Zakāt (Arabic: زكاة‎ [zæˈkæː], "that which purifies" or "alms"), one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is the giving of a fixed portion of one's wealth to charity, generally to the poor and needy.

Zakat, a practice initiated by Muhammed himself, has played an important role throughout Islamic history. Initially, Muhammed instituted zakat as a voluntary, individual offering, but during his lifetime certain forms of zakat have been declared obligatory. The caliph Abū Bakr, believed by Sunni Muslims to be Muhammed's successor, was the first to institute a statutory zakat system. The third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan (who reigned from 644–656) significantly altered the zakat collection protocol, by decreeing that only "apparent" wealth was taxable, which had the effect of limiting zakat to mostly being paid on agricultural land and produce. Ultimately, the practice of state-administered zakat was very short-lived, ending with the reign of Umar bin Abdul Aziz from 717–720 A.D.

Zakat is considered to be a religious duty, and is expected to be paid by all practicing Muslims who have the financial means (nisab). In addition to their zakat obligations, Muslims are encouraged to make voluntary contributions (sadaqat). The zakat is not collected from non-Muslims, although they are sometimes required to pay the jizyah tax.

Maulana Tariq Jameel (Urdu: مولانا طارق جمیل) (born 1953) is an Islamic scholar from Pakistan. His native town is Tulambah near Mian Channu. His father was an agriculturist who belonged to the Muslim Rajputs community.^{[citation needed]}

Tariq Jameel was born and raised in Mian Channu. In his childhood he lived a relatively modest life but religion was not a major part of his life and his family in particular. It wasn't until he pursued his M.B.B.S. in Lahore that his focus shifted towards Islam. After completing his Higher Secondary School education (a.k.a. F.Sc in some regions of Pakistan) in pre-medical (equivalent to A 'levels') from Government College, Lahore, he took admission in King Edward Medical College in Lahore. He intended to do his M.B.B.S., but he soon switched to Islamic education. He then went on to receive Islamic education from Jamia Arabia, Raiwind (near Lahore), Pakistan where he studied Quran, Hadith, Sharia, Tasawwuf, logic and Fiqh.^{[citation needed]}

His proclivity towards Islam grew during hostel life in Lahore and can mainly be attributed to the group members of Tablighi Jamaat who he became friends with during his college life.^{[citation needed]}