Sometimes it’s hard to even imagine what utopia could look like. Is it possible to have a Britain without poverty?

Lots of people think it is possible, but not everyone has the same idea of how to get to utopia…

There’s Helen Rowe, an ex-government official and mum, who has a plan to eliminate poverty in Britain and believes the answer lies in changing the priorities of central government.

Then there’s Nabil al-Kinani who has a completely different approach. His project, ‘Privatise the Mandem’ is a response to gentrification, specifically the building of Wembley Stadium. He thinks communities need more agency to deal with socio-economic problems on their own terms.

Meanwhile in America, people are using Zakat to fight what they see as structural injustice in the prison system. Dallas Wright works for Believers Bail Out and tells us how Muslims in Chicago are using Zakat creatively to bail out people held in jail before trial.

Taqwa returns to religious scholar and charity CEO Dr Sohail Hanif, explores why usury is prohibited for Muslims and reveals a whole new dimension of Zakat.

All these parallel visions of utopia lead us back to the original question, can Zakat help solve the cost-of-living crisis? Taqwa finds the answer is unexpected.

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

‘Salam’s Journey’ was produced by International Cartoons and Animation Inc.

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