wealthwhich is designated for the poor.The term is derived from the
Arabic verbal root meaning "to increase." "to purify," and "to bless."
It find its origin in Allah's command to: "Take sadaqah (charity) from
their property in order to purify and sanctify them" [at-Taubah 103].
That is why this kind of sadaqah is called zakah, for by paying it,
oneis aspiring to attain blessing, purification, and the cultivation
of good deeds.
Taking into account its very nature, it is no wonder that zakah
constitutes one of the five pillars of Islam. It is associated with
prayer (salah) in eighty-two Qur'anic verses. Allah, the Exalted One,
prescribed it in His Book (The Qur'an), His Messenger corroborated it
by his (sunnah), and the community (ummah) by consensus upheld it. Ibn
'Abbas reported that when the Prophet, upon whom be peace, sent Mu'azh
ibn Jabal to Yemen (as its governor), he said to him: "You are going
to a people who are People of the Scripture. Invite them to accept the
shahadah: that there is no god but Allah andI am His Messenger. If
they accept and affirm this, tell them that Allah, the Glorious One,
has enjoined five prayers upon them during the day and night. If they
accept that, tell them also that He has enjoined sadaqah upon
theirassets which will be taken from the rich of the (Muslim)
community and distributed to the poor. If they accept that, refrain
from laying hands upon the best of their goods and fear the cry of the
oppressed, for there is no barrier between Allah and it."
At-Tabarani relates in al-'Awsat and as-Saghir, on the authority
of'Ali, that the Prophet said: "Allah has enjoined upon rich Muslims
adue to be taken from their properties corresponding to the needs of
the poor among them. The poor will never suffer from starvation or
lack of clothes unless the rich neglect their due. If they do, Allah
will surely hold them accountable and punish them severely." According
to at-Tabarani: "It was reported only by Thabit ibn Muhammad
az-Zahid." Of Thabit's credibility, al-Hafiz in turn says: "Thabit was
an honest and trustworthy person. AlBukhari and others related from
him, and the rest of the narrators in the chain are considered as
accepted authorities."
In the early days of Islam at Makkah, no limit or restriction was
placed on the amount to be donated, for that decision was left to the
individual Muslim's conscience and generosity. In thesecond year of
hijrah, according to the widely known authorities, both the type and
the quantity ofzakah revenues were determined, and detailed
illustrations were provided.
Fiqh 3.2: Exhortation to Give Zakah in the Qur'an
At-Taubah 103 authorizes the Prophet, upon whom be peace, to take
either a stipulated amount of alms from the believers' holdings in the
form ofthe obligatory zakah, or a voluntary, unstipulated amount
(zakah of tatawwul). In this 'ayah, "purify" means to purify them from
stinginess, greed, andmeanness, and a lack of remorse toward the poor
and the wretched. To sanctify them is to raise them in esteem through
good deeds and blessings so that they will be worthy of happiness both
now and in the afterlife.
Fiqh 2.151 b:
In reference to the life hereafter, Allah reveals: "Lo! Those who keep
from evil will dwell amid gardens and watersprings, taking that which
their Lord gives them. For they were before doers of good. They used
to sleep but little of the night, and inthe hours of the early dawn
they prayed for forgiveness.... In their wealth, the beggar and the
outcast had due share" [azh-Zhariyat 15-19]. Allah views beneficence
and righteousness as exclusive qualities of the pious. It is because
of their beneficence that they pray at night and ask Allah's
forgiveness at dawn as a way of worshipping and approaching Him. Their
beneficence is likewisein their giving to the needy their share of
mercy and sympathy.
Allah further confirms: "And the believers, men and women, are
protecting friends of one another; they enjoin the right and forbid
the wrong, they perform prayer and pay the zakah, and they obey Allah
and His Messenger. Upon them, Allah will have mercy" [at-Taubah 71].
Such are the people blessed by Allah and given His mercy-- those who
believe in Him, who take care of each other through support and love,
who exhort fairness and restrain lewd behavior, who have strong ties
with Allah through prayer, and who strengthen their mutual relations
through zakah.
Finally, these people, as reflected in al-Hajj 41, are: "Those who, if
we give them power in the land, perform prayers and pay zakah, and
enjoin kindness and forbid inequity."
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