In the Muslim society there may be people who are unable to work, and who have no well-off relatives who can spend on them. What can these poor and weak people do? What can the needy who are unable to work, such as orphans and widows, the elderly, the mentally and physically handicapped, the blind, and the sick?
These people are not forgotten in the Muslim society that is guided by Islam. They have the right to zakah, and they are the first ones on whom it should be spent. Zakah is one of the pillars of Islam, by means of which Allah guarantees the poor and needy a share of the wealth of the ummah and the state.
This is one of the obligatory duties of Islam; it is not an optional act of charity which a person may do or not do according to his own wishes. Rather it is a clearly defined duty that is compulsory upon everyone who has uttered the shahadatayn (la ilaha illallah wa Muhammad ar-Rasulullah) and is well-off: he must pay zakah.
Allah (SWT) said in the Holy Qur’an:” And in their properties there was the right of the sa’il (the beggar who asked) and the mahroom (the poor who does not ask others.” (Qur’an 51: 19). He (SWT) also said:” And those in whose wealth there is a recognized right, for the beggar who asks, and for the unlucky who has lost his property and wealth.” (Qur’an 70: 24-25)
It is an obligatory and clearly defined act of worship which the sincere Muslim cannot afford to neglect paying in full as dictated by shari’ah. No Muslim hesitate to pay it but there is something wrong with his religious commitment and there is something miserly and twisted in his nature.
It is sufficient for us to note that the one who withhold zakah is to be fought and his blood shed until he pays it in full, as explained by the teaching of Islam. The words of Abu Bakr as-Siddieeq (RA) continue to echo down throughout the ages, proclaiming the greatness of this religion and the way in which it connects worldly and religious affairs to one another:” By Allah, I will most certainly fight those who separate prayer from zakah.” (Ibn Kathir)
This oath sworn by Abu Bakr is indicative of the depth of his outstanding of the nature of this perfect and integrated religion, and the strong connection between prayer and zakah in establishing Islam. For he had seen the verses of the Qur’an coming one after another, mentioning prayer and zakah together in this manner.
Allah (SWT) said:” Those who establish prayer and give zakah, and they are Raki’oon {those who bow down or submit themselves with obedience to Allah in prayer}.” (Qur’an 5: 55). He (SWT) also said:” And establish prayer and give zakah.” (Qur’an 2: 43).
How zakah should be spent
The Qur’an defines the ways in which zakah should be spent, in the verse which also states that those who work in collecting and distributing the zakah should be paid a salary from the zakah.
Allah (SWT) said:” Sadaqat (zakah) are only for the fuqara’ (poor), and al-masakin (the needy) and those employed to collect (the funds); and to attract the hearts of those who have been inclined (towards Islam); and to free the captives; and for those in debt; and for Allah’s cause, and for the wayfarer ( a traveler who is cut off from everything); a duty imposed by Allah. And Allah is All-Knower, All-Wise.” (Qur’an 9: 60)
This means that there should be a separate budget for the zakah, from which the administration costs should also be paid. This is how it was understood by Muslims from earliest times. They also understood that the Qur’an defined precisely the ways in which zakah is to be spent, and did not leave this matter to the opinion of a ruler or the control of those who seek to serve their own interests, or the whims and desires of the hypocrites.
If there is no Muslim government that implements the laws of Allah and collects the zakah in the manner described above, then every well-off Muslim for whom zakah is obligatory is responsible for paying it every year when it becomes due, and distributing it to those who are entitled to it, in the ways prescribed by Allah.
Dr. Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi
