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Philanthropy and charity are central tenets of Islam, and many Muslims regard charity as a form of
worship. According to traditional conceptions of Islam, charity is one of the five pillars of the faith
(along with prayer, belief in God and the Prophet Muhammad, fasting in Ramadan, and pilgrimage
to Mecca).What is perhaps less well understood outside Muslim communities is the way in which
philanthropy binds Muslims to each other. In Muslim conceptions of faith and community, humans
are linked to each other through their obligations to God. A charitable act is therefore not merely an
act of faith, nor merely an act of community. It is the building of community through faith, and the
building of faith through the deepening of community. This idea has further elaboration in the
Islamic concept of takaful, or the responsibility of each Muslim for every other Muslim. In this
structure, charity is not so much an act of piety as it is one of obligation. It is perhaps the centrality
of charity that contributes to Islam’s emphasis on the idea of social justice, both as a societal ideal
and as a responsibility of government. There is no expectation of equality of opportunity, but Islam
expects leaders to feed the hungry, heal the sick, and house the orphan and widow, and it expects
all Muslims—be they rich or poor—to contribute to such efforts.
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