There's been a few threads on Islam of late so I thought I'd start one too. This thread considers the role of charity in religion generally and particularly its role in Islam. I'm interested to hear how your religion or worldview considers charity and the redistribution of wealth to assist those in need. What are your thoughts about Islam's approach?
Zakat is a form of alms-giving and treated in Islam as a religious obligation or tax, which, is considered by many Muslims as next in importance after prayer.
As one of the Five Pillars of Islam zakat is a religious obligation for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria of wealth. It is a mandatory charitable contribution, the right of the poor to find relief from the rich, and is considered to be a tax, or obligatory alms. The payment and disputes on zakat have played a major role in the history of Islam.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources
Zakat is based on income and the value of all of one's possessions. It is customarily 2.5% (or 1/40) of a Muslim's total savings and wealth above a minimum amount known as nisab but Islamic scholars differ on how much nisab is and other aspects of zakat. The collected amount is paid to the poor and the the needy.
Today, in most Muslim-majority countries, zakat contributions are voluntary, while in a handful (Libya, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen), zakat is mandated and collected by the state.
Shi'as unlike Sunnis, traditionally regarded zakat as a private and voluntary decision, and they give zakat to imam-sponsored rather than state-sponsored collectors.
Zakat - Wikipedia
So that's Islam and charity abbreviated for RF participants, particularly those like myself with extremely short attention spans. We could explore zakat further or consider the concept of charity generally and its role both within and outside of religion.
Zakat is a form of alms-giving and treated in Islam as a religious obligation or tax, which, is considered by many Muslims as next in importance after prayer.
As one of the Five Pillars of Islam zakat is a religious obligation for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria of wealth. It is a mandatory charitable contribution, the right of the poor to find relief from the rich, and is considered to be a tax, or obligatory alms. The payment and disputes on zakat have played a major role in the history of Islam.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources
Zakat is based on income and the value of all of one's possessions. It is customarily 2.5% (or 1/40) of a Muslim's total savings and wealth above a minimum amount known as nisab but Islamic scholars differ on how much nisab is and other aspects of zakat. The collected amount is paid to the poor and the the needy.
Today, in most Muslim-majority countries, zakat contributions are voluntary, while in a handful (Libya, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen), zakat is mandated and collected by the state.
Shi'as unlike Sunnis, traditionally regarded zakat as a private and voluntary decision, and they give zakat to imam-sponsored rather than state-sponsored collectors.
Zakat - Wikipedia
So that's Islam and charity abbreviated for RF participants, particularly those like myself with extremely short attention spans. We could explore zakat further or consider the concept of charity generally and its role both within and outside of religion.