زكاة

Arabic

Alternative forms

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) IPA(key): /zəˈkaːt/

Noun

زَكَاة • (zakāhf (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

Descendants

  • Ottoman Turkish: زكات (zekat)
    • Turkish: zekât
  • Classical Persian: زَکَات (zakāt), زَکَوٰةْ (zakāt) (archaic spelling, rare)
  • Spanish: azaque
  • Swahili: zakati
  • Turkmen: zekat
  • 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, →DOI, page 23
  • Garosi, Eugenio (1 December 2022) “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, →DOI, 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
  • Schulthess, Friedrich (1912) “Zu Sūra 91 9. 10·”, in Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete[4] (in German), volume 26, pages 150–151
  • Torrey, Charles Cutler (1933) The Jewish foundation of Islam[5], 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