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.

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zakat British  

/ zaˈkat /

noun

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

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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

The customs tax, or Zakat, is sanctioned by the Shari�t, and was levied at all the border posts on the various roads leading into the state.

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