Zakaat: A Source Of Welfare For The Muslim Community; But It Requires An Overhaul In Muslim Mindset From The Flawed Notion Of 'Piety' And 'Righteousness' To Genuine Concepts Islamic Charity And Purification Of Heart

By Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam 21 April 2023 Viewed From The Perspective Of “Fi Sabilil-Allah” (In The Path Of God), Zakaat Is A Source Of Welfare For The Muslim Community. Main Points: 1. Common perception of 'righteousness' which consists of extreme externalism, an outward conformism or formal conformity to the legal codes and customs. 2. What was reflected in the attitude of the Pre-Islamic traditionalist Jews is deeply entrenched in the common mindset of Muslims today. 3. A flawed notion of 'piety' and 'righteousness' is deeply seated in the majority of the contemporary Muslim society across the world. 4. The institution of Zakaat as the fifth pillar of Islam, is an important case in point. ----- “You shall not attain righteousness unless you spend on others of that which you love, and whatever you spend, verily God has knowledge of it.” (Qur’an: 3:92) Shaan-e-Nuzool--context of the revelation-- of this verse was basically to disabuse the false notion of 'righteousness' perpetuated by the highly textualist legalism of the then jurists [among the Jews and Christians]. In a strikingly similar way, today's Muslims have developed a common perception of 'righteousness' which consists of extreme externalism, an outward conformism or formal conformity to the legal codes and customs derived from the outdated laws of the Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). What was reflected in the attitude of the Pre-Islamic traditionalist Jews is deeply entrenched in the common mindset of Muslims today. In the words of Maulana Abul A'ala Maududi who wrote an Urdu commentary on the Qur'an, Tafheem-ul-Qur'an (Towards Understanding the Quran): "Narrow-mindedness, greed, covetousness, meanness, concealment of the Truth and readiness to barter with it lay beneath this veneer of formal piety. They were, nevertheless, considered pious in the minds of the people; Jewish public opinion condoned their conduct because it conformed to its concept of 'righteousness'." This flawed notion of 'piety' and 'righteousness' is deeply seated in the majority of the contemporary Muslim society across the world. As a result, basic tenets, key precepts and principles of the Islamic faith and creed have lost their actual essence which is miserably missing from their actions. The institution of Zakaat as the fifth pillar of Islam, is an important case in point. Literally, Zakaat means “purification” or “cleansing”. Though it encompasses the purification of all of one’s possession, it refers, most specifically, to one’s enormous wealth. However, it purifies not only the wealth of the giver but also his heart and mind from miserliness, greed and all selfish tendencies. Imam Ghazali states in his spiritual discourses (Ihya Ulum al-Din): “The divine decree by which Allah bids His servants to spend their wealth, is also significant in purging the habit of miserliness, which is a deadly evil. It can only be eliminated by making oneself accustomed to spending money. The purity he acquires is in proportion to his expenditure, to his delight in giving away and to his joy in spending for the sake of God.” Zakaat actually awakens and enlightens a humane spirit within us. It tells us that the acquisition of wealth is not an end in itself, nor is it to be squandered for lower motives. Almighty Allah has endowed it to certain people with it, to serve higher spiritual purposes. Clearly, it is not meant to gain power over the less fortunate through monopolization of the means of livelihood. Rather, the will of the endower, the Almighty, is to ensure kindness and charity from the rich to the poor. As clearly stated in the Qur'an (3:134): “Those who spend [in Allah's Cause – deeds of charity, alms, etc.] in prosperity and in adversity, who repress anger, and who pardon people; verily, Allah loves Al-Muhsinun (the good-doers). Significantly enough, Zakaat also purifies the hearts of the poor recipients from hostility, envy and all ill feelings that they harbour towards the rich. Instead, it fosters in their hearts goodwill and warm wishes for the contributors. Most remarkably, it instigates them to do special dua (prayer) for their helpers. And a prayer from a Faqir (poor), Yateem (orphan) or Miskeen (beggar) will never be rejected in the court of Allah. But the greed, covetousness and meanness as exhibited by the pre-Islamic Jews have encouraged some Muslims today to misuse the Islamic charity and alms (Zakat o Sadqaat) for their petty interests. Fake Madrasas and fictitious organisations are booming and mushrooming on Zakaat in various parts of the country. They can be found collecting Zakaat during the holy month of Ramadan especially in metro cities. Those who work with such organisations as Chanda-takers or Muhasailin are making their living, while the poor, for whose betterment Allah has ordered Muslims to pay Zakat, remain hungry, homeless and sick. Many rectors of madrasas [Mohtamims] and the management committee [Nazims] send out the Zakaat collectors on hefty commissions, sometimes even more than 60 percent of the collected Zakat. They also perform something called Heela-e- Shari'ee on part of their Safeers (salaried representatives) to collect Zakaat. Now the question is: why is Zakaat being donated to the Madrasas, and if they are worthy of receiving the Zakaat, then why not the modern Muslim educational institutions? As a matter of fact, Zakaat can be distributed only to deserving individuals or groups who belong to any of the eight categories mentioned in the Quran (Surah Al-Tawbah, 9:60). These are: Faqirs, Miskeens, Yateems (orphans), Musafir (helpless travellers), Maqrooz (debtors), etc. It was also given as a ransom to free the slaves. The holy Prophet (PBUH) liberated many slaves by paying ransom money. Similarly, he was so caring for the orphans that he promised, “The one who cares for an orphan and me will be together in paradise like this”, and held his two fingers together to illustrate”. Also, one of the legitimate recipients of Zakaat is “Fi Sabeel-Allah” (in the Cause of Allah). What does “Fi Sabeel-Allah” mean? It refers to those who are on the path of Allah. This is the seventh category of those eligible to receive Zakaat. There is a difference of opinion among the jurists on the implication of the term “Fi Sabeel-Allah”. Imam al-Kasani al-Hanafi states: Fi Sabeel-Allah refers to all virtuous acts that achieve divine proximity. This includes everyone who struggles for virtuous acts and the obedience to Allah while they are eligible to receive Zakaat. Thus, Zakaat can be paid for the purpose of educating Muslim children from poor families, which is permissible on the ground that most Muslim families in our country are either poor or middle class, and they cannot afford to pay for private education of their children and facilities for their essential Islamic teaching. Therefore, Zakaat can be paid for the education of underprivileged and needy Muslim children in the category of “Fi Sabilil-Allah” (in the Cause of Allah) on the basis of preserving the future of these poor Muslim children. With a view to upbringing children in a proper Islamic way, payments for tuition of poor Muslim children as well as for supporting such educational institutions fall within the category of “Fi Sabilil-Allah”. Viewed from this perspective, Zakaat is also a source of welfare for the Muslim community. ----- Regular Columnist with Newageislam.com, Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an Indo-Islamic scholar and English-Arabic-Urdu writer. He graduated from a leading Islamic seminary in India, and acquired a Diploma in Qur'anic sciences and a Certificate in Uloom ul Hadith from the Al-Azhar Institute of Islamic Studies. He has also participated in the 3-year “Madrasa Discourses” program initiated by the University of Notre Dame, USA. Presently, he is pursuing his Ph.D. in Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. 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