Islam encourages employment, entrepreneurial activity, trade and the equitable distribution of wealth. For commerce to benefit society, Islam imposes several obligations on those involved in wealth creation. Amongst these is the obligation of Zakat, the third of five pillars of Islam.

Scholars infer that the giving of Zakat has both an outer and an inner dimension. The inner dimension suppresses the ego, quelling tendencies such as selfishness and miserliness. The outer dimension involves the purification of a Muslim’s wealth.