
Charitable Giving in Islam
by Rianne C. Ten Veen
TYPE
Policy Paper
OFFICE
Islamic Relief Worldwide
LANGUAGE
English
YEAR
2009
KEYWORDS
Faith Perspective, Human Development, Humanitarian Principles, Islamic ReliefThe principle of giving charity is one that spans all cultures and religious faiths and is an important means of establishing a social safety net for the poor. A general definition of ‘charity’ is: “a voluntary giving of money or other help to those in need” (Bentley, Webber and Hall-Russell 1999). Oftentimes, charitable giving is motivated by people’s religious beliefs. This report highlights the strong connection between religious belief and the notion of charity. This is an important aspect of all of the major world religions, including Islam. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on some of the key expressions of charitable giving in Islam, which are major aspects of the faith. Office http://policy.islamic-relief.com Citation Veen, R (2009). Charitable Giving in Islam. Islamic Relief Worldwide, Birmingham, [Online]. Available: http://policy.islamic-relief.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Charitable-Giving-in-Islam-Sep-09.pdf