In his Friday
sermon of August 26, 2011 Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib of Mauritius
Read from the
Extracts:
“Zakat is an
obligatory act of charity enjoined on every eligible Muslim individual. It is
an act of worship and an effective form of achieving social justice. It is one
of the five pillars of Islam and is prescribed in the Quran and Hadith.
The root of the word Zakat
in Arabic means blessing, growth, cleanliness or betterment. In Shariah, the word Zakat refers to the
determined share of wealth prescribed by Allah to be distributed among the
categories of those entitled to receive it. It is also used to mean the action
of paying this share. Growth and cleanliness are not restricted to the
assets from which Zakat has been
taken, but affect the person who pays Zakat,
in accordance with verse 104 of Surah 9 (At-Tauba).
“Take Sadaqa (Zakat) from their wealth to purify and cleanse
them.”
Zakat, as known in the Shariah,
is sometimes called Sadaqa. In fact, Sadaqa covers both Zakat and voluntary charity for any righteous purpose. In the later
history of Islam, Sadaqa was used to
mean voluntary charitable donations given to the destitute.
Zakat is an act of worship that purifies a Muslim’s wealth and
soul. Wealth purification denotes the Mobilisation of assets for the purpose of
financial growth and justified distribution. Purification of the soul implies
the freedom from hatred, jealousy, selfishness and greed.
Technically, Zakat
is a yearly fixed proportion taken from the surplus wealth and earnings of a
Muslim. It is then distributed to prescribed beneficiaries for the welfare of
the Muslim society. It is paid on the net balance after a Muslim has deducted
his expenses on personal, family and other necessities. At the end of the year,
if he or she is in possession of the equivalent of 85 grams of gold or more in
cash or articles of trade, he or she must pay Zakat at the rate of 2.5%. It also applies to agricultural products
and to livestock.
In the Holy Quran, the term Zakat is mentioned in several
verses. It occurs thirty times in the Quran; in twenty-seven of them it is
associated with Salat, prayer, in the same sequence, namely, those who are
steadfast in their prayer … and those who actively pay Zakat.
Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (May Allah be pleased with him), one of
the early great companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), has made
the following observation in this context: “The prayer of him who does not practice
Zakat is meaningless.” The Sunna abounds in instructions regarding Zakat. Mentioning the basics taught by
the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) to early Muslims, Jafar Ibn Abi Talib (May
Allah be pleased with him) explained to the king of Abyssinia ,
“He ordains us to pray, pay Zakat and
fast.”
Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) quotes the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) saying, “He who dies having sincere faith in Allah, worshipping Him
without partners, establishing prayer and paying Zakat, ends up with the
pleasure of Allah.” Emphasizing the
sinfulness of non-payment of Zakat,
Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “If
someone is given wealth by Allah but does not pay its Zakat, that wealth will
appear to him on the day of judgement in the form of a huge serpent encircling
and squeezing him saying, “I am your wealth, your treasure which you
hoarded.”
Zakat is not a mere charity; left to the conscience of
individuals as part of their good deeds. It is an essential pillar of the
religion, one of its major rituals, and the second of its four main forms of
worship. Not paying it is synonymous to going astray.
Zakat is the right of
the poor in the wealth of the rich, a right decided by the true Owner of
wealth, Allah, and imposed on those who have been given control of that wealth
by Him. It thus does not humble or humiliate the receiver. May Allah (Glory be
to Him) guide all of us in the right path. Ameen”.
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