zakat

[ zuh-kaht ]

nounIslam.
  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.

Origin of zakat

1
First recorded in 1800–05; from Turkish zekât or Persian zakāt, from Arabic zakāh
  • Also za·kah [zuh-kah]. /zəˈkɑ/.

Words Nearby zakat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use zakat in a sentence

  • That's why I'm committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat.

    Obama's Egypt Address | The Daily Beast Video | June 4, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • The principal taxes were the tithe on the produce of the land, called "ushr" and the zakat (fortieth), on merchandise and cattle.

    The Life of Yakoob Beg | Demetrius Boulger
  • The second, called the zakat, was a customs due levied on all merchandise entering Kashgar.

    The Life of Yakoob Beg | Demetrius Boulger

British Dictionary definitions for zakat

zakat

/ (zaˈkat) /


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

Origin of zakat

1
from Arabic zakāt alms

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012