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Zakat
- Islamic
Economy Purpose in Islam
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The economics of Zakat and its
relevance to modern times is a hotly debated issue
among both religious and liberal Muslims. This series
of articles will attempt to explain the concept of
Zakat in the light of only the Quran and the faithful
implementation of this concept by our
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). We will see how a
similarly implemented system can solve the current
economic problems of not just Muslim Countries, but of
the World.
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Zakat - First Universal
Welfare System
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Contrary
to the beliefs of both religious and secular
Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad achievements were
based not on ephemeral but on the permanent values
of the
Quran. He brought about the greatest revolution,
even an economic and political miracle in human
history (see Michael Hart, THE 100, pages 3-10). In
a very short time after the prophet migrated to
Medina and implemented the system of salaat and
zakat, the economic condition of the people changed.
* (For a detailed
discussion about the system of salaat, see a two
part article in MONITOR, pages 6-10,
September/October 1998, and pages 7-12,
December1998/January 1999)
The Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) is reported to have said; If a
single person were to sleep hungry in a town, then
God's protection is lifted from that town -[Masnad
Imam Ahmad]. This
hadith emphasizes that no one (Muslims or non
Muslims) under this system should go hungry. Thus
this zakat system created the first universal
welfare system in human history. It also gradually
transformed the existing slave based economy to a
universal welfare based economy. By the end of the
Prophet's period, the entire Arabian Peninsula
enjoyed economic as well as political security. This
system reached its pinnacle during Khalifa Umar's
time (again, see Michael Hart, THE 100, pages
261-265), a time when, history tells us, hardly
anyone was in need of charity.
What has occurred
then in the intervening years that the Muslims
masses are suffering economic deprivation even
though they live in areas with plenty of natural
resources?
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What Happened Then?
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Muslims and non Muslims alike ask
the question; If the system implemented by our
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Sahabaa (r) was
so good, why did it not continue? The answer is
simple, we changed or abandoned the system
implemented by the Prophet Muhammad. Instead of
deciding matters with open consultation, as the
Quran requires, the Ummayad and Abbasid dynastic
rulers created a dictatorship under the guise of "
Shari'iah " and " Ijma'a ". This
was a ploy to fool the people. The rulers first
acquired illegal political authority, and then
delegated religious authority to Imams appointed by
themselves.
Thus they hijacked the train of Islam from the track
of our Prophet (pbuh) and his Sahabba (r)
and put it on a new track called " Shari'ah
." Since then, a minority of the rich and powerful
has been riding this train and entertaining their
friends while exploiting the vast majority of
Muslims along the way. Consequently, common Muslims
have continued to live in poverty and to suffer
intergenerational economic misery. Islam's system of
Zakat has had
nothing to do with this sad state of affairs.
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Zakat & Our Approach
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Today, we are taught that zakat
is one of the pillars of
Islam. Zakat is generally translated as charity
or poor due and it is required to be distributed
according to the details given in the Shariah.
However, the descendents of the Prophet (pbuh),
generally known as "Syeds" in the Indian
subcontinent are forbidden to take zakat according
to this Shariah. No matter how poor, they
are considered superior by birth compared to other
Muslims due to their supposed relationship with the
Prophet (pbuh). Obviously, this is against our
Prophet's Sunnah since he proclaimed justice,
fairness, and equality for all, regardless of family
or blood relationship.
The dispensation of
zakat is regulated by different rates (called
shar'h ) for different items called (nisaab)
whose details are given in books of hadith and
Fiqh. Zakat on money is 2.5% of the savings over
a period of one year according to the Shari'ah.
There are many conditions attached to the giving and
receiving of zakat. There is no uniformity even among
the Sunnis in the restrictions, rates and even the
items of zakat.
In addition, there
are different books of Fiqh and Shari'ah
for different Muslim sects or schools of thought!
Although Islamic scholars know about these differences
in zakah among the
Muslim sects, they rarely bring them out into the
open, since it is in the interest of these scholars to
keep the people ignorant.
The differences in
zakat among the four Sunni Imams are not as major as
among the Sunni and Shi'ia Imams. For example, in
Fiqh Jaffariah , there is no zakat on paper
currency. So, for the followers of this Fiqh there is
no Zakat on bank accounts. When General Zia-ul-Haq,
the Pakistani military ruler instituted compulsory
zakat in Pakistan, the Shi'ia 'Ulema revolted
against it and refused to abide by the government's
zakat ordinance. Ultimately the government excluded
Shi'ias from the yearly bank account
deductions. This led many Sunnis to declare themselves
Shi'ias on their bank forms to avoid paying
zakat on their bank accounts. |
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Zakat - Conclusion
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Dear
sisters and brothers! We must re-turn to the true
spirit of the Quran; we must have the courage to
follow the Islam of our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), which
requires real sacrifice and a drastic change in our
lifestyles. We must go back to the Quran as the
primary source, and not to the rulings of Islamic
scholars from the time of the Ummayad and Abbasid
rulers.
In Part 2 of
this article we will look at the real meaning and
significance of zakah - the Arabic word zakah with its
root z-k-w , which means growth and
development, not charity or poor-due. Keeping this
meaning in full view, zakat is supposed to ultimately
lead to growth and development of all human beings; it
is supposed to remove the need for charity or poor-due
in the long term. We will see how zakat not only leads
to the economic progress of individuals and all human
beings but to their spiritual progress as well. We
will also note the difference between Sadaqaa
and Zakat. |
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