God, Gifts and Poor People

On Charity in Islam

Bibliographic Data

ID18985178
AuthorsThierry Kochuyt (0000-0003-3307-7920, Institute of Political Sociology and Methodology (IPSoM) at the Catholic University of Brussels (KUBrussel), corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume56
Issue1
Pages98-116
Publication date2009-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Compass (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0037-7686 • E-ISSN: 1461-7404
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0037768608100345
OpenAlexW2153204876
LanguageEN
Citations received49
References cited21

Islam asks the faithful to help the poor. Outlining the ideal type of this religious charity—known as the zakat—the author will analyse these alms as gifts. After identifying those who contribute and those who are eligible, he moves on to the beneficial effects of this solidarity. To assess the social mechanisms by which the community of faith is being built, the author refers throughout the article to the writings of Mauss, Sahlins and Bourdieu as regards gift giving and reciprocity. This analytical input permits him eventually to develop a triadic model of religiously-inspired charity that includes the divine protagonist who asks us to be generous

Epistemology · Faith · Islam · Political science · Politics · Reciprocity · Social science · Sociology · Solidarity · Theology · Education and Islamic Studies · Islamic Finance and Banking Studies · Law · Philosophy · Religion, Society, and Development

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