What is Muslim philanthropy?

Acts of beneficence and charity appear to be universal, but the social and historical forms charitable actions take, as well as the way they are discussed, are culturally specific. This chapter raises the question of definitions: What is philanthropy? Is it the same everywhere? We argue that commonly used definitions of philanthropy in the field of philanthropic and nonprofit studies fail to account for the unique practices of Muslim philanthropy, which break down the binaries of public/private and voluntary/obligatory, which are so central to modern definitions of philanthropy used in scholarship today. This chapter examines the secular and Western origins of the definition of philanthropy. It illustrates how this definition isn’t broad enough to incorporate Muslim theological and cultural practices of philanthropy. The chapter emphasizes the need for a Muslim definition of philanthropy.