Charity is an obligation for every Muslim, its importance clear in the fact that obligatory almsgiving (zakat) is the third of Islam’s fi ve pillars, after the testimony of faith (shahadah) and prayer. Indeed, the Qur’an often mentions those who “keep the prayer and pay the zakat” together; this common phrase, which appears over two dozen times in the Qur’an (e.g., 2:43, 4:77, 9:11, 21:73, 58:13, 73:20, 98:5), shows the close linkage between one’s obligations to God and one’s duty to fellow believers. One ought to have the intention of pleasing God when giving alms (30:39); non- payment of alms is linked to lack of belief in the afterlife (41:7). The term zakat connotes purifi cation. Calculated at 2.5 percent of accrued wealth (with different percentages for agricultural produce and livestock), and exempting basic items of personal use such as a residence, the zakat “purifi es” the wealth that remains. In addition to providing for the needy the zakat prevents the hoarding of wealth, something repeatedly condemned in the Qur’an (e.g., 9:34) and the sunnah. It is incumbent on every Muslim who possesses the requisite amount of wealth. The obligation of zakat is individual: a husband does not pay on his wife’s wealth, nor a wife on her husband’s, as there is no marital property regime. In medieval times, zakat was often collected and distributed by the state through a variety of intermediaries. The list of those who can receive zakat includes both the poor and new Muslims (some of these categories are the same as those who may be supported from booty; see 8:41). Any Muslims too poor to pay zakat themselves and who have fi nancial obligations are entitled to receive it. In fact, a wife can give charity to her husband if she is wealthy and he is poor.
A Muslim’s charitable impulses need not be constrained by the formal obligation of alms. Sadaqah is voluntary charity. Tales are told of famous incidents where early Muslims gave away half or all of their possessions. The Prophet’s widow Aishah reportedly gave so freely of the large sums she received as pension distributions that when she requested meat for a meal soon after receiving one such payment, her servant informed her that she had no money left with which to purchase it. Generosity is valued, and the Qur’an condemns those who turn away the needy. It also warns, however, against doing anything for show or following up charitable giving with reminders of one’s generosity. Sufi thinkers have elaborated on this, noting that one should give charity “without being asked.” Anything given after someone has been driven by need to request it is, according to the Sufi scholar al-Sulami (d. 412/1021), “merely reparation for the embarrassment suffered by the asker.” In medieval Muslim societies, charity was often channeled through pious endowments known as awqaf (sing. waqf). The income from these endowments could be used to provide for family members or the poor, or to support institutions such as hospitals, mosques, places of education, or Sufi lodges. Charity need not necessarily be material; the Prophet reportedly said that a smile can be charity, as can a loving gesture between spouses.
Fiqh the Epistemic Foundation of Islamic Faith
