zakaah

it is ok if u and i search answers to our questions
in whatsoever religions we wish.
i was recently stuck in the groove of the dilemma
"is savings of wealth / money permitted by god?"
i had a notion (hear-say) that islam prohibited savings.
i searched
and i found
that i was wrong.
islam doesn't prohibit savings.
but it does make it mandatory to pay "zakaah"
simply translated
'zakaah' means "to purify"
here, it means the purification of wealth and soul.
zakaah is a form of "charity"
it helps in pooling of assets for its distribution and use for welfare and growth.
if you perform 'zakaah' you will be relieved of the guilt of earning while world suffers.
'zakaah' leads to freedom from hatred, jealousy, selfishness, uneasiness and greed.
how much 'zakaah' is payable on ones income?
well, i read somewhere that 2.5% of the net income is the minimum prescribed.
in sikhism, 10% is prescribed ("dasvandh")
--
it suddently hit me that if we pay tax honestly
it broadly ranges from 10% to 30%
we are infact paying a form of "zakaah"
the more we earn, the more "zakaah" we pay.
the trouble is that we have less and less confidence and faith on the government
that this "zakaah" will be properly and justly and assuredly well used!
--
anyhow,
just knowing about the "zakaah" has relieved me of certain burdens so much.
performing it actually, regularly and without any hesitation or smartness
is likely to give me tremendous peace and tranquility.