Zakats

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Contributions made by Muslims as a form of almsgiving and religious tax to support the needy and community welfare ; a mandatory charitable donation calculated as a fixed percentage of accumulated wealth annually ; an obligatory act of worship intended to purify wealth and aid in social equity
2. A compulsory payment by followers of Islam, intended to redistribute wealth and assist those in financial hardship ; a prescribed portion of savings that must be given to charity according to religious law ; a ritual contribution that aims to cleanse the giver’s wealth and promote economic justice
3. An Islamic duty requiring believers to allocate a specific share of their assets to those less fortunate ; a form of charity that involves giving part of one's wealth yearly to eligible recipients ; a means of social and spiritual responsibility practiced by Muslims to maintain communal harmony and personal purity

Etymology: "Zakats" is simply the plural of "zakat," the obligatory almsgiving that Islam requires of those who can afford it. The noun was borrowed into English from Persian, Turkish, or Urdu, all of which took it from Arabic "zakāh," which means both "almsgiving" and "purification." The deeper story lies in the Arabic root. The word traces back to Aramaic "zākūṯā," meaning "goodness, probity, uprightness," and beyond that to a verb meaning "to gain" or "to overcome, triumph over." The idea is that giving away a share of one's wealth does not diminish it but cleanses what remains. Arabic "zakāh" carries that double sense of charity and purity, which is why a single word covers both the payment and the spiritual cleansing it is meant to bring.