zakah & charity
The alms [Zakah] are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarer; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is Knower, Wise
Zakah, or almsgiving is the third pillar of Islam and is an obligatory act upon all qualifying Muslims, which consists the undertaking of submitting a set percentage of their profitable wealth to charity.
The paying of Zakah is not seen as a burden, but rather as a blessing because it means Allah has been generous in giving us enough wealth; people below a certain level of wealth do not have to pay Zakah.
Zakah isn’t necessarily charity as it is compulsory whilst Sadaqah can be defined as charity or the voluntary giving of one’s wealth. Giving Sadaqah is very greatly emphasised in Islam, as well as highly rewarded, and hence why Muslims have a very strong sense of the need to give charity.
Our Masjid both collects Zakah which goes towards the needy as well as Sadaqah which can be used to help deliver its services. We also host dozens of collections for UK charities every year, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for charitable causes, prevalently during the holy month of Ramadhan.
You can find out more about Zakah from the National Zakah Foundation.