Hajj and Zakat in Islam

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(1) Based on the reading from Nursi, the documentary on Hajj, and the online article on Zakat for this week, discuss the social and individual aspects of Ramadan fasting, pilgrimage (Hajj), and Zakat in Islam.

Ramadan based on one of the most sacred holy days for the Muslims is based on a pilgrimage to Mecca, where Muslim offer prayer and thanks at the Kaaba—a Muslim shrine. Every year thousands of Muslims make the pilgrimage to the Kaaba, and the money provided is a source of income (Bucaille, 1979). However, Tariq Cheema, president of the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists (WCMP) asserts that while wealth in for Muslims have grown, so has poverty. WCMP is an organization which advises Muslim donors -as to how to provide, accountable sustainable results (www.irin.org). The concern here is that most of the money given is not provided in a way to sustain and/or promote development.

The religious provisions of zakat (mandatory alms) and sadaqa (charity) is to be given to feed the poor, help orphans, or build mosques. Muslims are required to give 2.5 percent to the poor each year (mandatory alms), and the other monies are given in charity. The concern as expressed in the article, Muslims are traveling to Mecca to fulfill their religious obligation as a manner of adhering to a ritualistic practice; however, it is being done without thinking and without being focused on the spirit of giving This article calls Muslim's to return to a commitment to an organized society. For instance, Cheema suggests that the "stagnation of Muslim institutions, mismanagement of 'awqaf" [Egypt], and the inability of the laws to adapt to the changing times is becoming a problem during what is considered a holy time (www.irin.org). The primary argument is that the zadat and sadaqa is ineffective to sustain a healthy development of Muslim societies.

But due to colonization, the stagnation of Muslim institutions, mismanagement of ...