Zakaat is a pillar of Islam and an
obligatory act of charity ordained to every eligible Muslim. It is an act of
devotion and an effective form to achieve social justice. It is also one of the
five pillars of Islam and prescribed in the Holy Quran and in the Hadiths. The
root of the word Zakaat in Arabic means blessing,
growth, purity or improvement. The word Zakaat refers
to the part of the wealth prescribed by Allah to be distributed among the
categories of people described by Allah in Surah At-Taubah (Chapter 9, verse 60)
and the Hadiths. Zakaat is an act of worship that
purifies the wealth and soul of Muslims.
The
purification of wealth means the mobilization of goods for financial growth and
justified distribution (equal repartition of wealth). Purification of the soul
means liberation of the Muslim’s heart from hatred, jealousy, selfishness, and
greed.
Technically speaking, Zakaat is
a fixed proportion that is withdrawn on an annual basis from the wealth and
distributable profits and given to beneficiaries of this fund (as indicated by
the Quran and Sunnah) for the well-being of Muslim
society. Zakaat is calculated on the net balance after
the Muslim has deducted his expenses for personal, family and other purposes
(necessities). At the end of the year if the Muslim is in possession of 85
grams of gold or 595 grams of silver or the cash equivalence or article of
commerce he must pay Zakaat on it at 2.5% tax, also
applicable to agricultural products and livestock.
Zakaat is mentioned about thirty times in
the Holy Quran and it is mentioned most in association with Salat (prayer)
as this verse indicates: “Those
who establish Salah (prayer) and give Zakah (Obligatory Charity/ Tax).” (Al-Baqara 2: 278).
Narrated
from Anas (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Whoever departs this world with sincerity
towards Allah, worshipping Him alone with no partner, establishing regular
prayer and paying Zakaat, he dies while Allah is pleased with him.” (Ibn Majah).
The
Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Whoever Allah makes wealthy and he does not pay the Zakah due on his
wealth, then on the Day of Resurrection his wealth will be made in the likeness
of a bald-headed poisonous male snake with two black spots over the eyes. The
snake will encircle his neck and bite his cheeks and proclaim, ʻI am your wealth, I am your treasure.’” (Bukhari).
The
Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also said, “There is no people, who do not pay Zakah, left without being made
to suffer by God through disasters, or famine or drought.” (Tabarani, Hakeem, Baihaqi).
Zakaat is so important in the Islamic system that Hazrat Abu
Bakr (ra) said: “I will
fight whoever separates Salah and Zakah, for Zakah is the compulsory right to
be taken from wealth. By Allah, if they withhold from me a young goat that they
used to give to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), I will fight them for
withholding it.” (Nasaï).
Therefore,
those who refuse to pay Zakaat are like the unfaithful
and the deniers of the Islamic faith. A Muslim must pay Zakaat if
he possesses property and has the ability to dispose of property. Thus a lost
or stolen good does not require the deduction of Zakaat because
this property is no longer legally in the possession of the Muslim.
Growth
has a direct relationship with the expansion of wealth. Zakaat is
obligatory on goods that have growth potential. This includes: money in the
bank, livestock, plantations, goods, etc. However, there is no Zakaat to
pay for property reserved for personal use such as inhabited residences, furniture,
vehicles etc.
It
is very important that we be very careful when we pay Zakaat so
that we do not forget any items. It is better to have a surplus of Zakaat than
to pay less than the sum/ quantity required! Insha-Allah, the
payment of Zakaat that you will fulfill will become a
source of new income for you in your homes and it will help you to purify you
and your families and all the goods you have, Ameen, Summa
Ameen...
---Extracts from
the Friday Sermon of 08 June 2018 (23
Ramadan 1439 AH) delivered
by Hazrat Imam Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of
Mauritius.