zakat

American

[zuh-kaht] / zəˈkɑt /

Also zakah

noun

Islam.

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

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of zakat

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

zakat

The other pillars are the profession of faith, prayer five times a day, zakat - a form of charity, and making the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca once in their lifetime.

From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2024

Their desire to keep their assistance local is based on Islamic teaching that “you should try to give zakat by hand,” said Mr. Khan.

From New York Times ● Apr. 29, 2022

One way this happens is through zakat, one of the five pillars of Islam, which asks Muslims to contribute a portion of their wealth to those in need.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2022

Rehman pointed out that zakat, an obligatory form of almsgiving and one of the five pillars of Islam, has a much larger footprint.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2018

"I know about zakat," said Belet, referring to the obligation to help the needy.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023