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| Sunday, 23 November 2003 |
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Ramazan Reflections : Zakath - charity in Islam By Al Haj A. C. M. Shafeek, JP, Secretary-General, Council of Muslims of Sri Lanka At a time when human values are fact eroding, it is of extreme urgency to pay serious thought to the concept of fasting which is one of the five pillars of Islam, The Holy Quran states "Fasting has been made compulsory for the earlier Prophets who proceeded you, so that you may become righteous" Fasting is not merely keeping away from eating, drinking and keeping away from wicked and obscene things. But it makes one to become God fearing and do good deeds, such as, charity and payment of Zakath or poor-dues which is of special significance during the month of Ramadhan. Zakath Zakath has been made compulsory on the eligible Muslims and not a form of tax that is collected from the earnings of people. Its primary purpose is to sow the seeds of kidness, sympathy and benevolence and to provide an opportunity among the various sections of the society and to establish the relationship of love and affection while improving the economic conditions of the destitute. Islam makes it compulsory to pay 2.5% of one's wealth in the spirit of devotion. The Holy Quran states "O, Prophet of Islam, take charity from the properly so that it may clean and purity them", to clean the self of the worldly impurities and to raise the standard of the society to heights of decency and purity are the wisdom behind the levy of Zakath. The Prophet said: "to smile in company of your brother is charity to command to do good needs and preventing others from doing evil deeds is charity, to guide and show the right path for a person without making him to go astray is charity, removing of obstacles and objects that could do harm to a person from on his path is charity, to provide water or food from your jug or plate to your brother is charity, and to guide a person with defective vision to find his way is charity. Concept of Charity The wide sense of charity in Islam can be spoken and explained in many ways and many words, "Infaq" means spending benevolently. "Zakath" means growth and purification, "Ihsan" means doing what is right and keeping away from evil deeds, and Sadaqah means truth. Spending of wealth for the sake of Allah purifies the heart of man of the love of material wealth. The person who spends it offers it as a humble gift before Allah and thus affirms the truth that nothing is dearer to him in life than the love of Allah and he is fully prepared to sacrifice everything for His sake. Forms of Charity There are two important areas of charity, one is voluntary and the other is obligatory. When a person does perform certain meritorious acts such as, poverty alleviation, feeding and clothing the poor and needy, looking after orphans and destitute children and persons, caring and helping those seeking medical treatment, and assisting in community development activities of his or her own accord to win the favour of Allah could be categorized under the voluntary kind of charity. The obligatory charity or Zakath on each and every rich man and those eligible to pay the poor dues of 2.5% of his wealth in compliance with the commandments of Allah. Payment of Zakath There are seven main rules that govern the payment of Zakath. i. Zakath may be paid either in kind or cash ii. The payer of Zakath should give reasonable and moderate quantity when making payment in kind. iii. Zakath may be given for the establishment of charitable institutions place of worship, orphanages, hospitals and institutions to impart and propergate religious knowledge. iv. There is no need that the recipient of Zakath should be informed that Zakath is being paid to him or her. v. One may pay Zakath on behalf of his or her relative or kinsmen that Zakath of the person concerned will be deemed to have been paid. vi. Wife of a Zakath payer is permitted to give something in charity out of the possession of the husband. vii. It is prohibited to pay Zakath to worker or a servant as a pay or remuneration for the services they perform. Receiving of Zakath and Charity Disbursement of Zakath and the entitlement of receiving Zakath has been clearly laid down in the Holy Quran which enumerates eight types or categories of persons upon whom Zakath or charity may be bestowed. They are; the needy, the poor, Zakath collectors, converts to Islam, emancipation from bondages, those in debt, propagators of Islam, and wayfarers or travellers stranded in strange locality needing help and assistance. The Needy A person who depends upon others and their help for is or her sustenance, unable to earn a living due to some form of physical or mental deficiency and is compelled to beg under strained circumstances. The Poor People who are unable to earn a living on account of poverty and lack resources for a decent livelihood. They are self respecting poor men who exert their utmost to find and honest living and stand on their feet. Zakath Collectors They are persons who are authorized to collect Zakath and administer same in the Islamic way and are permitted to get their salaries or payment for such work from the Zakath collections. Converts Zakath is bestowed on people who converts to Islam so that they may consolidate their belief and feelings towards Islam. It also helps one to incline towards truth by both heart and soul. Emancipation from bondage A person who wants to secure his liberty and make himself free from debt, needs to be bestowed with Zakath so that he will be able to lead a normal life devoid of pain and stress. The Debtors Those who are under the burden of debt and unable to save enough to pay off their debts may be given Zakath for settlement of legitimate debts not occurred through extravagance, gambling and any other evil acts, that are forbidden and unIslamic acts. Propergation Zakath may be paid to those who perform acts of Islamic religious propergation and assistance to those who sacrifice their time and energy for the cause, and defend it against any opposition by enemies. Wayfarer A part of Zakath may be given to a wayfarer or traveller who may be in well to do circumstances, but finds himself stranded in a new and strange locality and needs help to get over the situation. Sadaqat-ul-Fitr It is incumbent on Muslims to inculcate in them the habit of spending their wealth to seek the pleasure of Allah and to cover any mistakes or sins committed during the sacred month of Ramazan and is the most effective way of making the fast perfect. In addition, Id-charity is aimed at helping and enabling the poor to buy basic necessities in life and join with other Muslim breathern in celebrating "Id-ul-Fitr", Ramazam festival. |
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