The acts of charity and benevolence toward the less fortunate,
for the sake of Allah, are highly desired on all occasions, but
more so during the blessed month of Ramadan. In the book of
Al-Bukhari, Ibn ‘Abbas (raa) related:
“The Messenger of Allah (saas) is the most benevolent
among the people. His benevolence increases markedly
during the month of Ramadan when the angel Jibreel
meets him every night of Ramadan, to rehearse with
him the Holy Qur’an. The Messenger of Allah (saas) was
more charitable with his good possessions than the mov-
ing winds that bring torrential rain.”
As you may be aware, there are two kinds of charitable acts.
There is regular, voluntary charity, (sadaqah), that can be
given any time, from inviting others to meals, at iftar time dur-
ing Ramadan, to outright gifts to an individual or a charitable
organization. On the other hand, there is an obligation of Za-
kaat (obligatory charity), which is the annual return of 2.5 per-
cent that is levied against one’s savings or assets that have ma-
tured in the last twelve months. Although annual calendars for
Zakat can be set in any month, many people prefer to give their
Zakaat to its rightful owners during Ramadan so as to offer
these two obligations of Islam at the same time. We included a
brief Fiqh of Zakaat and its recipients in the book.