New
New
Year 11
Edexcel B

Zakah as one of the Five Pillars

I can explain the importance and use of zakah and khums as charitable taxes within Islam.

New
New
Year 11
Edexcel B

Zakah as one of the Five Pillars

I can explain the importance and use of zakah and khums as charitable taxes within Islam.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Zakah is one of the Five Pillars and Ten Obligatory Acts within Islam.
  2. Zakah is a compulsory charitable tax paid by Muslims of 2.5% of their wealth in a year.
  3. Zakah is used to support those in need in the Ummah and wider world.
  4. Khums is an additional tax paid by Shi'a Muslims of 20%.

Keywords

  • Giving alms - giving to those in need, e.g., money, food, time; this is a key practice in Islam

  • Khums - 'one fifth'; an additional 20% tax paid by Shi'a Muslims as alms

  • Zakah - 'to purify'; a charity tax where Muslims give 2.5% of their yearly wealth as alms

  • Ummah - community'; the worldwide community of Muslims who share a common religious identity

Common misconception

Zakah and khums are voluntary donations to charity.

Zakah is obligatory in Sunni Islam and both zakah and khums are obligatory in Shi'a Islam. Additional voluntary donations can be made to charity as well and is known as sadaqah.


To help you plan your year 11 religious education lesson on: Zakah as one of the Five Pillars, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Students can research some of the projects around the world that zakah money supports, as well as looking at zakah and khums calculations online to see how much of someone's wealth is given away through these obligatory percentages.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
How many daily prayers are required in Islam?
three
Correct answer: five
six
Q2.
Muslims can pray alone or in groups, as long as the place is .
Correct Answer: clean
Q3.
One example of a difference in prayer between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims is that ...
Shi’a Muslims miss two prayers.
Sunni Muslims face a different direction.
Correct answer: Shi’a Muslims often combine certain prayers.
Q4.
What is the name of the Friday congregational prayer?
Eid
Ramadan
Correct answer: Jummah

Assessment exit quiz

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5 Questions

Q1.
Zakah is part of which two groups of obligations in Islam?
Correct answer: The Five Pillars and the Ten Obligatory Acts
The Five Pillars and the Six Articles of Faith
Ramadan and Eid
Q2.
How much of a Muslim’s wealth is given annually as zakah?
Correct answer: 2.5%
5%
15%
Q3.
In Shi’a Islam, both zakah and are obligatory forms of charity.
Correct Answer: khums, Khums
Q4.
What is the term for voluntary charitable giving in Islam?
sawm
salah
Correct answer: sadaqah
Q5.
What percentage of savings is given as khums?
Correct answer: 20%
22.5%
25%