This contribution deals with the link between charity and shari‘a. On the one hand, it examines the importance of the concept of charity as a religious ideal and social practice from the dawn of Islamic history to the current day. On the other hand, it reveals how the Islamic normative texts and the interpretations of the ulemas defined the guidelines for the correct distribution of alms. It also shows how these textual references did not inspire identical charitable practices throughout the Islamic world, and how these practices took numerous forms over time and space.
Shari‘a, charity, alms, awqaf, poor, poverty.