Zakat
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- This is a sub-article of Islamic economical jurisprudence.
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The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. (March 2008) |
Zakaat (Arabic: زكاة zakaat or zakāh, meaning 'grow', 'purify', or 'foster') is the Islamic concept of tithing and alms. It is an obligation on Muslims to pay 2.5% of the minimum wealth (net worth) which they have had for a full lunar year (approx 2.5% per calendar year). Exempt from Zakat are a person's house, his wife's jewelry and transportation (car). Zakat is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
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[edit] Causes
People Whose Hearts are to be Reconciled include (Normally new Muslims or those close to becoming Muslim. Even non-Muslims could be included):
- Freed slaves
- Those heavily indebted with paying their debts
- Travelers who find themselves in difficult circumstances
There have been cases where you can't pay zakat for
- Traditional zakaat laws generally do not cover trade.
- It is not permissible to pay zakaat to some members of the family (i.e. grandparents, parents, spouses, children), for if they were needy or poor, they are under the custody of the eligible man while Zakat is considered a sort of Public Charity.
- Zakat doesn't become obligatory on a Muslim if he doesn't have a minimum amount in his possession that has remained unchanged for a whole lunar year; any increase in that money during the year waits for the following year and any decrease as long as the total amount is still above the minimum amount is exempted.
In all the four recognised madhabs the fiqh of Zakat (http://wwww.zakatpages.com/about) is very much the same with the key elements that make Zakat compulsory for an individual being: Islam, Freedom, the Nisab, Ownership and a Year's Possession.
- Zakah is a form of worship which has the spiritual development of the believer just as in the case of Salah, Sawm, etc.
Therefore, it should not be looked at as being only an economic duty.
[edit] Spiritual Purpose
The spiritual purpose for Zakah is recorded in the following Qur’anic verses:
خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِم بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ صَلاَتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَّهُمْ وَاللّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
Of their goods, take alms, that so thou mightest purify and sanctify them; and pray on their behalf. Verily thy prayers are a source of security for them: And Allah is One Who heareth and knoweth. [Qur'an 9:103]
وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
So establish regular Prayer and give regular Charity; and obey the Messenger; that ye may receive mercy. [Qur'an 24:56]
One of the main causes of Zakah is to keep those who are wealthy clean, monetarily, from sin and excess. It is a form of Sadaqah (charity) which is obligatory on Muslims.
[edit] Shi'a interpretation of Zakat
According to the Shi'ite interpretation, also based on the Qur'an and reported speeches of the prophet Muhammad and his Household, there are two major forms of almsgiving: Khoms ("the fifth"), and Zakat. The Shi'ite consider both types to be a personal obligation, meaning that every Muslim has the full responsibility of purifying his own money, but the governor should have no force upon any individual to give up Zakat or Khoms. Khoms ("the fifth") is taken from war loots, metals, treasures, divings (pearls and so), and the money that is a mix between halal (pure) and haram (taboo). In modern days, the most common type of khoms that is extracted is of the last type mentioned before. Khoms for money is done by taking the fifth of the increment or the increase in the income stored after one lunar year, and this is done after paying debts or bills (if any).
An example calculation of the Khoms tithe: A man starts with $5000 in his bank account; on the same day after one lunar year passes, he has $5600 in his bank account (having already paid his bills and debts), and so must take the fifth of his $600 earnings, that is $120. What remains after the fifth (that is $5600-$120=$5480) is recorded; if after one lunar year the man has more than $5480, then he finds the new difference and extracts a fifth from it as before. If instead he has less than $5480, then he has no earnings on which to pay Khoms. The Khoms is paid specifically for: [Qur'an 8:41]
- Allah
- the Messenger of Allah
- the near relative of the Messenger (Ahl ul-Bayt)
- the orphans
- needy
- stranded traveler
Zakat on the other hand, according to the Shiitee teachings, is assigned to specific goods. There are nine types of goods from which Zakat is paid out: gold, silver, camels, cows, sheep, wheat, barley, dates, and raisins. Each type has its own "nisab," or a limit under which Zakat need not be paid. Zakat is paid to the people mentioned in the overview of this article, although never to a Hashimite. Charity money or Sadaqah is never to be paid to a Hashimite since it is a taboo for a Hashimite to take such money, if it is not Khoms or a gift. Notice in that in both concepts, they are obligatory on the individual but should not be forced by the governor.
In modern days, Shi'ite muslims are concerned with Khoms more than Zakat mainly because few of them are farmers and own the goods by which Zakat is paid out. On the other hand, Khoms is given by many people starting from the middle class and above that, and especially by employees.
[edit] Beneficiaries
In the Qur'an, God Revealed the beneficiaries of zakat:
إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاء وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيم
"Alms are only for the poor and the needy, and the officials (appointed) over them, and those whose hearts are made to incline (to truth) and the (ransoming of) captives and those in debts and in the way of Allah and the wayfarer; an ordinance from Allah; and Allah is knowing, Wise." [Qur'an 9:60]
[edit] Bibliography
- Contemporary Zakat, by Mahmoud Abu-Saud, Zakat and Research Foundation, Ohio, 1988
- Zakat - Raising a Fallen Pillar, by Abdalhaqq Bewley & Amal Abdalhakim-Douglas, Black Stone Press, 2001 http://www.black-stone.net/books
[edit] References
[edit] See also
- Islamic economics
- Islamic banking
- Kharaj
- Economy of the OIC
- List of Islamic terms in Arabic
- List of ethics articles
- Tithe in Judeo-Christianity
- Tzedakah, a similar concept found in Judaism.
[edit] External links
- Islam Quran Sunnah - The Right Path
- Dompet Dhuafa, Most Credible Zakat Institution in Indonesia
- Rumah Zakat Indonesia, More than just another State-Formed Zakat Management Body but also A Non-Government Organization that focus on Humanity Issues
- Zakat Excel sheet calculator
- The Zakat Foundation of America's complete Zakat information page
- The Lembaga Zakat Selangor (MAIS) - Most Credible Zakat Institution in Malaysia
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