2014 gold, silver, money; livestock; agricultural produce; and business commodities \u2014 and is payable each year after one year\u2019s possession.\u00a0 It requires an annual contribution of 2.5 percent of an individual\u2019s wealth and assets.<\/p>\n

Like prayer, which is both an individual and communal responsibility, zakat<\/i>expresses a Muslim\u2019s worship of and thanksgiving to God by supporting those in need.\u00a0 In Islam, the true owner of things is not man, but God.\u00a0 Acquisition of wealth for its own sake, or so that it may increase a man\u2019s worth, is condemned.\u00a0 Mere acquisition of wealth counts for nothing in the sight of God.\u00a0 It does not give man any merit in this life or in the hereafter.\u00a0 Islam teaches that people should acquire wealth with the intention of spending it on their own needs and the needs of others.<\/p>\n

\n
“\u2018Man\u2019, said the Prophet, \u2018says: My wealth! \u00a0My wealth!\u2019 \u00a0Have you not any wealth except that which you give as alms and thus preserve, wear and tatter, eat and use up?”<\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The whole concept of wealth is considered in Islam as a gift from God.\u00a0 God, who provided it to the person, made a portion of it for the poor, so the poor have a right over one\u2019s wealth.\u00a0 Zakat<\/i> reminds Muslims that everything they have belongs to God.\u00a0 People are given their wealth as a trust from God, andzakat<\/i> is intended to free Muslims from the love of money.\u00a0 The money paid inzakat<\/i> is not something God needs or receives.\u00a0 He is above any type of dependency.\u00a0 God, in His boundless mercy, promises rewards for helping those in need with one basic condition that zakat<\/i> be paid in the name of God; one should not expect or demand any worldly gains from the beneficiaries nor aim at making one\u2019s name as a philanthropist.\u00a0 The feelings of a beneficiary should not be hurt by making him feel inferior or reminding him of the assistance.<\/p>\n

Money given as zakat<\/i> can only be used for certain specific things.\u00a0 Islamic Law stipulates that alms are to be used to support the poor and the needy, to free slaves and debtors, as specifically mentioned in the Quran (9:60).\u00a0 Zakat<\/i>, which developed fourteen hundred years ago, functions as a form of social security in a Muslim society.<\/p>\n

Neither Jewish nor Christian scriptures praise slave manumission by raising it to worship. Indeed, Islam is unique in world religions in requiring the faithful to financially help slaves win their freedom and has raised the manumission of a slave to an act of worship – if it is done to please God.<\/p>\n

Under the caliphates, the collection and expenditure of zakat<\/i> was a function of the state.\u00a0 In the contemporary Muslim world, it has been left up to the individual, except in some countries in which the state fulfills that role to some degree.\u00a0 Most Muslims in the West disperse zakat<\/i> through Islamic charities, mosques, or directly giving to the poor.\u00a0 Money is not collected during religious services or via collection plates, but some mosques keep a drop box for those who wish it to distribute zakat<\/i> on their behalf.\u00a0 Unlike the zakat, giving other forms of charity in private, even in secret, is considered better, in order to keep one\u2019s intention purely for the God.<\/p>\n

Apart from zakat<\/i>, the Quran and Hadeeth (sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him) also stress sadaqah<\/em>, or voluntary almsgiving, which is intended for the needy.\u00a0 The Quran emphasizes feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, helping those who are in need, and the more one helps, the more God helps the person, and the more one gives, the more God gives the person.\u00a0 One feels he is taking care of others and God is taking care of him.<\/p>\n

From: Islamreligion<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Imam Kamil Mufti Charity is not just recommended by Islam, it is required of every financially stable Muslim.\u00a0 Giving charity to those who deserve it is part of Muslim character and one of the Five Pillars of Islamic practice.\u00a0Zakat is viewed as “compulsory charity”; it is an obligation for those who have received their … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2788,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-five-pillars-of-islam"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pillar-3.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pillar-3.jpg",1280,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pillar-3-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pillar-3-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pillar-3-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pillar-3-1024x576.jpg",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pillar-3.jpg",1280,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pillar-3.jpg",1280,720,false],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pillar-3.jpg",300,169,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pillar-3.jpg",400,225,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pillar-3.jpg",600,338,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"ASKM","author_link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/author\/askm\/"},"uagb_comment_info":1,"uagb_excerpt":"By Imam Kamil Mufti Charity is not just recommended by Islam, it is required of every financially stable Muslim.\u00a0 Giving charity to those who deserve it is part of Muslim character and one of the Five Pillars of Islamic practice.\u00a0Zakat is viewed as “compulsory charity”; it is an obligation for those who have received their…","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcT0IL-qg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9274,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/the-third-pillar-of-islam-compulsory-charity-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1628,"position":0},"title":"The Third Pillar of Islam: Compulsory Charity","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/26\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Charity is not just recommended by Islam, it is required of every financially stable Muslim. Giving charity to those who deserve it is part of Muslim character and one of the Five Pillars of Islamic practice. Zakatis viewed as \u201ccompulsory charity\u201d; it is an obligation for those who have received\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Introducing Islam"","block_context":{"text":"Introducing Islam","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/category\/introducing-islam\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7087,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/zakat-obligatory-charity-purifying-wealth\/","url_meta":{"origin":1628,"position":1},"title":"Zakat \u2013 Obligatory Charity: Purifying Wealth","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/07\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"In the glossary of The Noble Quran[1] the term Zakat is defined as follows, \u201cA certain fixed proportion of the wealth and of every property liable to Zakat of a Muslim to be paid yearly for the benefit of the poor in the Muslim community. 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Giving alms to those who are entitled to it is part of the Muslim character and one of the five pillars of the Islamic way of life. Zakat is considered a mandatory charity;\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "EINF\u00dcHRUNG IN DEN ISLAM"","block_context":{"text":"EINF\u00dcHRUNG IN DEN ISLAM","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/category\/einfuehrung-in-den-islam\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1614,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/less-than-5-mins-pillars-of-islam\/","url_meta":{"origin":1628,"position":4},"title":"Less than 5 Mins \u2013 Pillars of Islam","author":"ASKM","date":"03\/20\/2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The first and most important pillar ofIslam is the testimony of faith. It is a simple yet powerful declaration which forms the basis of Islam. It means that there is no God worthy to be worshiped except for Allah, andMuhammad is the Messenger. 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