Sublime

In Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, al-Khiḍr is the supreme guide. Nearly every saint’s hagiography describes a visit from the Verdant One, who transmits wisdom or a potent prayer.

We bestow of Our Mercy on whom We please, and We suffer not, to be lost, the reward of those who do good. 57 But verily the reward of the Hereafter is the best, for those who believe, and are constant in righteousness.

Using his unquestioned religious authority, Muhammad instituted a mandatory tithe called zakat, which every member of the Ummah had to pay according to his or her means. Once collected, the money was then redistributed as alms to the community’s neediest members. Zakat literally means “purification,” and was not an act of charity but of religious d