Surah 2. Al-Baqara, Ayah 43
| وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَارْكَعُوا مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ |
| Transliteration | : | wa- aqemo as.- s.alaah wa- 'aato az- zakaah wa- irkaco maca ar- raakicen |
| Pickthall | : | Establish worship, pay the poor-due, and bow your heads with those who bow (in worship). |
| Asad | : | and be constant in prayer, and spend in charity,34 and bow down in prayer with all who thus bow down. |
| Malik | : | Establish Salah (prayers); give Zakah (charity); and bow down with those who bow down in worship. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | And be steadfast in prayer; practice regular charity; and bow down your heads with those who bow down (in worship). 60 |
Note - 34In Islamic Law, zakah denotes an obligatory tax,
incumbent on Muslims, which is meant to purify a person's
capital and income from the taint of selfishness (hence
the name). The proceeds of this tax are to be spent
mainly, but not exclusively, on the poor. Whenever,
therefore, this term bears the above legal implication, I
translate it as "the purifying dues". Since, however, in
this verse it refers to the children of Israel and
obviously implies only acts of charity towards the poor,
it is more appropriate to translate it as "almsgiving" or
"charity". I have also adopted this latter rendering in
all instances where the term zakah, though relating to
Muslims, does not apply specifically to the obligatory
tax as such (e.g., in 73:20, where this term appears
for the first time in the chronology of revelation).
|
Note - 60The argument is still primarily addressed to the Jews,
but is of universal application, as in all the teachings
of the Quran. The chief feature of Jewish worship was
and is the bowing of the head.
|
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In Islamic Law, zakah denotes an obligatory tax, incumbent on Muslims, which is meant to purify a person's capital and income from the taint of selfishness (hence the name). The proceeds of this tax are to be spent mainly, but not exclusively, on the poor. Whenever, therefore, this term bears the above legal implication, I translate it as "the purifying dues". Since, however, in this verse it refers to the children of Israel and obviously implies only acts of charity towards the poor, it is more appropriate to translate it as "almsgiving" or "charity". I have also adopted this latter rendering in all instances where the term zakah, though relating to Muslims, does not apply specifically to the obligatory tax as such (e.g., in 73:20, where this term appears for the first time in the chronology of revelation). |
