zakat

American  

[zuh-kaht] / zəˈkɑt /

Also zakah

noun

Islam.

1. a tax, comprising percentages of personal income of every kind, levied as almsgiving for the relief of poor people: the third of the Pillars of Islam.

---

zakat British  

/ zaˈkat /

noun

1. Islam an annual tax on Muslims to aid the poor in the Muslim community

---

Etymology

Origin of zakat

First recorded in 1800–05; from Turkish zekât or Persian zakāt, from Arabic zakāh

Example Sentences

Requests for crisis grants are running at unprecedented levels, the National Zakat Foundation says.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2023

The Zakat Fund has raised an estimated $2.5 million in the last three years from roughly 25,000 donors and distributed it to 1,600 families in need across the city, said Nazar Khan, a board member.

From New York Times • Apr. 29, 2022

Zakat, the practice of Muslims contributing a portion of their wealth to those in need, is one of the five pillars of Islam — and an integral part of Ramadan.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2022

They also collect "Taliban Usher" and Zakat, usually freely-given Islamic offerings to the poor, of about 10% of people's harvest or a fraction of income, respectively.

From BBC • Aug. 13, 2021

Perhaps also the prospect of deriving an income from Zakat, that should smooth down many of his difficulties, was not without some influence on his mind when he came into direct contact with civilized empires.

From The Life of Yakoob Beg Athalik Ghazi, and Badaulet; Ameer of Kashgar by Boulger, Demetrius Charles