The zakât or zakah (RTL rear زَكَاة zakāt ; Arab word translates by “Aumône” into French), is one of the Piliers of Islam: it is an obligatory tax.

For the ordinary people, the zakât is quite simply the tax on the saving. It corresponds to 2,5  % of the saving of the Moslem if this saving is higher or equal to an amount of 85 grams gold, is currently approximately 1100  euros, and if it undergoes an annual revolution (while following the Moslem Calendrier).

The Moslem is held to calculate each lunar year (Hégire) this amount and to give it to the people poorest of his community while starting with his family (except for those which are with its load) and his neighbors.

Historically, in the Islamic countries, it was the State which collected the zakat and which redistributed it. The not-Moslems were to then discharge another tax named Djizyah , a tax of capitation (per capita) variable (according to the needs for the Moslem authorities) imposed at all the communities subjected - primarily Jews and Christians - to retain their right of worship and exemption to fight for the Moslems.

Goals of the Zakât

• To purify the believer of his possible possibly unhealthy attraction for the goods, to limit the Avarice and covetousness. In the same way, that supports the investment of the goods, because the investments are exempted taxes.

• Permettre poorest to provide for their needs, which was a right within the framework of the collective responsibility preached by Islam.
• To rejoin the heart of the men with God.
• To allow the creation of useful public buildings: schools, hospital…

Recipients of the Zakât

Zakat is redistributed with 8 categories of clearly definite people:

• pauvres  ;
• the needy ones, which has too little to live in a manner décente  ;
• the new converts whose faith is not yet ferme  ;
• Of the servants who can thus sometimes be freed and the repurchase from prisoners, or more precisely the release of the slaves and the captifs  ;
• surendettés, the sometimes unable ones to discharge transactions which do not comprise offense with the morale  ;
• the people who deal with collecting it zakât in perceive a part  ;
• For " wire of the chemin" (travellers in distress)   ;
• to help in the path of God.

The recipients of zakât are quoted in the following verse: Zakât is intended only to the poor, the poor ones, those which work there, those whose hearts are to be gained Islam, the stamping from the yokes, those which are heavily involved in debt, in the path of Allah, and for the traveller (in distress).

Zakât Al-Mâl

The zakât Al mâl (legal alms) is imposed on:

• financial resources (2,5  % of payment).

• cattle.
• goods.
• ores extracted the ground.
• fruits and cereals.

The Coran contains more 80  verses concerning the zakât and the obligation to discharge some. This alms is regarded as a right of the poor to take in the surplus of richest.

Assiduous with the prayer, be made alms, you will even find at Allah it although you will have acquired in advance, for you. Take a alms on their goods to purify them and return them without spots.

Zakât Al-Fitr

There exists a zakât particular obligatory that one pours before the end of the month of Ramadan, it is the zakât Al-Fitr (alms of the rupture of the fast). It is equivalent to a saa (four portions filling the two hands completely) of a foodstuff usually consumed in the country where one saw. Being intended the most stripped for, the purpose of it is to purify the faster of its sins made during the month of Ramadan.

Other forms of alms

There exist also various helps with poorest, notammant the Waqf.

External bonds

• Site clarifying the 5 pillars of Islam
• Article of Tariq Ramadan on Zakat