The Quran

وَمِنهُم مَن يَلمِزُكَ فِي الصَّدَقاتِ فَإِن أُعطوا مِنها رَضوا وَإِن لَم يُعطَوا مِنها إِذا هُم يَسخَطونَ

Muhammad Asad

And among them are such as find fault with thee [O Prophet] concerning [the distribution of] the offerings given for the sake of God:¹ if they are given something thereof, they are well-pleased; but if they are not given anything thereof, lo! they are consumed with anger.

Since there is no English equivalent for the term sadaqat (sing. sadaqah), I am rendering it here as "offerings given for the sake of God". This comprises everything that a believer freely gives to another person, out of love or compassion, as well as what he is morally or legally obliged to give, without expecting any worldly return: that is, charitable gifts and deeds of every description (which is the primary meaning of sadagdt -e.g., in 2:263 and 264), as well as the obligatory tax called zakah ("the purifying dues", because its payment purifies, as it were, a person's property from the taint of selfishness). In the context of the above verse, this term refers to the funds thus collected and administered by the Muslim community or state. When these funds are disbursed for the purposes stipulated in verse 60, they assume once more - this time in relation to the recipients - the aspect of "charitable gifts".