Alms measuring instrument

This alms measuring instrument corresponds to a measuring unit for grains, the sā‘, which is worth four mudd. The content of this recipient and that of the mudd varied, depending on the region and economic fluctuations. The value of the sā‘ was decided by the Prophet when he prescribed the ritual details of the feast of Eid ul-Fitr. Following the month of Ramadan, it included obligatory almsgiving (zakāt al-fitr) of a sā‘ for each member of the family. The sā‘ of Medina was used as the standard measuring weight, and given the name of mudd al-Nabī[1], that corresponds to around 75 centilitres and to 3 litres for the sā‘.

It is shaped like a trunk and made from a sheet of metal, whose extremities have been superposed and soldered, and whose summit and base have been reinforced; two rings have been fixed to its sides. On the grooved external surface is grooved are arranged decorations of arches. The pilasters that support their springers frame palmettes and tendrils. The spandrels are covered with decorations of fleurons that develop in the spaces around the arches with their intrados circumscribed with split palmettes. These motifs show the sustained links that exist between the formation of Islamic art and Greco-Roman art. In this land with its rich antique history (in the Maghrib or in the East), a large number of forms were handed on to Muslim artisans and artists, who took them on and developed them. This is the case for the famous design known as, initially, the ‘rabesque’ then ‘arabesque’, when it entered the Christian West in the fifteenth century. Its name shows how Westerners viewed it as an element that was typically and unambiguously part of the Arab decorative repertoire. In fact, it originates from the acanthus of the antique Corinthian capitals, and was developed, stylized and given greater flexibility. These motifs have been employed with great continuity in the Muslim world, from the seventh century to today, from Asia to Spain.

Between each arch, inscriptions are assembled that mention: ‘this hallowed alms measure was made in accordance with that of the Prophet and estimated to contain the four measures that make up the alms. AH 1283’. This relatively simple cursive inscription is reminiscent of the cursive calligraphy used in the Muslim West on various supports, especially on metal, and particularly on basins. One of the most ancient measuring instruments in the Maghrib, like that in the Museum of Algiers, bears name of the Marinid sovereign Abū al-Hasan[2]. While late, this work attests to the continuity of the zakāt al-Fitr tradition, which is one of the five pillars of Islam. This tradition also attests to the close links that exist between the biblical religions.

While there are differences, the practice of legal almsgiving is also found in the Jewish religion, called zedaka in Hebrew, which comes from the Biblical term zedek meaning justice (putting natural injustices right) and refers to obligatory acts. In the Talmud, it is used to indicate the idea of spontaneous charity: it is prescribed in Leviticus (XIX, 9–10; 22) to leave the corner of the field to the needy during the harvest, and to offer donations and sacrifice, when visiting the Temple during pilgrimage festivals. This idea of almsgiving is also found amongst the Christians, but here it takes on an additional significance—absent in Judaism and Islam—that of charity, which constitutes one of the three theological virtues and is connected to divine love (‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’ for the love of God).

[2] Held at at the National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts in Algiers, inventory number. II.MI.074, dated between 1331–1348.