Zakat
Topic: Turkic Invasions and the Delhi Sultanate · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Zakat is a religious tax in Islam. Well-off Muslims pay it for charity. It is usually 2.5 per cent of certain kinds of wealth, such as savings, trade goods and animals. It is one of the basic duties of a Muslim. Under the Delhi Sultanate, it was one of the few taxes that Islamic law clearly allowed.
Example
Firuz Shah Tughlaq ruled Delhi in the 14th century. He said he would collect only the four taxes allowed by Islamic law: kharaj (land tax), khams (one-fifth of war booty), jizya (tax on non-Muslims) and zakat. He dropped many other taxes that earlier sultans had imposed.
Don't confuse with
- Jizya: a tax paid by non-Muslims for protection and for not having to serve in the army. Zakat was paid only by Muslims.
- Ushr: a tax on the crops from Muslim-owned land. Zakat was a tax on wealth in general.