Zakat: The Purification Tax

  

The purification of the heart is very important. A believer cannot perfect their (i.e. his or her) faith in Islam without purifying their heart and soul. With the month of Ramadan, which serves as a training for the upcoming 11 months, Allah has provided several means in a believer’s life to not only purify their wealth but also their heart. One of these means is Zakat.

 

The Creator (Allah) and His beloved Messenger (pbuh) have always linked the purification of the body with that of the heart. Zakat purifies the heart and has several meanings. According to the root of its letters (Ze, Kaaf, Waw), Zakat means ‘to purify,’ ‘the purification of the heart,’ or even ‘the complete purification of the heart,’ which includes the purification of our soul and inner self. The purification of the heart involves the purification of all the members of our body.

 

Allah has established Zakat to purify our hearts and our possessions. Through Zakat, Allah illuminates our hearts as well as all the other members of our body. When we give Zakat in the way of our Creator, our possessions and our souls are purified. Why? Because of the joy it brings, and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) used to do it wholeheartedly, helping the needy, which brought him much contentment as he spread wealth to the poor to eradicate poverty and give the needy the chance to live with dignity. This joy of the Prophet (pbuh) was translated into a radiant smile, his heart flooded with contentment for helping others, especially Muslims - those who believed in the one true God and in him (pbuh) as the Prophet of Allah.

Riches: Greed and Regret

Our riches and resources come from God Who bestows on us all earthly blessings for a period of time. It is our duty to be grateful and thankful for the Divine grace of mercy; be generous and charitable with the less fortunate in society. Sharing provisions with the needy is recognition of this social mutuality: producers paying a part of the crops on the day of harvest with the poor are only fulfilling the dictates of public conscience, or the Divine command on social responsibility. In his Friday Sermon of 13 November 2009, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius provides an illuminating exposition on the parable of the owners of the garden in the Holy Qur’an. (68: 18-34) 

Whereas equity and charity attracts the Divine grace of mercy and the flourishing of possessions; greed and miserliness remove the protective shield from riches, and expose it to decline, loss and destruction- inviting feelings of ultimate regret on those who displayed arrogance and open ingratitude to the Supreme Lord. 

'It is He who produces both trellised and untrellised gardens, date palms, crops of diverse flavours, the olive, the pomegranate, alike yet different. So when they bear fruit, eat some of it, paying what is due on the day of harvest…' (6:142)     

‘Consider the seeds you sow in the ground– is it you who make them grow or We? If We wished, We could turn your harvest into chaff and leave you to wail, ‘We are burdened with debt; we are bereft.’ (56: 64-68) 

Read the Friday Sermon Below: