Zakeh (Required Expenditure)

one  of  the most imp-ortant  principles of  IslEm  is that all  things
belong  to  Altah  and  that  wealth  is  therefore  held  by  human
beings  in  rrust.  Spending  money  in  charity  i;  hrghly
commendable,  and Muslims  are encouraged  to  spend  u,  *u"L
as they  can. But  zakall  the  third  pillar  of  Irlarrr,  is  different
because  it  is  obligatory,  not  voluntary,  and  it  is  given  in  a
.  calculated  amount.  Each  Muslim  calculates his  or  her  own
zakah  individually.  For  most  pufi)oses  this  involves  the
paynent  each  year of  two  and a half  percent of  the  capiral in
excess of  one's  basic  needs. The  same percentage is  paid
annually  by those  who own merchandise  for  sale,  An  amount  of
zaksh  is  also  given  by  those who  own  livestock  and harvest
agricultural  produce  in  certain  quantities, 
or  extract  valuable
materials from  mines or  buried treasures.  zakdh  is the right  of
the  poor  from  the  wearth  of  the  rich  and  represents the
unbreakable bond  between members of  the  community.  The
word  zakah  stands  for  purification 
and growth,  meaning that
one  purifies his wealth by giving  the  needy  their  just  portion of
it-  when  Muslims  give zakah, they  have the  genuine feeling
that  it  is  an  investment  and  not  a loss.