ISLAM
IN A NUT-SHELL
ZAKAT:
ANOTHER PRECIOUS RUKN OF ISLAM (Part-1)
... ... Continued from previous issues
Sabiran Khatoon, (Sabirankhatoon@yahoo.com)
It
is the third most vital obligation towards a Muslim. Islam is such a
religion which takes care of entire humanity, and better we can say,
not only entire living, non living, metaphorous, non-metaphorous
beings, etc. too. This is completely based on equality, brotherhood,
nurturing and caring of neighbors, poor, beggars, helpless, rich,
landlords and empires of kingdoms.
There
are certain rules framed under the guidelines of Quran and Hadith.
Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) clearly & categorically gave the
distinguished formula for the right of a poor to get Zakat.
There is a clear–cut guideline of offering Zakat, terms and
denomination of Zakat, the recipients, and the donors, based upon
scientific, economic, religious, and social factors.
As per Islam, no man should be
hungry, and if so, it will be a curse on the neighbor who is holding
more than the requirements. It is clear that your known, unknown,
distant or nearest, no one should be hungry or thirsty, if you can
afford to provide for them. This will be taken into consideration on
the Day of Judgement. What you think you own, you are only its
custodian, not real owner. If your neighbors are happy, and they pray
for your further betterment, that will be heard & accepted by
God.
What the civil
society conceives today as tax, our Glorious Quraan has provided from
very beginning and that too is used for education, road,
infrastructure, aids to poor/ needy, helpless, and other strivers. If
you have had more than your minimum necessity, you are to bound to pay
@ 2.5% of total wealth under your possession held for more than a year.
Zakat is obligation to all adults and sound-minded Muslims and he must
not be obviating from this pious duty. After paying Zakat, one will be
free from certain sins, and the goods/ amounts of Zakat will pray to
God that this fellow has donated in the right way as disclosed by yours
prophet (SAW). The recipients will also pray for the betterment in this
material world and for the heavenly abode. His other wealth will be
safe and secured from any kinds of loss and wastages.
The word Zakat may have the following explanation for
its letters:
Z-Zenith
(Zannat) is
A-Assured
for you & yours
K-Kind families for
A- Abiding by and confirmed in
sense of
T- Talisman.
i.e ZAKAT means “Zenith is Assured for you and yours Kind families for Abiding by and confirmed in
sense of Talisman.
Zakat is the
name of what a
believer returns out of his or her wealth to the neediest of Muslims
for the sake of Almighty Allah, and the word literally means, to
‘increase’, ‘purify’ and ‘bless’.
EVERY “Nisaab” will have to pay zakat.
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Eligibility
has been prescribed as “the minimum amount that is obligatory for Zakat
in different ranges of properties, known as nisaab”. The reason for
nisaab is to ensure that no one is forced to give Zakat out of what he
or she does not have, and that no wealth goes without Zakat. The Nisaab
is also an insurance against the tyranny of the state to tax the poor,
as is the case in many countries. Nisaab is a reference point for the
average Muslim who is not sure whether he possesses the minimum wealth
on which Zakat is obligatory. The wealthy need not worry about the
Nisaab.
Nisaab
eliminates the possibility of injustice or unfair treatment of the
Zakat payer. To suggest that if we do not follow the rules of IMF or
arbitrary figures of social security administration or department of
agriculture we will be doing injustice to the Zakat payer is ludicrous.
Nisaab
must mature, that is the money is not liable for Zakat unless it has
remained a full year in the possession of a person. This is the
understanding of the majority of the scholars. Imam Abu Hanifah (raa)
said: "What should be considered is the existence of nisaab at the
beginning and the end of the Zakat year set by the payer". It does not
matter if the nisaab money increases or decreases during the calendar
year.
This condition does not include farm produce, for it is due on the day
it is harvested. Zakat money is of two kinds: one that by its nature
cannot be invested and Zakat of this category is due on the day of
harvest (e.g., the farm produce). The other is wealth that can be
invested in the hope of a good return, like cash, gold or silver. This
includes currency investment, merchandise and livestock. Their Zakat is
not due until they have completed one full year.
Zakat of Salaries
The condition of yearly term maturity applies to the commodities on
which the Zakat is due, and this includes silver, gold, modern paper
currency and livestock. Paper currency is analogous to silver;
therefore, it takes the case of silver.. What the wage earner must know
is that he or she can purify that money with charity (sadaqah) anytime
they cash the pay check. We can deduce from the concept of "yearly
maturity" of wealth on which Zakat is due as encouraging, among other
things, saving on the part of the Zakat payer, and enhances the chances
for eradicating poverty, because if the poor receives his rightful
share of Zakat there will be the possibility that he can use Zakat
money to invest and become a Zakat payer instead of recipient.
Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam and a vital element in the
deen of Islam. It is the twin sister of Salaat. There is consensus
among Muslim scholars that it is mandatory on every believer who is
financially able. Whoever knowingly denies this obligation, while he
possesses the minimum amount, would be considered a disbeliever and a
renegade from Islam. Whoever is stingy, or tries to cheat, is
considered among the wrongdoers.
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