4. The Person You’re Calling Can’t be Reached

From a farmer in Sindh, Pakistan to a mysterious stone in Istanbul, how does Zakat connect strangers around the world? What are we giving up if British Muslims only give Zakat locally to their communities in the UK?

To find out Taqwa speaks to Nizam ud-Din Brohi, a survivor of the 2022 floods in Pakistan who received Zakat collected by UK Muslim charity Islamic Relief.

Journalist Jennifer Hattam explains a long tradition of no-strings attached anonymous giving in Turkey and has a surprising revelation for Taqwa.

Influencers Ali Official and Mariah Idrissi remind Taqwa of the Islamic concept of ‘rizq’, that everything we own is already pre-determined. How does this change where we give our Zakat and charity?

Sacred Money is a series that might just change how you think about money, how you spend it, and how money connects us to people we know and people we don’t. In five episodes, Taqwa Sadiq explores whether Zakat, an Islamic tradition, can help solve the cost-of-living crisis. Taqwa isn’t an economist or an expert, she’s just a twenty-something with a microphone. Her search to answer this question takes us all over the globe and even back in time. From hallowed libraries in Cambridge and a mysterious stone in Turkey, to a flooded farm in Pakistan and modern activism in Chicago. Along the way, Taqwa meets young Muslims, doctors and influencers, aunties and uncles, the mandem, a religious scholar, an ex-government official and more. Their stories open up questions around identity and belonging, get to the heart of what it means to be a British Muslim, and explore what happens when ancient traditions are transported to new places and times.

Credits

Writer, Producer, and Presenter: Taqwa Sadiq

Supervising Producer: Emily Dicks

Sound Designer: John Wakefield

Theme Music: Mehar Bedi

Editor: Andy Worrell

Commissioning Editor: Khaliq Meer

Sacred Money is a BBC Audio Production for BBC Sounds Audio Lab