zakat

[ zuh-kaht ]
/ zəˈkɑt /

noun Islam.

a tax, comprising percentages of personal income of every kind, levied as almsgiving for the relief of the poor: the third of the Pillars of Islam.
Also za·kah [zuh-kah] /zəˈkɑ/.
Also called sadaqat.

Origin of zakat

1800–05; < Turkish zekât or Persian zakāt < Arabic zakāh

Words nearby zakat

zaidi, zaikai, zaire, zairian, zak, zakat, zakiya, zakuska, zakuski, zakynthos, zalcitabine

Content related to zakat

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Example sentences from the Web for zakat

  • The second, called the Zakat, was a customs due levied on all merchandise entering Kashgar.

    The Life of Yakoob Beg |Demetrius Boulger

  • The principal taxes were the tithe on the produce of the land, called "ushr" and the zakat (fortieth), on merchandise and cattle.

    The Life of Yakoob Beg |Demetrius Boulger

British Dictionary definitions for zakat

zakat
/ (zaˈkat) /

noun

Islam an annual tax on Muslims to aid the poor in the Muslim community

Word Origin for zakat

from Arabic zakāt alms