{{Short description|Alms in Mandaeism}} [[File:Ganzibra Dakhil Mandi 036.jpg|thumb|right|Zidqa or alms box (lower center) at Ganzibra Dakhil Mandi in Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia]] {{Mandaeism}} In Mandaeism, '''zidqa''' ({{langx|myz|ࡆࡉࡃࡒࡀ}}) refers to alms or almsgiving.<ref name="GR Gelbert">{{cite book |url=https://livingwaterbooks.com.au/product/ginza-rba/ |last1=Gelbert |first1=Carlos |title=Ginza Rba |year=2011 |publisher=Living Water Books |location=Sydney |isbn=9780958034630}}</ref><ref name="Drower 1937">Drower, Ethel Stefana. 1937. ''The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran''. Oxford At The Clarendon Press.</ref> Mandaean priests receive regular financial contributions from laypeople, since priesthood is typically a full-time occupation. Zidqa is also offered to the poor and needy.<ref name="Nasoraia 2021">{{cite book|last=Nasoraia|first=Brikha H.S.|author-link=Brikha Nasoraia|title=The Mandaean gnostic religion: worship practice and deep thought|publisher=Sterling|publication-place=New Delhi|year=2021|isbn=978-81-950824-1-4|oclc=1272858968}}</ref>
In Mandaean scriptures, including the Qulasta, the term ''kana ḏ-zidqa'' is used to refer to alms collection.<ref name="Drower 1959">{{Cite book|title=The Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans|last=Drower|first=E. S.|publisher=E. J. Brill|year=1959|location=Leiden}}</ref> The word ''kana'' is originally used to refer to vessels for storing water or milk, and is of Akkadian origin.<ref name="Häberl 2022">{{cite book | last=Häberl | first=Charles | url=https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10.3828/9781800856271 | title=The Book of Kings and the Explanations of This World: A Universal History from the Late Sasanian Empire | location=Liverpool | publisher=Liverpool University Press | date=2022 | isbn=978-1-80085-627-1 | page=| doi=10.3828/9781800856271 | doi-broken-date=12 July 2025 }}</ref>
==Other uses== The Mandaic term ''zidqa brika'' (literally "blessed oblation") refers to a ritual meal blessed by priests. An early self-appellation for Mandaeans is ''bhiri zidqa'', meaning 'elect of righteousness'.<ref name=RudolphEI>{{cite web|last=Rudolph|first=Kurt|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/mandaeans-2-religion |title=MANDAEANS ii. THE MANDAEAN RELIGION |access-date=8 January 2022|website=Encyclopaedia Iranica|date=7 April 2008}}</ref>
==See also== *Charity (Christian virtue) *Zakat in Islam *Sadaqah in Islam (Arabic cognate) *Tzedakah in Judaism (Hebrew cognate) *Dāna in Hinduism
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Mandaeism footer}} Category:Alms Category:Mandaean practices Category:Mandaic words and phrases
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