Zakat
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| - | A '''passport''' is a [[travel document]], usually issued by a [[country]]'s [[government]], that certifies the identity and [[nationality]] of its holder primarily for the purpose of international travel. | ||
| - | ==History== | ||
| - | One of the earliest known references to paperwork that served in a role similar to that of a passport is found in the [[Hebrew Bible]]. Nehemiah, dating from approximately 450 BC, states that Nehemiah, an official serving King [[Artaxerxes I of Persia]], asked permission to travel to [[Judea]]; the king granted leave and gave him a letter "to the governors beyond the river" requesting safe passage for him as he traveled through their lands. | + | '''Zakât''' (or '''Zakaat''' or '''Zakah''') ([[English language|English]]:'''tax, alms, tithe''') ([[Arabic language|Arabic]]: '''زكاة''', Old ([[Qur'an]]) Arabic: '''زكوة''') is the third of the [[Five Pillars of Islam]] in [[Sunni Islam]] and one of the [[Branches of Religion]] in [[Shi'a Islam]]. Its literal meaning is 'to grow (in goodness)' or 'increase', 'purifying', or 'making pure'. It is prescribed in the Qur'an: |
| + | |||
| + | : "And what you give in usury, so that it may increase through (other) people's wealth it does not increase with Allah, but what you give in Zakaat, seeking Allah's Pleasure, then it is those who shall gain reward manifold..." (30:39) | ||
| - | Passports were an important part of the Chinese bureaucracy as early as the [[Western Han]], if not in the [[Qin dynasty|Qin Dynasty]]. They required such details as age, height, and bodily features. These passports (''zhuan'') determined a person's ability to move throughout imperial counties and through points of control. Even children needed passports, but those of one year or less who were in their mother's care might not have needed them. | + | A [[Muslim]] may also donate an additional amount as an act of voluntary charity ([[sadaqah]]), in order to achieve additional divine reward. |
| - | In the medieval [[Caliphate|Islamic Caliphate]], a form of passport was the ''bara'a'', a [[receipt]] for taxes paid. Only people who paid their ''[[zakat|zakah]]'' (for [[Muslim]]s) or ''[[jizya]]'' (for [[dhimmi]]s) taxes were permitted to travel to different regions of the Caliphate; thus, the ''bara'a'' receipt was a "basic passport." | + | There are two main types of zakât: |
| - | [[Etymology|Etymological]] sources show that the term "passport" is from a medieval document that was required in order to pass through the gate (or "porte") of a city wall or to pass through a territory. In [[Middle Ages|medieval Europe]], such documents were issued to foreign travellers by local authorities (as opposed to local citizens, as is the modern practice) and generally contained a list of towns and cities the document holder was permitted to enter or pass through. On the whole, documents were not required for travel to sea ports, which were considered [[Free trade zone|open trading points]], but documents were required to travel inland from sea ports. | + | * zakât on self (''zakât fitr'' or ''fitrah''); |
| + | * zakât on wealth (''zakât mal''), | ||
| - | King [[Henry V of England]] is credited with having invented what some consider the first passport in the modern sense, as a means of helping his subjects prove who they were in foreign lands. The earliest reference to these documents is found in a [[Safe Conducts Act 1414|1414 Act of Parliament]]. In 1540, granting travel documents in England became a role of the [[Privy Council of England]], and it was around this time that the term "passport" was used. In 1794, issuing British passports became the job of the Office of the [[Secretary of State (United Kingdom)|Secretary of State]]. The 1548 Imperial Diet of Augsburg required the public to hold imperial documents for travel, at the risk of permanent exile. | + | '''Zakât on self''' is a per head payment equivalent to about US $8.50 per head (originally in terms of wheat or dates or rice, of about 2.25 kilograms) paid during the month of [[Ramadan]] by the head of a family for himself and his dependents to the zakât collector (amil). |
| - | A rapid expansion of [[Rail transport|railway infrastructure]] and wealth in Europe beginning in the mid-nineteenth century led to large increases in the volume of international travel and a consequent unique dilution of the passport system for approximately thirty years prior to [[World War I]]. The speed of trains, as well as the number of passengers that crossed multiple borders, made enforcement of passport laws difficult. The general reaction was the relaxation of passport requirements. In the later part of the nineteenth century and up to World War I, passports were not required, on the whole, for travel within Europe, and crossing a border was a relatively straightforward procedure. Consequently, comparatively few people held passports. | + | '''Zakât on wealth''' comprises all the other types of zakât, such as on business, on savings, on income, on crops, on livestock, on gold, on minerals, on hidden treasures unearthed, etc. |
| - | During World War I, European governments introduced border passport requirements for security reasons, and to control the emigration of people with useful skills. These controls remained in place after the war, becoming a standard, though controversial, procedure. British tourists of the 1920s complained, especially about attached photographs and physical descriptions, which they considered led to a "nasty dehumanization". | + | The payment of zakât is obligatory on all Muslims. In current usage it is interpreted as a 2.5% levy on most valuables and savings held for a full year if their total value is more than a basic minimum known as [[nisab]] (the value of 3 [[ounce]]s of gold). At present, nisab is roughly US $1,300 or an equivalent amount of any other currency. |
| - | In 1920, the [[League of Nations]] held a conference on passports, the [[Paris Conference on Passports & Customs Formalities and Through Tickets]]. Passport guidelines and a general booklet design resulted from the conference, which was followed up by conferences in 1926 and 1927. | + | Zakât is distributed among 8 [[asnaf]] (categories) of people: |
| - | While the United Nations held a travel conference in 1963, no passport guidelines resulted from it. Passport standardization came about in 1980, under the auspices of the [[International Civil Aviation Organization]] (ICAO). ICAO standards include those for [[machine-readable passport]]s. Such passports have an area where some of the information otherwise written in textual form is written as strings of alphanumeric characters, printed in a manner suitable for [[optical character recognition]]. This enables border controllers and other law enforcement agents to process these passports more quickly, without having to input the information manually into a computer. ICAO publishes Doc 9303 ''Machine Readable Travel Documents'', the technical standard for machine-readable passports. A more recent standard is for [[biometric passport]]s. These contain [[biometrics]] to authenticate the identity of travellers. The passport's critical information is stored on a tiny [[RFID]] computer chip, much like information stored on [[smartcard]]s. Like some smartcards, the passport booklet design calls for an embedded contactless chip that is able to hold [[digital signature]] data to ensure the integrity of the passport and the biometric data. | + | * ''[[Fakir]]'' - One who has neither material possessions nor means of livelihood. |
| + | * ''[[Miskin]]'' - One with insufficient means of livelihood to meet basic needs. | ||
| + | * ''Amil'' - One who is appointed to collect zakât. | ||
| + | * ''[[Muallaf]]'' - One who converts to Islam. | ||
| + | * ''[[Riqab]]'' - One who wants to free himself from bondage or the shackles of slavery. | ||
| + | * ''[[Gharmin]]'' - One who is in debt (money borrowed to meet basic, [[halal]] expenditure). | ||
| + | * ''[[Fisabillillah]]'' - One who fights for the cause of Allah. | ||
| + | * ''[[Ibnus Sabil]]'' - One who is stranded in journey. | ||
| + | == See also == | ||
| - | ==See also== | + | * [[Islamic economics]] |
| - | *[[List of passports]] | + | * [[Kharaj]] |
| - | *[[Identity theft]] | + | * [[List of Islamic terms in Arabic]] |
| - | *[[Passport stamp]] | + | * [[List of ethics articles]] |
| - | * [[Henley Passport Index ]] | + | |
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Zakât (or Zakaat or Zakah) (English:tax, alms, tithe) (Arabic: زكاة, Old (Qur'an) Arabic: زكوة) is the third of the Five Pillars of Islam in Sunni Islam and one of the Branches of Religion in Shi'a Islam. Its literal meaning is 'to grow (in goodness)' or 'increase', 'purifying', or 'making pure'. It is prescribed in the Qur'an:
- "And what you give in usury, so that it may increase through (other) people's wealth it does not increase with Allah, but what you give in Zakaat, seeking Allah's Pleasure, then it is those who shall gain reward manifold..." (30:39)
A Muslim may also donate an additional amount as an act of voluntary charity (sadaqah), in order to achieve additional divine reward.
There are two main types of zakât:
- zakât on self (zakât fitr or fitrah);
- zakât on wealth (zakât mal),
Zakât on self is a per head payment equivalent to about US $8.50 per head (originally in terms of wheat or dates or rice, of about 2.25 kilograms) paid during the month of Ramadan by the head of a family for himself and his dependents to the zakât collector (amil).
Zakât on wealth comprises all the other types of zakât, such as on business, on savings, on income, on crops, on livestock, on gold, on minerals, on hidden treasures unearthed, etc.
The payment of zakât is obligatory on all Muslims. In current usage it is interpreted as a 2.5% levy on most valuables and savings held for a full year if their total value is more than a basic minimum known as nisab (the value of 3 ounces of gold). At present, nisab is roughly US $1,300 or an equivalent amount of any other currency.
Zakât is distributed among 8 asnaf (categories) of people:
- Fakir - One who has neither material possessions nor means of livelihood.
- Miskin - One with insufficient means of livelihood to meet basic needs.
- Amil - One who is appointed to collect zakât.
- Muallaf - One who converts to Islam.
- Riqab - One who wants to free himself from bondage or the shackles of slavery.
- Gharmin - One who is in debt (money borrowed to meet basic, halal expenditure).
- Fisabillillah - One who fights for the cause of Allah.
- Ibnus Sabil - One who is stranded in journey.
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