Alms (/ɑːmz/,/ɑːlmz/) aremoney,food, or other materialgoods donated to people living inpoverty.[1][2] Providing alms is often considered an act ofcharity. The act of providing alms is calledalmsgiving.
The wordalms comes from theOld Englishælmesse,ælmes, which comes fromLate Latineleemosyna, fromGreekἐλεημοσύνηeleēmosynē ("pity, alms"), fromἐλεήμων,eleēmōn ("merciful"), fromἔλεος,eleos, meaning "pity or mercy".[3]
InBuddhism, both "almsgiving" and "giving" are called "dāna" (Pāli).[4] Such giving is one of the three elements of the path of practice as formulated by theBuddha forlaypeople.[5] This path of practice for laypeople isdāna,sīla, andbhāvanā.[6]
Generosity towards other sentient beings is also emphasized in Mahayana as one of the perfections (paramita). As shown inLama Tsong Khapa's 'The Abbreviated Points of the Graded Path' (Wylie:lam-rim bsdus-don):
Total willingness to give is the wish-granting gem for fulfilling the hopes of wandering beings.
It is the sharpest weapon to sever the knot of stinginess.
It leads tobodhisattva conduct that enhances self-confidence and courage,
And is the basis for universal proclamation of your fame and repute.
Realizing this, the wise rely, in a healthy manner, on the outstanding path
Of (being ever-willing) to offer completely their bodies, possessions, and positive potentials.
The ever-vigilant lama has practiced like that.
If you too would seek liberation,
Please cultivate yourself in the same way.[7]
The giving of alms is the beginning of one's journey toNirvana (Pali:nibbana). In practice, one can give anything with or without thought forNibbana. This would lead tofaith (Pali:saddha), onekey power (Pali:bala) that one should generate within oneself for theBuddha,Dhamma, andSangha.
According to thePali canon:
Of all gifts [alms], the gift ofDhamma is the highest.
The intentions behind giving play an important role in developing spiritual qualities. Thesuttas record various motives for exercising generosity. For example, the Anguttara Nikaya (A.iv, 236) enumerates the following eight motives:[8]
In Buddhism, alms or almsgiving is the respect given by alay Buddhist to a Buddhistmonk,nun, spiritually-developed person or other sentient being. It is not charity as presumed by Western interpreters. It is closer to a symbolic connection to thespiritual realm and to show humbleness and respect in the presence of the secular society.[b] The act of almsgiving connects the human to the monk or nun and what he/she represents. As the Buddha has stated:
Householders & the homeless or charity [monastics]
in mutual dependence
both reach the true Dhamma....
— Itivuttaka 4.7[9][c]
InTheravada Buddhism, nuns (Pāli:bhikkhunis) and monks (Pāli:bhikkhus) practiceTakuhatsu (pindacara) where they collect food (piṇḍapāta). This is often perceived as allowing the laypeople to make merit (Pāli:puñña). Money cannot be accepted by a Theravadan Buddhist monk or nun in place of or in addition to food, as thePatimokkha training rules make it an offense worth forfeiture and confession.[10]
In countries that followMahayana Buddhism, the practice ofTakuhatsu has mostly died out. In China, Korea, and Japan, local cultures resisted the idea of giving food to 'begging' clerics, and there was no tradition of gaining 'merit' by donating to practitioners. After periods of persecution, monasteries were situated in remote mountain areas; the distance between the monastery and the nearest towns made this practice impossible. In Japan, the practice of a weekly or monthlyTakuhatsu replaced the daily round. In the Himalayan countries, the large number ofbhikkhus would have made an alms round a heavy burden on families. Competition with other religions for support also made daily practice difficult and even dangerous; the first Buddhist monks in theSilla dynasty of Korea were said to be beaten due to their minority at the time.[citation needed]
In Christianity, the giving of alms is viewed as an act ofcharity.[11] In theApostolic age,Christians were taught that giving alms was an expression of love. Such care for the poor was to be understood as love for God, who, in the person ofJesus Christ, sacrificed himself for the salvation of believers.[d]
In nearly all Christian denominations, money is donated to support the church's financial needs and its ministry to the less fortunate. In some churches, the alms are placed near to thealtar to symbolize that the offering belongs to God and to represent the unity of the congregation.[e]
Theoffertory is the traditional moment in theRoman Catholic Mass,Lutheran Divine Service, andAnglican Eucharist, when alms are collected.Baptists and Methodists, among other denominations, collecttithes and offerings (alms) during the offertory in church services. A tithe, the first tenth of one's income, is seen as what is owed to God, while an offering (alms) includes anything contributed beyond that.[12][13] Some fellowships practice regular giving for special purposes called "love offerings" for the poor, destitute or victims of catastrophic loss such as home fires or medical expenses. Traditionally, deacons and deaconesses are responsible for distributing these gifts amongwidows, orphans, and others in need. Many Christians support a plethora of charitable organizations, not all of which claim a Christian religious affiliation. Many American educational and medical institutions were founded by Christian fellowships giving alms.
For Roman Catholics, alm is amandatory work of mercy.[14]
In theEastern Orthodox Church and theEastern Catholic Churches, the collection of alms and tithes has not been formally united to the offertory in any liturgical action. However, either having a collection plate in thenarthex or passing it unobtrusively during the service is not uncommon. InEastern Orthodox theology, almsgiving is an important part of the spiritual life, andfasting should always be accompanied by increased prayer and almsgiving.[15] Almsgiving in the name of the deceased also frequently accompaniesprayer for the dead. Those whose financial circumstances do not permit the giving of monetary alms may give alms in other ways, such asintercessory prayer andacts of mercy such as visiting people in prison, clothing the poor or volunteering in soup kitchens.[16]
In addition, private acts of charity are a duty and considered virtuous only if not done for others to admire:
Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' in front of others, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Jesus places the primary focus on the motives behind the outward and inward giving of alms, which should be love:
Rather, give as alms what is inside, and then everything will be clean for you!
.jpg)
Jesus contrasts the giving of the rich and the poor:
He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, 'Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.'
Giving should be out of love and not out of duty:
He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
Sharing possessions was practised in the church:
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
— Acts 4:32
..there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means "son of encouragement"), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
— Acts 4:34-37
.jpg)
In Hinduism,dāna (Sanskrit:दान) is an ancient concept of almsgiving dating to theVedic period of Hinduism.[17]Dāna has been defined in traditional texts as any action of relinquishing the ownership of what one considered or identified as one's own, and investing the same in a recipient without expecting anything in return.[18] Whiledāna is typically given to one person or family, Hinduism also discusses charity or giving aimed at public benefit, which is sometimes calledutsarga. This aims at larger projects such as building a rest house, school, investing in drinking water or an irrigation well, planting trees, and building care facilities, among others.[19] The practice of begging for alms is calledbhiksha (Sanskrit:भिक्षा).[20][21]
The 11th centuryPersian historianAbū Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī, who visited and lived inIndia for 16 years beginning in about 1017 CE, mentions the practice of charity and almsgiving among Hindus as he observed during his stay. He wrote, "It is obligatory with them (Hindus) every day to give alms as much as possible."[22]
After the taxes, there are different opinions on how to spend their income. Some destine one-ninth of it for alms.[23] Others divide this income (after taxes) into four portions. One fourth is destined for common expenses, the second for liberal works of a noble mind, the third for alms, and the fourth for being kept in reserve.
— Abū Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī, Tarikh Al-Hind, 11th century AD[22]
Almsgiving in Hinduism is considered a noble deed to be done without expectation of any return from those who receive the charity.[18] Some texts reason, referring to the nature of social life, that charity is a form of good karma that affects one's future circumstances and environment, and that good charitable deeds leads to good future life because of thereciprocity principle.[18] Other Hindu texts, such asVyasa Samhita, state that reciprocity may be innate in human nature and social functions but dāna is a virtue in itself, as doing good lifts the nature of one who gives.[24] The texts do not recommend charity to unworthy recipients or where charity may harm or encourage injury to or by the recipient.Dāna is thus adharmic act, requires an idealistic-normative approach, and has spiritual and philosophical context.[18] Some medieval era authors state thatdāna is best done withśraddhā (faith), which is defined as being in good will, cheerful, welcoming the recipient of the charity and giving withoutanasuya (finding faults in the recipient).[25] Kohler states that these scholars of Hinduism suggest that charity is most effective when it is done with delight, a sense of "unquestioning hospitality", where thedāna ignores the short term weaknesses as well as the circumstances of the recipient and takes a long-term view.[25]
Satrams, also calledDharamsala orChathrams in parts of India, have been one means of almsgiving in Hinduism.Satrams are shelters (rest houses) for travelers and the poor, with many serving water and free food. These were usually established along the roads connecting majorHindu temple sites in south Asia, as well as near major temples.[26][27][28]Hindu temples have also served as institutions for almsgiving.[29][30] Thedāna the temples received from Hindus were used to feed people in distress as well as fund public projects such as irrigation and land reclamation.[30][31]
Forms of almsgiving in Hinduism include:
Between giving food and giving knowledge, Hindu texts suggest the gift of knowledge is superior.[34][35]
TheRigveda has the earliest discussion ofdāna in theVedas and offers reasons for the virtue of almsgiving.[36]
The Gods have not ordained hunger to be our death: even to the well-fed man comes death in varied shape,
The riches of the liberal never waste away, while he who will not give finds none to comfort him,
The man with food in store who, when the needy comes in miserable case begging for bread to eat,
Hardens his heart against him, when of old finds not one to comfort him.
Bounteous is he who gives unto the beggar who comes to him in want of food, and the feeble,
Success attends him in the shout of battle. He makes a friend of him in future troubles,
No friend is he who to his friend and comrade who comes imploring food, will offer nothing.
Let the rich satisfy the poor implorer, and bend his eye upon a longer pathway,
Riches come now to one, now to another, and like the wheels of cars are ever rolling,
The foolish man wins food with fruitless labour: that food – I speak the truth – shall be his ruin,
He feeds no trusty friend, no man to love him. All guilt is he who eats with no partaker.
The earlyUpanishads, those composed before 500 BCE, discuss the virtue of almsgiving. For example,Brihadaranyaka Upanishad states in verse 5.2.3 that three characteristics of a good, developed person are self-restraint (dama), compassion or love for all sentient life (daya), and charity (dāna).[38][39][40]Chandogya Upanishad, similarly, states in Book III that a virtuous life requirestapas (meditation, asceticism),dāna (charity),arjava (straightforwardness, non-hypocrisy),ahimsa (non-violence, non-injury to all sentient beings) andsatyavacana (truthfulness).[41][f][42][43]
Bhagavad Gita describes the right and wrong forms ofdāna in verses 17.20 through 17.22.[44] TheAdi Parva of the Hindu EpicMahabharata states in Chapter 91 that a person must first acquire wealth by honest means, then embark on charity; be hospitable to those who come to him; never inflict pain on any living being; and share a portion with others whatever he consumes.[45] In theVana Parva, Chapter 194, the Mahabharata recommends that one must "conquer the mean by charity, the untruthful by truth, the wicked by forgiveness, and dishonesty by honesty".[46]
TheBhagavata Purana discusses whendāna is proper and when it is improper. In Book 8, Chapter 19, verse 36, it states that charity is inappropriate if it endangers and cripples modest livelihood of one's biological dependents or of one's own. Charity from surplus income above that required for modest living is recommended in thePuranas.[47]
In Islam, the concept of Muhsi or Muhsin alms-giver or charitable giving is generally divided into voluntary giving,ṣadaqah (صدقة), and an obligatory practice, thezakāh (الزكاة).Zakāh is governed by a specific set of rules withinIslamic jurisprudence and is intended to fulfill a well-defined set of theological and social requirements.Ṣadaqah is possibly a better translation of Christian influenced formulations of the notion of "alms" for that reason, thoughzakāh plays a much larger role within Islamic charity.
Zakāh is the third of thefive pillars of Islam.[48][49] The literal meaning of the wordzakāh is "to purify", "to develop" and "cause to grow".Zakāh is the amount of money that every Muslim, male or female, who is an adult, mentally stable, free, and financially able, has to pay to support specific categories of people. According toshariah, it is an act ofworship. Possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need. This cutting back, like the pruning of plants, balances and encourages new growth. Various rules are attached but, in general terms, it is obligatory to give 2.5% of one's savings and business revenue and 5–10% of one's harvest to the poor.[50] Possible recipients include the destitute, theworking poor, those who are unable to pay off their own debts, stranded travelers and others who need assistance, with the general principle ofzakat always being that the rich should pay it to the poor. One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God and wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust.[51][52]
This category of people is defined inAt-Tawbah:
"The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarers; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is knower, Wise."
— Qur'an 9:60
The obligatory nature ofzakat is firmly established in the Qur'an, thesunnah (orhadith), and the consensus of the companions and the Muslim scholars. Allah states inAt-Tawbah:
"O ye who believe! there are indeed many among the priests and anchorites, who in Falsehood devour the substance of men and hinder (them) from the way of Allah. And there are those who bury gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah. announce unto them a most grievous penalty – On the Day when heat will be produced out of that (wealth) in the fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs.- "This is the (treasure) which ye buried for yourselves: taste ye, then, the (treasures) ye buried!"
— Qur'an 9:34–35
Muslims of each era have agreed upon the obligatory nature of payingzakat from their gold and silver, and from other kinds of currency.[53]
Zakat is obligatory when a certain amount of money, called thenisab (or minimum amount), is reached or exceeded. Zakat is not obligatory if the amount owned is less than thisnisab. Thenisab of gold and golden currency is 20mithqal, or approximately 85 grams of pure gold. Onemithqal is approximately 4.25 grams. Thenisab of silver and silver currency is 200 dirhams, which is approximately 595 grams of pure silver. Thenisab of other kinds of money and currency is to be scaled to that of gold; thenisab of money is equivalent to the price of 85 grams of 999-type (pure) gold on the day in whichzakat is paid.[54]
Zakat is obligatory after the money has been in the control of its owner for the span of one lunar year; a lunar year is approximately 355 days. The owner then needs to pay 2.5% (or 1/40) of the money aszakat. The owner should deduct any amount of money he or she borrowed from others, check if the rest reaches the necessarynisab, then payzakat for it.[55]
If the owner had enough money to satisfy thenisab at the beginning of the year, but his wealth in any form increased, the owner needs to add the increase to thenisab amount owned at the beginning of the year and then payzakat, 2.5%, of the total at the end of the lunar year. There are minor differences betweenfiqh schools on how this is to be calculated. Each Muslim calculates his or her ownzakat individually. For most purposes, this involves the payment each year of two and a half percent of one's capital.[50]
A pious person may also give alms as much as he or she pleases asṣadaqah, and does so preferably in secret. Although this word can be translated as 'voluntary charity', it has a wider meaning, as illustrated in thehadiths:
TheMessenger of Allah said: "Every good is charity. Indeed among the good is to meet your brother with a smiling face, and to pour what is left in your bucket into the vessel of your brother."
— Jamiʽ at-Tirmidhi 27.76, hadith compiled byAl-Tirmidhi[56]
The Prophet said: "Charity is a necessity for every Muslim." He was asked: "What if a person has nothing?" The Prophet replied: "He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then give something out of such earnings in charity." The Companions asked: "What if he is not able to work?"The Prophet said: "He should help poor and needy persons." The Companions further asked "What if he cannot do even that?" The Prophet said "He should urge others to do good." The Companions said "What if he lacks that also?" The Prophet said "He should check himself from doing evil. That is also charity."
— Riyadh as-Salihin 141, hadith compiled byAl-Nawawi[57]
InJudaism,tzedakah, aHebrew term literally meaning righteousness but commonly used to signify "charity",[58] refers to the religious obligation to do what is right and just.[59][g] In the GreekSeptuaginttzedakah was sometimes translated asἐλεημοσύνη, "almsgiving".[60][61]
In Judaism,tzedakah is seen as one of the greatest deeds that a person can do.Tzedakah, along with prayer and repentance, is regarded as ameliorating the consequences of bad acts. Contemporarytzedakah is regarded as a continuation of the BiblicalMaaser Ani, or poor-tithe, as well as Biblical practices including permitting the poor to glean the corners of a field, harvest during theShmita (sabbatical year), and other practices.[citation needed] Jewish farmers are commanded to leave the corners of their fields for the starving to harvest for food and are forbidden to pick up any grain that has been dropped during harvesting, as such food shall be left for the starving as well.[citation needed][h]
In theMishneh Torah, Chapter 10:7–14,Maimonides lists eight "laws about giving to poor people" (hilkhot matanot aniyim), listed in order from most to least righteous, with the most righteous form being allowing an individual to become self-sustaining and capable of giving others charity:[62]
InMandaeism,zidqa refers to alms or almsgiving.[63][64]Mandaean priests receive regular financial contributions from laypeople.
TheMandaic termzidqa brika (literally "blessedoblation") refers to a ritual meal blessed by priests. An early self-appellation for Mandaeans isbhiri zidqa, meaning "elect of righteousness".[65]
A gift of Dhamma conquers all gifts;
the taste of Dhamma, all tastes;
a delight in Dhamma, all delights;
the ending of craving, all suffering
& stress.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
