I heard the word zakat at first when I went to India during a Ramadan time. Every morning my grandpa fill money in a jar kept on the table. When beggars come to our house and ask for zakat I take some money from the jar and give it to them. The jar will almost be empty by evening! Later when my parents send me to madrasa and I started to learn about Islam, I realized that Zakat is the third pillar of Islam. The money I had given to the beggars was actually not zakat. It was Swadaqa - a voluntary act that is encouraged but not mandatory. But Zakat is a mandatory form of giving in Islam.

1. Zakat
and it’s
Social Benefits
The concept of Zakat is deeply rooted in the Islamic faith and has significant social
benefits
Prepared by: Fathima Razan, Class 6, AMI Farwaniya

2. Wealth
Zakat is directly related with one’s wealth. Let us see what Islam says about wealth
‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the
Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Who among you
considers the wealth of his heirs more beloved to him than his own wealth?" They
replied: "O Messenger of Allah, there is no one among us except that he loves his
own wealth more." He said: "His wealth is whatever he spends during his life (in
good ways), while the wealth of his heir is whatever he leaves after his death.“-Sahih
Al Bukhari

3. Wealth
Holy Quran emphasizes that human beings are not the true owners of their wealth, but rather
they are merely temporary caretakers of it during their lifetimes. The following verse from the
Quran reflects this perspective:
“ ‫وا‬ُ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬‫آ‬
ِ
ِ َ
‫اّلل‬ِ‫ب‬
ِ
ِ‫ه‬ِ‫ل‬‫و‬ ُ
‫َس‬‫ر‬َ‫و‬
‫وا‬ُ‫ق‬ِ‫ف‬‫ن‬َ‫َأ‬‫و‬
‫ا‬َ‫م‬ِ‫م‬
‫م‬ُ‫ك‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬َ‫ج‬
َِ‫ين‬ِ‫ف‬َ‫ل‬ْ‫َخ‬‫ت‬ ْ
‫س‬ُّ‫م‬
ِ
ِ‫ه‬‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬
‫وا‬ُ‫ن‬َ‫م‬‫ِآ‬َ‫ين‬ِ‫ذ‬َ‫ال‬َ‫ف‬
ِ
ِ‫م‬
ِْ‫م‬ُ‫نك‬
‫وا‬ُ‫ق‬َ‫ف‬‫ن‬َ‫َأ‬‫و‬
ِْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬َ‫ل‬
ِ
‫ر‬ْ‫ج‬َ‫أ‬
ِ
‫ير‬ِ‫ب‬َ‫ك‬ ”
"Believe in Allah and His Messenger and spend out of that in which He has made you
successors. For those who have believed among you and spent, there will be a great reward."
(Quran 57:7)
This verse suggests that believers should recognize that their wealth is a trust from Allah, and
they should use it in ways that reflect their role as temporary caretakers or successors.

4. Zakat
Zakat is an essential part of Islam, as it is a means of purifying one's wealth and
helping those who are less fortunate
“The wealth of a person does not decrease by paying Zakat”
“One who pays Zakat, Allah will make their wealth increase”
“Zakat is the right of the poor on the wealth of the rich” – Sahih Al Bukhari

5. Zakat is
 Mandatory Islamic practice of giving a portion of one's wealth
to those in need.
 One of the Five Pillars of Islam, which are the fundamental
principles of the religion.
 The word "zakat" means "purification" or "growth," and it is
viewed as a way of purifying one's wealth and growing closer
to Allah.
Muslims who are possessing Nisab(Value of 85gm Gold / 595gm Silver) as surplus after a year
are required to give a portion of their wealth, usually 2.5%, to support the poor and needy.
ُِ‫ات‬َ‫َق‬‫د‬َ‫ص‬‫َاِال‬‫م‬َ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬
ِ
ِ‫ء‬‫ا‬َ‫ر‬َ‫ق‬ُ‫ف‬ْ‫ل‬ِ‫ل‬
ِ
ِ‫ين‬ِ‫ك‬‫ا‬ َ
‫َس‬‫م‬ْ‫َال‬‫و‬
‫َا‬‫ه‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ِع‬َ‫ين‬ِ‫ل‬ِ‫م‬‫ا‬َ‫ع‬ْ‫َال‬‫و‬
ِ
ِ‫ة‬َ‫ف‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ؤ‬ُ‫م‬ْ‫َال‬‫و‬
ِْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬ُ‫ب‬‫و‬ُ‫ل‬ُ‫ق‬
ِ
ِ‫ب‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬ِ‫يِالر‬ِ‫ف‬َ‫و‬
َِ‫ين‬ِ‫م‬ِ‫ار‬َ‫غ‬ْ‫َال‬‫و‬
ِِ‫يل‬ِ‫ب‬ َ
‫يِس‬ِ‫ف‬َ‫و‬
ِ
ِ َ
‫ّللا‬
ِ
ِ‫يل‬ِ‫ب‬ َ
‫ِالس‬ِ‫ن‬ْ‫ب‬‫َا‬‫و‬
ِ
‫ة‬َ‫ض‬‫ي‬ِ‫ر‬َ‫ف‬
ِ‫ه‬ِ َ
‫ِّللا‬َ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬
ُِ َ
‫َّللا‬‫و‬
ِ
‫يم‬ِ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬
ِ
‫يم‬ِ‫ك‬َ‫ح‬
“Alms(Zakat) is for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [Zakaat] and
for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in
debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveller – an obligation [imposed] by
Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.” (Quran 9:60)

6. Is ZAKATH & SWADAQA the same?
I heard the word zakat at first when I went to India during a Ramadan
time. Every morning my grandpa fill money in a jar kept on the table.
When beggars come to our house and ask for zakat I take some money
from the jar and give it to them. The jar will almost be empty by
evening!
Later when my parents send me to madrasa and I started to learn about
Islam, I realized that Zakat is the third pillar of Islam. The money I had
given to the beggars was actually not zakat. It was Swadaqa - a
voluntary act that is encouraged but not mandatory.
But Zakat is a mandatory form of giving in Islam.

7. Social Benefits of Zakat
Zakat has numerous social benefits, including the alleviation of poverty, the empowerment
of the poor, the strengthening of communities, the promotion of social justice, and the
purification of wealth. It is an important part of Islamic faith and practice that has a positive
impact on individuals and society as a whole.

8. 1. Alleviation of poverty:
One of the primary social benefits of Zakat is
that it helps to alleviate poverty. Zakat provides
a safety net for the poor, ensuring that they have
access to basic necessities such as food, shelter,
and clothing. By redistributing wealth from those
who have more than they need to those who do
not have enough, Zakat promotes greater social
equality and reduces the gap between the rich
and the poor.
Social
Benefits
of
Zakat

9. 2. Empowerment of the poor:
Zakat can be used to empower the poor by
enabling them to start their own businesses or
to gain an education. This can help them to
become self-sufficient and independent.
Social
Benefits
of
Zakat

10. 3. Strengthening of communities:
Zakat has a significant impact on social
cohesion. It fosters a sense of community and
solidarity among Muslims, as they come
together to support those in need. Zakat also
helps to strengthen the bonds between different
segments of society, as the wealthy are
reminded of their responsibility to care for their
less fortunate brethren.
Social
Benefits
of
Zakat

11. 4. Promotion of social justice:
Zakat is a means of redistributing wealth and
promoting social justice. It helps to ensure that
wealth is not concentrated in the hands of a few,
but is distributed more fairly among society and
that everyone has access to basic necessities.
Social
Benefits
of
Zakat

12. 5. Promotion of compassion and empathy:
Giving zakat can promote compassion and
empathy towards those who are less fortunate. It
can help individuals develop a greater
understanding of the challenges faced by others
and encourage them to act in a charitable and
compassionate manner. This can help to
cultivate a sense of gratitude and generosity in
individuals.
Finally, zakat is also an important means of
spiritual growth for Muslims. By giving to those
in need, Muslims are able to fulfill a fundamental
obligation of their faith and purify their wealth.
Social
Benefits
of
Zakat

13.  Yes! All these benefits were clearly visible during Islamic Golden Age or the
Classical Islamic era.
F
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C
T
C
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IS ZAKATH
THE FORGOTTEN PILLAR OF ISLAM?

14. THE FORGOTTEN PILLAR OF ISLAM?
Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam, which are the fundamental religious practices for Muslims.
However, it is often described as the forgotten pillar of Islam because it is not always given the
same emphasis as other pillars such as prayer and fasting.
Reasons may be:
 Zakat is primarily related to wealth and financial transactions, which is not always a topic that
people feel comfortable discussing or addressing.
 While the obligation to pay zakat is mentioned numerous times in the Quran, it is not as
frequently emphasized in religious teachings and practices.
 Zakat is often treated as voluntary charity and believed to be better in secret nature, and
therefore may not receive as much attention from religious leaders or institutions as other
practices that are more visible in the community.
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15. Reinstate the third pillar
The first step is running a campaign among the believers to calculate and prepare to pay off their
zakat.
Secondly, zakat has to be distributed properly and so it requires institutional arrangement. Even
we are minority in India, there are some private setups actively performing to collect and
distribute Zakat.
 Setup should be well structured and well managed .
 Comprehensive statistics on annual collection and distribution of Zakat.
 Central database on the activities of the different organizations working on Zakat
 Zakat should be distributed within one year of collection. The Zakat account should be cleared
annually.
 The Zakat payment should be unconditional.
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Prepared by: Fathima Razan, Class 6, AMI Farwaniya