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Religious Studies & Theology vocabulary · Religious Ethics and Law

Almsgiving

Meaning in religious studies & theology, with examples

/ˈɑːmzɡɪvɪŋ/nounCommon term

In religious studies & theology, almsgiving means: Giving money, food or goods to people in need as a religious duty or act of devotion, such as zakat in Islam, dana in Buddhism and tzedakah in Judaism.

In Turkish: sadaka verme, zekat, hayır işleri

How it is used

A formal word used mostly in religious and historical writing; everyday English says charity. Alms (always plural in form) are the gifts themselves. In Islam, academic texts distinguish obligatory zakat, one of the Five Pillars, from voluntary sadaqa.

Example sentences

  1. Almsgiving is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, through the yearly payment of zakat.

  2. Medieval monasteries organized almsgiving to the poor at their gates.

Common collocations

  • practise almsgiving
  • obligatory almsgiving
  • almsgiving and fasting
  • give alms
  • fastingGoing without food, drink or certain foods for a set period as a religious practice, for example during Ramadan, on Yom Kippur or in Lent.
  • IslamA monotheistic religion that began in seventh-century Arabia with the Prophet Muhammad; Muslims regard the Qur'an as God's word and follow practices such as the Five Pillars.
  • sinAn act, thought or failure to act that a religious tradition regards as breaking God's law or going against God's will.
  • monasteryA building or group of buildings where a community of monks, or sometimes nuns, lives under religious vows and follows a shared rule of prayer and work.

More terms: Religious Ethics and Law

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