زكاة

Arabic

Alternative forms

• زَكَوٰة (zakāh) — preclassical spelling

Etymology

Normalized spelling of earlier زَكَوٰة (zakāh), from Aramaic זכותא / ܙܟܘܬܐ (zākūṯā) otherwise attested in the senses of “merit”, “gain; victory” from base stem זכי (zəḵē, “to overcome; to triumph over; to gain”) but not in the sense of “alms”, however in the geminate stem in Jewish Palestinian Aramaic זכי (zakkē) also as “to give possession”, “to give merit” and ultimately “to give charity”. Likewise the noun is not attested but can be inferred from Arabic to have borne in Aramaic the sense of “purity or purification from guilt” as in Palestinian Aramaic the base and geminate stems meant “to be innocent” and “to judge innocent” respectively.

The Arabic root ز ك و (z-k-w) is in part from this noun.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /za.kaːh/
  • (Gulf Arabic) IPA^(key): /zəˈkaːt/

Noun

زَكَاة • (zakāh) f (plural زَكَوَات (zakawāt))

1. (Islam) zakat, almsgiving (one of the five pillars of Islam)
2. purification from excess, to free from inefficiencies, to dispense filth
3. purifying (of the soul)
   1. (adverbially) in piety, in purity

Declension

Declension of noun زَكَاة (zakāh)

Singular	singular triptote in ـَاة (-āh)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	زَكَاة zakāt	الزَّكَاة az-zakāt	زَكَاة zakāt
Nominative	زَكَاةٌ zakātun	الزَّكَاةُ az-zakātu	زَكَاةُ zakātu
Accusative	زَكَاةً zakātan	الزَّكَاةَ az-zakāta	زَكَاةَ zakāta
Genitive	زَكَاةٍ zakātin	الزَّكَاةِ az-zakāti	زَكَاةِ zakāti
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	زَكَاتَيْن zakātayn	الزَّكَاتَيْن az-zakātayn	زَكَاتَيْ zakātay
Nominative	زَكَاتَانِ zakātāni	الزَّكَاتَانِ az-zakātāni	زَكَاتَا zakātā
Accusative	زَكَاتَيْنِ zakātayni	الزَّكَاتَيْنِ az-zakātayni	زَكَاتَيْ zakātay
Genitive	زَكَاتَيْنِ zakātayni	الزَّكَاتَيْنِ az-zakātayni	زَكَاتَيْ zakātay
Plural	sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	زَكَوَات zakawāt	الزَّكَوَات az-zakawāt	زَكَوَات zakawāt
Nominative	زَكَوَاتٌ zakawātun	الزَّكَوَاتُ az-zakawātu	زَكَوَاتُ zakawātu
Accusative	زَكَوَاتٍ zakawātin	الزَّكَوَاتِ az-zakawāti	زَكَوَاتِ zakawāti
Genitive	زَكَوَاتٍ zakawātin	الزَّكَوَاتِ az-zakawāti	زَكَوَاتِ zakawāti

Related terms

• صَلَاة (ṣalāh, “prayer, salat”)
• صَوْم (ṣawm, “fast, sawm”)
• دُعَاء (duʕāʔ, “supplication, du'a'”)

Descendants

• → Ottoman Turkish: زكات (zekat)
  • → Turkish: zekât
• → Persian: زکات (zakât)
  • → English: zakat
• → Spanish: azaque
• → Swahili: zakati
• → Tatar: зәкәт (zäkät)

References

• Ahrens, Karl (1930) “Christliches im Qoran. Eine Nachlese”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft‎^[1] (in German), volume 84, page 21
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1880) De vocabulis in antiquis Arabum carminibus et in Corano peregrinis‎^[2] (in Latin), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 23
• Garosi, Eugenio (2022 December 1) “Regional Diversity in the Use of Administrative Loanwords in Early Islamic Arabic Documentary Sources (632–800 CE): A Preliminary Survey”, in Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean World. From Constantinople to Baghdad, 500-1000 CE, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 412
• Jeffery, Arthur (1938) The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qurʾān (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series; 79), Baroda: Oriental Institute, page 153
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[3] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 25, not acquainted with the newer Aramaic attestation situation favours a native development in Muḥammad’s tongue
• Rudolph, Wilhelm (1922) Die Abhängigkeit des Qorans von Judentum und Christentum (in German), Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer, page 60
• Torrey, Charles Cutler (1933) The Jewish foundation of Islam‎^[4], New York: Jewish Institute of Religion Press – Bloch Publishing Co., Agents, pages 48, 141
• “zky”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, see in particular the DJPA and DCPA entries linked there