June 13, 2017
Islam is not just a religion but it is a system. A system which encompasses the rights of society, people etc. Therefore, it has a very just system of charity known as Zakah in which a person has to give 2.5% from his savings. Unlike income tax which is not allowed under Islamic rule, the Zakah is taken on the amount that a person has saved in a given year. As there is no Islamic rule in the world today, people have a personal responsibility to take out their zakah with full faith.
Islam consists of five pillars and one of them is Zakah. Allah has commanded the believers to establish the prayer and pay Zakah in various verses of the Qur'an. Allah has also warned of his severe punishment on those people who just hoard their wealth and don't spend their due on the needy and poor. If we look at the world today, then we will find that the gap between the rich and the poor has become huge. According to a recent report, only 8 richest people in the world have the wealth equal to the bottom half of the population. Last year the number was 62 and this year it has been reduced to 8.
One should question, why on earth this has happened? The obvious answer is that the rich are only hoarding money and not distributing it as per the principles of Islam. Reports are often seen bragging about the philanthropic efforts of the billionaires but that is not enough to wipe out the poverty. Each and every person who is a Sahib-e-maal(this will be explained further) has to give Zakah. The obligation is on him and if he refrains from doing so then he won't be able to escape from the wrath of Allah on the day of judgement.
A sahib-e-maal is a person who has enough wealth to make him eligible for paying Zakah. The first condition is that he should believe in the oneness of God, without associating any partners with him and then believe in the prophethood of the last messenger of Islam Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The second condition is that he should have a minimum 85g gold or 595 gm of silver which he has saved and a time period of one year has passed on those items. The above figures are approximate in nature.
Allah mentions in Surah Taubah verse 60 about the categories of people to whom the Zakah is to be given-
Alms are meant only for the poor, the needy, those who administer them, those whose hearts need winning over, to free slaves and help those in debt, for God’s cause, and for travelers in need. This is ordained by God; God is all knowing and wise.
(Translation by Abdul Haleem).
May Allah help all of us to obey his commands. Ameen
We recommend our readers to go to the books section of our website and then read the book Fiqh us Zakah by Sheikh Yusuf al Qardawi for a detailed and in-depth explanation of Zakah.
Also, interested people can pay their Zakah through the channel provided by the website. All the necessary details are mentioned there itself.
