Zakat

Zakat  means ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purify’. Carrying out this

mandatory act establishes a spiritual connection with Allah. It is
calculated at 2.5% of surplus wealth, such as savings and
financial assets not used towards living expenses for an entire
Islamic lunar year.

ZAKAT- YOUR DUTY TOWARDS THE

COMMUNITY
Zakat regulates a fair share of wealth distribution among the
poor. It is the third pillar of Islam; the third most important
form of worship after fasting. Giving Zakat is not a favour to the
poor, but it is considered their right in Islam. Zakat helps the
needy fulfil their necessities of life with dignity.
Allah (SWT) says in Quran:
And perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and give zakat and
whatever of good (deeds that Allah loves) you send forth for
yourselves before you, you shall find it with Allah. Certainly,
Allah is All-Seer of what you do. (2:110)
PURIFY YOUR WEALTH PAY ZAKAT
The threshold on wealth is called the ‘Nisab’, and if an
individual meets Nisab i.e 85 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of
silver on their cash equivalents, they become eligible. To pay
Zakat, one must be of age, mentally sound, free, and must have
a positive cash/goods flow, along with personal wealth that
exceeds the Nisab value. Islam has identified eight recipients of
Zakat:
 The poor.
 The needy
 Collectors of Zakat
 Reconciliation of Hearts
 Those who are enslaved/ kept captive
 Those in Debt
 In the way of Allah
 The stranded travellers
Zakat purifies wealth and makes it a blessing that is highly
rewarded and appreciated by Allah (SWT). Highlighting the
importance of Zakat,
Quran mentions:
Truly those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and
perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and give zakat they will
have their reward with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor
shall they grieve. (2:277)
Hajj
One of the five pillars of Islam central to Muslim belief, Hajj is
the pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim must make at least
once in their lifetime if they are able; it is the most spiritual
event that a Muslim experiences, observing rituals in the most
sacred places in the Islamic world. Mecca is the birthplace of
the Prophet Muhammad. The sanctuary there with the Ka‘ba is
the holiest site in Islam. As such, it is a deeply spiritual
destination for Muslims all over the world; it is the heart of
Islam.
At the heart of the sanctuary at Mecca lies the Ka’ba, the cube-
shaped building that Muslims believe was built by Abraham and
his son Ishmael. It was in Mecca that the Prophet Muhammad
received the first revelations in the early 7th century. Therefore
the city has long been viewed as a spiritual centre and the heart
of Islam. The rituals involved with Hajj have remained
unchanged since its beginning, and it continues to be a
powerful religious undertaking which draws Muslims together
from all over the world, irrespective of nationality or sect.
The rituals
Hajj involves a series of rituals that take place in and around
Mecca over a period of five to six days. The first of these is
tawaf in which pilgrims walk around the Ka‘ba seven times in an
anti-clockwise direction. Muslims believe that the rituals of Hajj
have their origin in the time of the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham).
Muhammad led the Hajj himself in 632, the year of his death.
The Hajj now attracts about three million pilgrims every year
from across the world.
The journey
From the furthest reaches of the Islamic world, pilgrims have
made the spiritual journey that is the ambition of a lifetime. As
Hajj needs to be performed at a designated time, historically
pilgrims moved together in convoys. In the past the journey
could be extremely dangerous. Pilgrims often fell ill or were
robbed on the way and became destitute. However, pilgrims do
not fear dying on Hajj. It is believed that those who die on Hajj
will go to heaven with their sins erased. Today, pilgrims can get
on an airplane to reach Saudi Arabia, making the journey in
contrast with the past quick and less arduous.
The Qur’an states that Hajj should take place "in the specified
months," and these are the last three months of the Muslim
calendar, known as Miqat Zamani (fixed times). Although the
main acts of the Hajj take place in five days during the twelfth
month, a pilgrim can start going into consecration (ihram) for
Hajj earlier, from the beginning of the tenth month (Shawwal).
The Muslim calendar is lunar, which means that the Hajj takes
place progressively across all four seasons over time rather
than in the full heat of summer every year. On foot, by camel,
boat, train or airplane, going on Hajj is a spiritual endeavor that
begins at home and culminates in Mecca; in going, arriving, and
returning, the pilgrim is mindful of the magnitude of the
journey and the reward in this world and the hereafter.
When pilgrims undertake the Hajj journey, they follow in the
footsteps of millions before them. Nowadays hundreds of
thousands of believers from over 70 nations arrive in Mecca in
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by road, sea and air every year,
completing a journey faster and in some ways less arduous
than it often was in the past. Those traveling overland by camel
and on foot congregated at three central points: Kufa (Iraq),
Damascus (Syria) and Cairo (Egypt). Pilgrims coming by sea
would enter Arabia at the port of Jedda.