num_pages: 248
description: Giving to God examines the everyday practices of Islamic giving in post-revolutionary Egypt. From foods prepared in Sufi soup kitchens to meals distributed by pious volunteers in slums to almsgiving these acts are ultimately about giving to God by giving to the poor. Surprisingly many who practice such giving say that they do not care about the poor instead framing their actions within a unique non-compassionate ethics of giving. At first this form of giving may appear deeply selfish but further consideration reveals that it avoids many of the problems associated with the idea of charity. Using the Egyptian uprising in 2011 and its call for social justice as a backdrop this beautifully crafted ethnography suggests that giving a man a fish might ultimately be more revolutionary than teaching a man to fish. 
language: English
title: Giving to God: Islamic Charity in Revolutionary Times
publisher: University of California Press