Zakah and Hajj

• Zakah


  Purification through giving, a key moral principle in Islam
• Types of giving in Islam

  • Zakah
  • Sadaqat (voluntary)
  • Khums (a fifth)
• Liberationist thinking in Islam

  Attitudes towards the poor
• Impact of giving on the ummah

  Uniting the Muslim community
• Hajj


  Pilgrimage for Muslims, unites the ummah
• Hajj


  1. Enter sacred area in Makkah wearing white cotton un-sewed cloths

  2. Enter state of purity, nothing may be killed

  3. Perform tawaf, circling the ka'aba 7 times anti clockwise

  4. Perform sai, running between the hills Al-Safa and Al-Marwa

  5. Throw stones at pillars representing the devil

  6. Stand in the hot sun on the plain of Arafat, sins forgiven and make fresh commitment to follow Islam
• Zakah is a tax of 2.5% on profits and comparable amounts on surplus crops and gold, for Muslims of sufficient wealth to pay it
• Zakah may be used to support the poor, students, the ill, soldiers and others in need
• Purpose of Zakah


  Encourage Muslims not to be selfish and consider all wealth as belonging to God, feel less attached to possessions and more empathy and compassion for less fortunate Muslims
• Hajj is one of the largest gatherings in the world and Muslims if different racial backgrounds, rich and poor alike, become equal whilst circling the Ka'aba together