Dhaka, April 6 -- A signboard of Dewan Saree Bitan at Peer Yemeni Market in Dhaka's Gulistan reads, "Zakat's sarees are available here at affordable prices." The salesman said they put it up to remind able Muslims of their obligation.

But the Islamic Foundation says that donating sarees and lungis for zakat is not a good practice.

Zakat's main goal should be to help insolvent people become financially independent, the foundation says. As one of the five pillars of Islam, zakat is a mandatory charitable contribution for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria of wealth to help the needy.

Nisab is a term that often appears alongside zakat. It is a threshold, referring to the minimum amount of wealth and possessions that a Muslim mu...