Charity and Morals: Philosophical and Theological perspective

Abstract: There are five fundamental foundations of the law of Islamic life. They are – Belief (Iman), Prayers (Namaz), Fasting (Roza), Hajj and Zakat (Charity). The first three namely Imman, Namaz and Roza are a must-do for all Muslim (wajib/fard). But Hajj and Zakat are only for rich Muslim. Zakat is the Arabic word, which means chastity, increment, excess etc. In the linguistic dense, Zakat means – A portion of the rich’s wealth is given to the poor. Zakat is one side sacred and purifies the donor’s wealth. On the other hand ensures the financial security of the poor. Zakat removes the irritation of the poor stomach and the irritation of rich’s mind. Zakat changes the mental and meditative ideas of the rich and the poor. From society removes Jealousy, Envy, and hate. Rich’s gives and the poor accept, the poor benefit financially as a result the poor do not envy the wealth of the rich, do not worry about taking away the rich, rather, the poor became the keeper of the wealth. Zakat creates love and brotherhood between poor and rich. As the result there are no strife between the rich and the poor, Have-Have it’s not struggle. Rather, it facilitates the path of the rich and poor. Islam says capital will remain but capital will not be exploited. Zakat is the great weapon to stop the exploitation. That’s why; zakat is the backbone of the Islamic economic system.