Worshippers reminded to be charitable

Sermon warns against hoarding wealth and withholding charity and reminds people to pay their Zakat.

ABU DHABI // Hoarding wealth and withholding charity is a sin so grave that ungenerous societies are punished, worshippers were told on Friday as they were reminded to pay their Zakat, Islam's equivalent of a charity tax. "The Prophet explained that one of the consequences of withholding Zakat is that people will be deprived of rain," said the government-issued sermon. The reminder comes as the holy month of Ramadan nears - a traditional time for charity. "God has commanded Zakat from His worshippers and made it one of the pillars of our religion, equivalent to prayer. It is the right of the poor and disenfranchised," said the sermon, issued by the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments. "God has warned us against not taking it seriously and not upholding it with integrity, as it has many benefits for the individual and society. "Zakat purifies from miserliness and stinginess of the souls of those who do it and makes them accustomed to generosity and giving." Zakat, the third of five pillars of Islam, is akin to a charity tax that is the duty of any Muslims - individuals or businesses - who can afford it. Some scholars refer to it as an underlying socialist element of Islam, a dynamic that prevents the disparity between rich and poor becoming too large. The UAE has a Zakat Fund that collects voluntary payments sent by Muslims every year and identifies families in need of financial help. This week it announced that 250 Emirati families, mainly retired military and families with special needs, had qualified for full financial support for one year, at a total cost of Dh6 million (US$1.63m). email:[e-mail]