Islam and Communism — Page 25
25 set aside 1/3 of it, i. e. one lac, for those who are not within the circle of legal inheritors, or for charitable institutions, or other similar purposes. This supplementary arrangement provides means for disposing of accumulated wealth among the general public. Righteous Muslims leave instructions to this effect. . Islamic Machinery for Mutual Help. There is another Islamic law which not only advocates the co-operative basis of society but also arranges practically to disperse and spread accumulated wealth for the general good. This law is twophased, obligatory, and voluntary. The obligatory side of this law is what we call the law of Zakat by which an Islamic government can collect a goodly sum of money ranging from 2% to 20% of the wealth of the rich to be spent on the poor, the needy, people in straitend circumstances and for public good. It should be borne in mind that this tax is not collected from the rich only but from