El Zakat

The third pillar of Islam is the Zakat, If the shahada is an act of the tongue, which confirms the belief of the heart and salat is a worship with the members of the whole body, zakat is a form of worship of Allah with one’s own wealth. Zakat means purification: the purification of wealth, which consists of the payment of 2.5 percent of the accumulated wealth, i.e. the wealth that has been kept, without having given it movement, for a whole year. The payment of this  Zakat becomes obligatory when the accumulated amount is more than 20 gold dinars , or in the case of silver, if it is more than 200 dirhams or their equivalent in the country’s currency. This is in the case that the wealth stored is money. If the accumulated wealth is cattle or agricultural crops or goods stored for trade, a portion is also extracted from it, at the end of a year, to be distributed as Zakat. In the case of agricultural production, the payment of the  Zakat is at the time of harvesting the fruit or harvesting from the fields. The payment of the  Zakatis a form of worship that is done with one’s wealth. It serves as a purification of wealth, which makes it increase, and as a purification of the heart of its attachment to property, which makes wealth a blessing. The  Zakat is collected by the authority of each Muslim community and distributed equally by the emir or caliph or the persons designated by him. It differs from what is known as  Sadaqa which are voluntary and arbitrary alms given spontaneously and freely. On the contrary, the  Zakat is a right that the needy have over the wealth of the wealthy.

This is the pillar of Islam that is most weakened today, due in large measure to the almost total disappearance of the Muslim form of government and social organization. It is the duty and duty of all Muslims to restore this pillar of Islam and we ask Allah to give us strength to do so.