Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam. The word zakat is derived from the Arabic word zakka means to ‘purify’. It refers to purification of wealth in particular. The Almighty Allah says in the Quran: ‘Take from their wealth so that you might purify and sanctify them” Quran- 9:103. According to Islam, zakat is a compulsory act and therefore all Muslims must give zakat, provided they meet certain important conditions. Zakat is not charity but a religious obligation that Muslims need to fulfil. Zakat must be paid on all kinds of wealth whether it is saved in a bank or otherwise. If you are in possession of gold, silver, paper currency held in cash or in bank, tradable assets owned by business, crops and herded animal’s that amount to more than the value of 85 grams of gold or 595 grams of silver called Nisab ( at current market rates), then you are obliged to pay zakat. Thus, zakat depends on income and wealth of an individual and is obligatory on an adult Muslim of sound mind, who possesses the minimum amount of wealth (Nisab) for one lunar year. In order to pay zakat, at least two important conditions must be fulfilled. One is that it reaches the Nisab (minimum threshold) and second is that one year has passed since it reached the Nisab. The wealth on which zakat has not been duly paid remains bitter in this life and Hereafter. A family should not pay zakat only on a few items like Cash or gold and ignore other items like grains, fruits, trade items etc. A true Muslim family must pay zakat on all items whether grains, fruits, trade goods, paper currency, gold, silver etc. The minimum threshold for grains, dates and fruits is five wasqs. The Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said, “grains or fruits produced on agricultural land and irrigated by rainfall or springs, the Zakat is one tenth”. Higher the income and wealth of an individual, higher is the obligation and entitlement of zakat and vice versa. Zakat plays a key role in helping and supporting the poorest in the Muslim community. It eases the suffering of millions of poor Muslims across the world. According to scholars, one who does not pay zakat is considered a disbeliever. The rate of zakat is 2.5% or 1/40th of a Muslims total savings and wealth. It is given to the poor and needy in the cause of Allah.
The Almighty Allah says in the Quran (9:60) that eight groups of people to whom zakat can be paid: The Fuqara’ (the poor), Al-Maskin (the needy), Aamileen (Zakat collector), Muallafatul Quloob (poor and needy who recently converted to Islam), Ar-Riqaab (slaves; Zakat can be used to purchase their freedom), Ibnus-Sabeel: (A stranded traveller in need of financial assistance), Al Ghaarimeen (A debtor), and Fi Sabeelillah (Those who are away from home in the path of Allah). Zakat cannot be used for other purposes like constructing hospitals, charitable organizations, Masjids, or for its furnishing. The Almighty Allah says that zakat is not a favour that is given to the poor by the rich; it is a right of the poor on the wealth of the rich. Zakat if distributed to the poor and needy will fulfil their basic needs. There would be no poverty if Muslims would give zakat regularly. zakat will reduce hunger and poverty and there will be no socio economic crisis. The Almighty Allah says in the Quran (59:7) : Zakat prevents wealth from circulating amongst the rich.
Zakat purifies wealth physically as well as spiritually, keeps one away from sins, and saves the giver from moral ills arising from the love and greed of wealth. The benefits of zakat are manifold at social and economic level. Zakat fulfills the needs of the destitute, disadvantaged, poor and needy of the society and keeps them very happy as the rich. It spreads love and happiness among the members of society. It reduces social conflicts and creates balance in society. Zakat is a mechanism of income and wealth distribution in society. It reduces the gap between the have’s (rich) and the have not’s (poor) so that the poor catch up to the level of the rich and parity is maintained. It also reduces stigmas and social evils in the society. Zakat decreases the profitability of recession in the economy, increases purchasing capacity of common people and decreases the hoarding. Every year during the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan, hundreds of persons with bundles of fake receipt books are visiting almost all villages for the Zakat purpose and are misusing the names of Madrassas, religious institutions’, orphanages and philanthropist organizations. Due to lack of awareness, many innocent people fall prey to them and pay their Zakat to bogus persons and organizations. With the result, the poor and disadvantaged in the community suffer at their hands and remain at the same bottom rung of the socioeconomic ladder. The unscrupulous persons see it opportune in Ramadan to dupe innocent people. Some unscrupulous persons hire a vehicle and at busy streets and thoroughfares, they exhort people often on tunes of religious songs to donate generously for orphanages and serious patients like kidney failure and cancer patients for meeting their medical expenses. It is better for the every Muslim family to pay Zakat at their village level Bait-Ul-Malls maintained and operated by the genuine and honest persons instead of paying it to fake persons or bogus organizations. For the past two decades, some prominent religious scholars of Muslim community strongly urged common people to establish Bait-Ul- Mall in every locality, city, and town so that financial help could be extended to the poor and needy. The Kashmir valley has a large number of orphans, widows, and destitute. It is our Islamic duty to look after, support and help them by way of the fourth pillar of the Islam- Zakat.
(The author is a teacher by profession. Views are his own)
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