Item 3 in Five Pillars of Islam
Zakat — Obligatory Almsgiving
Give the required share of qualifying wealth for recognised charitable and communal purposes.
- Position
- 3
- Form
- Positive duty or instruction
- Obligation
- Mandatory
- Wording status
- Editorial paraphrase
- Intended audience
- Muslims
- Last reviewed
- 28 June 2026
Names and terminology
Canonical name: Zakat — Obligatory Almsgiving
Original term: Zakāh
Source wording
Editorial paraphrase: Give the required share of qualifying wealth for recognised charitable and communal purposes.
Literal meaning
Give the required share of qualifying wealth for recognised charitable and communal purposes.
Broader interpretation
Interpretation depends on the framework's historical purpose, intended audience and relationship to its other principles.
Ethical purpose
To shape conduct or character in a way consistent with the wider ethical framework.
Modern application
Modern application requires attention to consent, rights, evidence, foreseeable harm and changing social conditions.
Criticism and difficult cases
Application can become difficult when this principle conflicts with another duty, when harm is indirect, or when ancient social assumptions do not fit modern conditions.
Truth By Reason analysis
Truth By Reason assesses this principle according to evidence, rights, intentions, foreseeable consequences and consistency with the treatment of all affected beings.
Ethical themes
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari 8 Primary source