2. The Pillars of Islam 3. Zakah

3. Again this, the third pillar of Islam is difficult to translate. It is not the same as ordinary spontaneous charity such as we may donate to on the street. In Islam this form of charity is called “Sadaqah”.

4. In Arabic, Zakah means “to purify”, and this tells us a lot about the symbolism behind this Pillar. But first we start with the Muslim view of the world. They believe that Allah has created everything in the universe, and as such it belongs to Him, including the material possessions which we may think that we “own”. To a Muslim all these are gifts from Allah, and on temporary loan from Him.

5. It is therefore unsurprising then that Muslims consider the sharing of these gifts from Allah to be a duty of their religion. In this way having wealth is not a problem for Muslims because it provides an extra opportunity to help a fellow Muslim. Members of the “Red Crescent” donating aid paid for with Zakah donations to the Tsunami victims

6. Zakah itself takes the form of: 2.5% of one’s total assets, and is paid voluntarily, usually on the day of Eid ul Fitr, and only if the family can afford to feed themselves first. Zakah is not intended to bankrupt families!

7. In large Muslim countries Zakah is collected with the other taxes e.g. Pakistan, although it is NOT compulsory! In Britain it may be organised by the Mosque, or individual families can donate to Islamic charities e.g. The Red Crescent. The Red Crescent is a branch of the Red Cross and operates in mainly Muslim countries. Visit their website here website here

8. Muslims do not consider the only beneficiaries of Zakah to be the poor, but it gives the wealthy in society the opportunity to share their blessing and so purify themselves in the eyes of Allah. Look at western society and you will see the mega- rich donating vast sums to charity. Bill Gates has been largely responsible for paying drug companies to research Malaria cures. Click hereClick here