Islamic system of social welfare based on an alms tax on wealth held more than a year
the fourth pillar of Islam is almsgiving as an act of worship; "the zakat is earmarked for the poor and disabled
Zakat originates from the Arabic root for "Purify" It can be equated to the modern concept of Charity, and is one of the Pillars of Islam A Muslim is supposed to give "alms/charity" to the poor and needy on an annual basis For monetary instruments, the amount is 2 5% of capital invested in one year
the paying of alms to the poor This was traditionally calculated at 2 5 percent Different Muslim countries have different policies towards the zakat now that income tax has been introduced in many of them