Research Trends on Zakāh in Western Literature

Abstract

This study explores research trends in Western literature about Zakāh, which is considered to be an equivalent, to a certain degree, to a charity in the Christian tradition. The study is based on a sample of considerable studies in English and French, collected over a period of eighty one years (1934-2015). The preliminary results highlight three important implications. These are: (1) the multiplicity and the diversity of the conceptualization of Zakāh beyond the purely moral, juristic, discursive and literalistic approaches which seem to be dominating research trends in the Arab-Muslim world; (2) the predominance of theoretical studies over applied ones. (3) Zakāh as a valuable resource is perceived; according to some treatises as an instrument of power from the geo-economics view-point.