Zakaat (the poor due): Meaning, ruling & benefits

The literal meaning of "Zakaat" is purity. Its Islamic technical
meaning designates the annual amount of wealth, food, propertyetc.
which a Muslim with the adequate means must distribute among the
rightful beneficiaries .
Zakaat is a remarkable institutionand a major pillar of Islam. Allaah,
Almighty, Says (what means): "And establish the Prayer, and pay Zakaat
(the poor due)..." [Quran, 2:43]
Moreover, Zakaat is an obligatory act because it is one of the
pillarsof Islam: The Prophet said: "Islam was built upon five
(pillars): `The testimony that none has the right to be worshipped but
Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah; the establishment
of the prayer; paying the obligatory charity (Zakaat); pilgrimage to
the House (Hajj to the Ka'bah in Makkah) and fasting (the month of)
Ramadhaan."' [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Zakaat is a small portion of the Muslim's wealth that must be given to
the poor or to other specified beneficiaries. Whoever claims that
Zakaat is not obligatory and refuses to pay it, is not a Muslim, but a
Muslim who refuses to pay Zaakat due to stinginess, while affirming
its obligation, has committed a great sin for which one will be
severely punished .
Allaah, Almighty, Says (what means): "...and as for those who hoard
treasures of gold and silver, and do not spend them forthe sake of
Allaah, announce unto them a painful torment. On the Day when that
[hoarded wealth] shall be heated in the Fire of Hell and with it will
be branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, (and it
will be said unto them): `This is the treasure which you hoarded for
yourselves. Now taste of whatyou used to hoard." [Quran 9: 34-35]
He, Almighty, also Says (what means): "And let not those who
covetously withhold of that which Allaah has bestowed on them of His
bounty (wealth) thinkthat it is good for them (and so they do not pay
Zakaat). No, it will be worse for them; the things which they
covetously withheld will be tied to their necks like a collar on the
Day of Resurrection..." [Quran 3:180]
There is no equivalent in any other language to the word"Zakaat" and
the meaning it conveys. It is not just a form of charity, or
alms-giving or tax or tithe. Nor, is it simply an expression of
kindness; it is all of these combined and much more. It is a duty
enjoined by Allaah anda source of purification for the individual and
society as a whole .
He, Almighty, Says (what means): "Take from their wealth 'sadaqah'
(Zakaat) in order to purify them and sanctify them with it." [Quran 9:
103]
Zakaat benefits the society in many ways. Here is an explanation of
the far-reaching effects of it :
1. Zakaat purifies the individual and his wealth. The status of his
wealth is increased with Allaah and in turn, he will be rewarded. When
a person becomes liable for paying Zakaat, a certain percentage of his
wealth should be distributed immediately in thecorrect manner, because
at that point, the wealth which is to be distributed does not belong
to him. If this wealth is retained, it spoils the status of all of his
wealth .
2. Zakaat does not only purify the property of the one who gives it,
it also purifies his heart from selfishness and greed. In return, it
purifies the heart of the recipient from envy and jealousy, and it
fosters in his heart good will and warm wishes toward thecontributor.
As a result, the rich and poor of society are bound together as a
unit, working together and helping one another .
3. Zakaat decreases the sufferingsof the needy and poor members of
society, however, those in need should not depend on it completely .
4. Zakaat is an effective means of developing the spirit of social
responsibility on the part of the well-to-do, and the feeling of
security and belonging on the part of the underprivileged .
5. Zakaat is a clear manifestation of the spiritual and humanitarian
interactions between the individual and society. It is a sound
illustration of the fact thatthough Islam does not hinder private
enterprise or condemn private possessions, it does not tolerate
selfish and greedy control of wealth and property. Itis an expression
of the general philosophy of Islam which adoptsa moderate and
effective course between the Individual and Society .
In conclusion, we mention a calling by Allaah, Almighty (what means):
"O You who believe! ShallI lead you to a bargain that will save you
from grievous suffering [in this world and in the life to come)? You
are to believe in Allaah and His Messenger and strive hard in Allaah's
cause with your possessions and your lives: this is for your own good
– if you had known it." [Qur'an, 61: 10-11]

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Terrors of the Grave - II

The Messenger of Allaah said :
" I said to them [the two angels who came to him (in a dream) and
awakened him and said to him: 'Proceed!']: 'I have seen many
wonderstonight. What does all that I have seen mean?' They replied:
'We will inform you: as for the first man you came upon whose head was
being crushed with the rock, heis the one who studies the Quran and
neither recites it nor acts on its orders, and sleeps, neglecting the
obligatoryprescribed prayers. This will be done to him until the Day
of Resurrection. As for the man you came upon, whose sides of the
mouth, nose and eyes were torn off from front to back, he is the man
who goes out of his house in the morning and tells many lies which
spread all over the world.This will be done to him until the Day of
Resurrection. As for thosenaked men and women whom you saw in an
oven-like structure, they are the adulterers and the adulteresses. And
the man whom you saw swimming in the river and who was being given a
stone to swallow,he is the one who consumes Riba (usury)."
[Al-Bukhaari]
Do you know now who these people are?
The first is he who sleeps and neglects the prescribed prayers .
The second is the liar who promulgates false rumors among people .
The (naked) men and women are the adulterers and adulteresses .
The last one is the personwho devours Riba .
I ask Allaah The Almighty not to make us among such people .
Dear reader, these are but some forms of punishment of the grave
received by the person who lives in disobedience of Allaah The
Almighty, and does not follow the way of guidance .
On the other hand, those who obey Allaah The Almighty will receive
from Him a great reward and abiding bliss .
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudri that he said,
"I was one of those who took part in digging the grave of Sa'd ibn
Mu'aath at Al-Baqee' cemetery. The more we dug the earth, the more it
exudedthe scent of musk until we reached the Lahd (theburying place)."
It is narrated through Muhammad ibn Shurahbeel ibn Hasanah that he
said, "A man took a handful of the earth of the grave of Sa'd and
looked at it later and behold! It was musk." [Ibn Sa'd in his
Tabaqaat]
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that he said, the
Messenger of Allaah said:
" If a servant dies and is buried in the grave, two black and
blue-complexioned angels come to him, one called Munkar and the other
Nakeer, and ask him: "What did you say about the Prophet?" If heis a
faithful believer, he would say: "He is the Servant and Messenger
ofAllaah. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except for
Allaah, and that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger." They then say
to him: "We have indeed learnt that you said (and believed in) that."
Then, his grave would be extended for him as much as seventy by
seventy cubits, and illuminated and he would be asked to sleep. He
would say: "Let me return to my family to tellthem (about my bliss)."
But he would be asked tosleep like a bridegroom whom none awakens
butthe dearest of his family to him, until Allaah The Almighty raises
him from his place of repose. However, if he is a hypocrite, he would
say in reply to them: "I do not know. I heard the people saying
something and I repeated it after them." They would say tohim: "We
have indeed learnt that you said (and believed in) that." Then, the
earth would be askedto be welded on him, andit would do accordingly so
violently that his ribs would dislocate; and he remains in punishment
until Allaah The Almighty raises him from his lying place."
[At-Tirmithi. Al-Albaani: Saheeh in As-Silsilah As-Saheehah]
Here, the point of resemblance between the believer's sleep (in the
grave) and the sleep of a bridegroom is his living in a good manner.
[Tuhfat Al-Ahwathi]
This is indeed a part of the bliss which a believerenjoys in his
grave: I ask Allaah The Almighty to make our graves a garden from the
gardens of Paradise, and not a hole from the holes of Hell-fire .

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Terrors of the Grave - I

How different, dear readers, are those who are tortured from those who
are blessed in their graves!
How different, dear readers, is he who previews the Mercy of Allaah
The Almighty, fromhim who previews His Wrath in the grave.
I want you, dear reader, to imagine these scenes and envision them
with your entire soul.
Here are some images related to us by the Messenger of Allaah, , about
the torture of the grave:
The first image:
It is narrated on the authority of Samurah ibn Jundub that he
said,"The Prophet, , very often used to ask his Companions: "Did
anyoneof you see a dream (tonight)?" Thereupon, dreams would be
narrated to him by those whom Allaah The Almighty wished to narrate.
One morning, the Prophet, , said:
"Last night, two angels came to me (in a dream) and awakened me and
said to me: 'Proceed!' I set out with them and wecame across a man
lying down, and behold, another man was standing over his head,
holding a big rock. Behold, he was throwing the rock at the man's
head, crushing it. The rock rolled away and he followed it and took it
back. By the time he reached the man, his head had returned to
thenormal state. The thrower then did the same as he had done before.
I said to my two companions, 'Subhaanallaah! Who are these two
persons?' They said: 'Proceed! Proceed!'"
Imagine the scene: a manlying down, and another man standing over his
head, holding a big rock, and throwing the rock at the head of the man
lying on the ground, crushing it and then the rock rolls away. What is
astonishing is that this man with the crushed head stands up from his
place and hastens to bring back the stone to the thrower so he can to
throw at his head once again, as if he were enjoying his torture.
Whodo you think this man is? We shall know in a little while.
The second image:
"So we proceeded and came to a man lying flat on his back and another
man standing over his head with an iron hook, and behold, he continued
to put the hook in one side of the man's mouth and tear offthat side
of his face to the back (of the neck) and similarly tear off his nose
from front to back and his eye from front to back. Then he turned to
the other side of the man's face and did just ashe had done with the
first side. He hardly completed this side whenthe other side returned
to its normal state. Then he returned to repeat what he had done
before. I said to my two companions: 'Subhaanallaah! Who are these two
persons?' They said to me: 'Proceed! Proceed!'"
This image is even more odious: it is a man lying flat on his back and
another standing over his head carrying a bent-headed sharp-edged
piece of iron, similar to a fishing hook. The man who was standing
comes to one side of the face of the man who was lying down and does
an amazing thing: he tears off his face from the edge of the mouth of
that side to the back, anddoes the same with the nose and the eye. Who
do you think this man is? We shall know a while later.
The third image:
"So we proceeded and came across something like a furnace, in which
there was a great deal of noise and voices. We looked into it and
found naked men and women, and behold, a flame of fire was reaching to
them from underneath, and when it reached them, they cried out loudly.
I asked them: 'Who are these?' They said to me: 'Proceed! Proceed!'"
This is also a very terrible image of naked men and women standing in
an oven-like place and making noisy loud voices,and then suddenly,
they are exposed to flames coming from underneaththem, causing their
voices to become louder and their pain to increase. Who do you think
these are? We shall know a while later.
The fourth image:
"So we proceeded and came across a river red like blood, and behold,
inthe river there was a manswimming, and on the bank there was a man
who had collected many stones. Behold, while the other man was
swimming, he went near him. The former opened his mouth and the latter
(on the bank) threw a stone into his mouth whereupon he started
swimming again. He returned (once again), and every time he returned
to him, he opened his mouth and the other (on the bank) threw a stone
into it. I asked my two companions: 'Who are these (two) persons?'
They replied: 'Proceed! Proceed!'"
The last image is of a man swimming in a river of blood, and another
man standing on the bank of the river, carrying many stones. Every
time the swimmer comes to him, he opens his mouth to him, as if heis
inviting him to throw astone into it, and he actually throws it into
hismouth. Then, he swims a little with the stone and returns to him to
repeat the same action once again. Who do you think this man is? We
shall know in the following article who all these people are.

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Dought & clear, - Is it mustahabb to wash the hands with soap?.

Did the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) warnagainst
germs and did he use soap or lotus leaves? Doctors nowadays tell us
that weshould wash our hands often and use soap and water. But soap at
the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was
not like it is now. Shouldwe follow the modern ways for protection or
is water sufficient, as it was at the time of the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him)? If germs are a cause of anxiety and
we have to follow what we are told, then can we use lotus leaves or
potash instead of soap, as was done at the time of the Prophet
(blessingsand peace of Allah be upon him)? Will our reward be greater
if we follow the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in
everything, such as using potash and a little soap and water, and not
to change often or own a lot of clothes?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
Islamic sharee'ah is a flexible way that is based on general
principles and holistic foundations governing human conduct. At the
same time it allows roomfor new developments that occur with changes
in time and place. For example, it does not put undue restrictions on
people with regard to customs and purely worldly actions; rather
itgives them the freedom to act in accordance with what is
appropriateto their desires and interests, and what will benefit them,
so long as any given custom is not contrary to the text of the Qur'an
or Sunnah. This is the meaning of what was affirmed by the fuqaha' and
scholars of usool when they said: The basic principle with regard to
customs is thatthey are permissible andare allowed.
Based on that, there is nothing wrong with the Muslim benefiting from
what has been invented or discovered in moderntimes, such as cars,
airplanes and electricity… and modern means of cleaning the body or
clothes.
The Muslim is not required to go back to riding camels or using the
kind of cleaning agents that were used by the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him), because these are not worship in which he
is required to follow the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him); rather these are customs and traditions.
Ash-Shaatibi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to customs, the Lawgiver focused onthe idea of achieving a
given purpose, not on a literal following of a shar'i text, unlike
acts of worship which must be based on a shar'i text.
End quote from al-Muwaafaqaat, 2/523
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) encouraged
cleanliness and that which will protect good health in general terms,
and for that purpose he used the means and things that were available
at his time (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). If something
new is introduced and it leads to the same purpose (i.e., cleanliness
and maintenance of good health) without causing any harm, then there
is nothing wrong with the Muslim using it and benefiting from it.
In Islam there are many teachings that are indicative of paying
attention to cleanliness of the body, clothing and place where one is.
To confirm that, it is sufficient to note that wudoo' – which
involveswashing the hands, mouth, nose, and face – is one of the
conditions of prayer, which is the foundation of the faith, being
valid.
Using cleaning agents with water was not widely practised at the time
of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) because of
the scarcity of these cleaning agents and the scarcity of wateritself.
Yet despite that it is proven in the Sunnah that lotus leaves may be
used in some cases where ghusl is done thatrequire extra attention to
care and cleaning, such as washing the deceased prior to burial,ghusl
for a woman whose period has ended, and ghusl for thekaafir who
becomes Muslim. The fuqaha' also mentioned using saltwort as well for
the purpose of cleaning and bathing.
Saltwort (salsola) is a plant that grows in sandy ground; it or its
ash is used for washing clothes and hands.
Al-Mu'jam al-Waseet, 1/91
With regard to lotus, thisis a plant that grows on water. Its fruit is
the lotus fruit (nabq) and its leaves are used for washing. See:
Lisaan al-'Arab, 4/354
It was narrated that Umm 'Atiyyah al-Ansaariyyah (may Allah be pleased
with her) said: The Messengerof Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) entered upon us when his daughter died and said: "Wash her
three times, or five, or more than that, if you see fit, with water
and lotus leaves, and put camphor in the last time,or a little
camphor".
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,1253; Muslim, 939
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This indicates that it is mustahabb or encouraged to use lotus leaves
when washing the deceased. There is unanimous agreement that it is
mustahabb.
End quote from Sharh Muslim, 7/3
Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Al-Maymooni said: I read to Ibn Hanbal: Is it acceptable for the woman
whose menses has ended to do ghusl using only water?
He dictated to me: If she cannot find anything butwater on its own,
then she should do ghusl withit. The Prophet (blessingsand peace of
Allah be upon him) said: "Your water and your lotus leaves," and this
is more than ghusl in the case of janaabah.
I said: What if she did ghusl using water only, then she found (lotus leaves)?
He said: I prefer that she should repeat it, becauseof what he said.
End quote from Fath al-Baari, 1/471-472
It was narrated from Qaasim ibn 'Aasim (may Allah be pleased with him)
that he became Muslim, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) instructed him to do ghusl using water and lotus leaves.
Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, 605. He said: It is hasan. It was classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Tirmidhi.
It is obvious that using lotus leaves when doing ghusl does not come
under the heading of acts of worship; rather itis the matter of
customs that change with time and place. Whoever usesany cleansing
material inthe place of lotus leaves has fulfilled the spirit of the
Sunnah and has fulfilled the purpose for which the Messenger
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed people to do
ghusl with lotus leaves.
On our website, in a number of answers, we have explained that it is
not mustahabb to imitate the actions of the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) that he did on the grounds that theywere
customs or personal habits or preferences, and doing so does not bring
any greater reward than other customary matters.Rather reward is
attained by adhering to Sunnahs of worship and related matters.
Shaykh Dr. Muhammad al-Ashqar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The ruling on these matters of custom and similar issues is that
theyare indicative of something being permissible, and no more, except
in two cases:
1. Where there is a report of words enjoining or encouraging
something,in which case it seems that it is something prescribed in
Islam
2. Where it seems that it is connected to Islam by circumstantial
evidence other than words, such as placing the deceased in his grave
facing towards the qiblah. That is obviously connected to something
that is prescribed in Islam.
End quote from Af'aal ar-Rasool, 1/237
See also the answer to question no. 69822
Secondly:
With regard to what youmentioned about not owning a lot of clothes,
what is required of the Muslim with regard to food, drink and
clothing,and the house in which he lives and the furniture on which he
sits, and other such matters, is that he should not go beyond what he
needs. So what he has of clothing and furnishings should be in
accordance with what he needs and no more than that. If it is more
than what he needs, then he comes under theheading of
extravagancewhich is condemned in Islam. Allah, may He be exalted,
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah)
likes not Al-Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)"
[al-An'aam 6:141].
As-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Extravagance may mean having more than is sufficient and consuming too
much of food that is harmful to the body; or it may meangoing to
excess in luxuryin food, drink and clothing; or it may mean
overlooking what is halaal and favouring what is haraam.
"certainly He (Allah) likesnot Al-Musrifoon (those who waste by
extravagance)" means that Allah hates extravagance and it is harmful
to the individual's body and livelihood, because he may end up being
unable to meet his financial obligations. This verse commands us to
consume food and drink and it forbids us toneglect them or be
extravagant with them. End quote.
Tafseer as-Sa'di, p. 311
Ibn Maajah (3605) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) said: "Eat and drink, give charity and wear
clothes, so long as that does not involve any extravagance or vanity."
Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.
And Allah knows best.

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