CHARITY....

for what ever reason a thought came into my mind this afternoon,
the obligatory charity Zakat - as mentioned in the Quran..
Sadaqat as mentioned in the Quran
and alms giving.. as mentioned in the Quran..

are they all the same ie refering to the same hting

or are they different..

the most notable thing is Zakat - this takes a prominent position of one of the things that is required of us all, apart from belief and Salat..

so is Zakat different to sadaqat? and is this different to alms giving..

this is the thought on my mind at the moment,
i tried to find some stuff on charity in the old testament but i really did nto come up with anything tangible..

and i am rather curious to find out..

the verses of contention are thus i am using RK translation..

2:215
They ask you about giving: say, "The charity you give shall go to the parents, the relatives, the orphans, the poor, and the traveling alien." Any good you do, GOD is fully aware thereof.

2:219
They ask you about intoxicants and gambling: say, "In them there is a gross sin, and some benefits for the people. But their sinfulness far outweighs their benefit." They also ask you what to give to charity: say, "The excess." GOD thus clarifies the revelations for you, that you may reflect.

2:267
O you who believe, you shall give to charity from the good things you earn, and from what we have produced for you from the earth. Do not pick out the bad therein to give away, when you yourselves do not accept it unless your eyes are closed. You should know that GOD is Rich, Praiseworthy.

2:273
Charity shall go to the poor who are suffering in the cause of GOD, and cannot emigrate. The unaware may think that they are rich, due to their dignity. But you can recognize them by certain signs; they never beg from the people persistently. Whatever charity you give, GOD is fully aware thereof.


These are some of theverses...

a couple of things strike my mind now as i paste these verses,

one - Surah 2 is a very interesting Suran because it seemingly contains - instructions - the guide book to living, what to do, what not to do,, as is a couple of the surahs in the begining,
this i guess is the statute of the Quran - the laws of God..

two - there is a lot of interplay in the words used to describe "Zakat"( obligatory charity) and "sadaqat" ( charity) and "yunfiqun"/ "anfiqu" ( which is also translated as giving/charity but in some ways when reading the verses , i think an alternative may be "Spend") , and "anhar" in surah 108 which is translated as charity, and "maa'oon" - in surah 109 - which is translated as charity, and ( see surah 92: 5 or 92:18 - i am unclear is to which is the arabic reference to charity) . there others i guess

Note : it is very interesting when one looks at translations because ther are always so different and they seem to change the usage of the same words and interplay different words as the same word, i find it rathe rinteresting.. God is full of knowledge and knows the true meanings application and intent of every word, In God i trust to provide me with the best meaning for me and to inspire me to know my religion and faith, to keep me in His path and accept me as a submitting righteous servant of his,

three - in this very instant - i understand a bit wht - read from cover to cover - i am seeing things that i have read before but it didnt click in my head, but some things are coming to my mind now.. I will thank the Mg for this realisationa nd blessing and pray that He inspires me with his words to His path and His grace.

Tis life is interesting and it never ceases to amaze me... i have to read surah 2 again and i will yet again gw give my htought son it... hmmm it is very interesting indeed....

more stuff to ask to find out i guess..

May God guide us all and teach us the rites of our religion and may He accept us in his service and grant us his forgiveness.