Charity is the
third Pillar of Islam.
This subject has
been dealt with previously in an article on Love. But here it will be dealt
with from a different angle.
To put Charity
in a Cosmic context:-
The Universe may
be said to have been created by the outpouring of the Bounty of Allah - by His
Benevolence. All things that exist in it exist because they receive their
sustenance, and because they have a function with respect to the whole as
transformers and transmitters or channels of His Bounty. There is, therefore,
interaction and interdependence between all things, which unifies them. If an
obstruction to this free flow of resources should form, then energy is trapped
locally and this unity begins to disintegrate - a curdling, so to speak, begins
to occur in proportion to the obstruction. There is a coarsening. This can also
be illustrated, for instance, by the circulation of blood or the circulation of
money. When this is obstructed malfunctions occur, processes come to a halt and
die. The entity in which the obstruction exists cannot transmit the resources
and cannot receive either. Receiving, transformation and giving out are
interdependent. This is why it is said that giving never diminishes the wealth
or resources.
However, the
entity itself exists because it has grown to a point by receiving more than it
gives owing to some inner laws. Having grown to its optimum point there must be
a balance between what it receives and gives, otherwise malfunctions occur.
This extra may be compared to "fat" which obstructs proper
functioning. But this state of existence only lasts for a period and it must
finally give up what it has accumulated. Everything that arises also dies.
All this applies equally to human beings.
They, too, were created with a purpose, as vicegerents and channels of the
power of Allah. They exist because of the Bounty of Allah. Human beings arise
from a single soul and are inter-dependent. The obstruction or barriers to the
free flow of resources is caused by self-centredness (selfishness, egotism)
which creates greed, fear and hatred, and these reinforce each other. Greed for
something causes fear of loss and hatred for the real or supposed cause of
loss; fear of loss creates more greed and hate; hate creates aggression and violence
which increases fear and produces prejudices. All these construct further
barriers between people. These are the causes of all malfunctions in human
affairs, psychologically, socially, physically and environmentally. This is
because the functioning of the human mind (its perception, motives and
behaviour), their social interactions and organization, and their interaction
with the environment and adjustment to Reality are all inter-dependent. Charity
is one of the methods of overcoming these obstructions or of neutralizing their
consequences. It refers to motives. Two other methods refer to perception and
action.
In connection
with these considerations, there are four possible views about charity, all of
which are expressed in the Quran:-
(1) A sense of Justice
- People are in debt to Allah, and this obligates them. They must pay back in
order to equalise things. They may feel a state of negativeness or inadequacy,
or fear the consequences of not doing this, or have uncomfortable guilt
feelings.
(2) A sense of
gratitude and love. They are grateful for what Allah has given and wish to
return the love. In Christianity this aspect is emphasized, but focused on
Jesus (saw). However, in Islam a similar focusing on Muhammad (saw) occurs.
That is:- Allah shows his love by sending Messengers to guide mankind, and the
Messenger is willing to devote his life to this task, thus showing his love for
Allah as well as for mankind. A person ought, therefore, and often does, love
Allah and the Messenger and this is expressed as obedience to his instructions.
However, it is not difficult to see that is merely a particular example of a
much more general Beneficence.
(3) Perception
of Truth. What they possess does not really belong to them. They have a
function as trustees. “Property” is a legal term. In science it means a
characteristic of a person and that is his real possession.
(4) Surrender.
The perception that they are part of a greater whole and that the good of that
whole or section of it, is seen as their own good. What a parent does for the
welfare of his or her child, for instance, is not perceived as being done for
someone else. It is done as if for oneself. The husband or wife may also act in
the same way with respect to their spouses. Some friends act in this way. Some
Muslims treat their guests or other Muslims in this way. What belongs to them
belongs to the other. We were created for a function with respect to the
Universe and Allah and we ought to function in that way quite naturally. Not to
function in that way is the real disorder or disease.
Allah is
Beneficent, Benevolent, Bountiful,
Merciful, and Forgiving (1:2, 10:61, 27:40, 33:5, 24, 50 etc.) These Attributes
are also Ideals for mankind. In so far as the Spirit of Allah is in man he
should have these attributes and in so far as he is a vicegerent he should
demonstrate and apply them.
The nature of
Charity can be best understood from the following:-
"O mankind! Be careful of your duty to
your Lord Who created you from a single soul." 4:1
The human
individual is part of a Collective soul. This is similar in one respect to the
cells within the human body which also arise from a single fertilized cell and
which are inter-dependent and form a collective whole which is more than merely
the sum of its parts. It follows, as both Jesus and Muhammad affirmed, that
what a person does to others he does to himself, and what he does to himself he
does to others. This is the plain truth though people are not sufficiently
conscious to realise this. The correct working of the mind itself requires that
similar things should be treated similarly and dissimilar things according to
their dissimilarity. In so far as a person does not do this he harms his own
mind. Objective behaviour would consist of behaviour that was based on this
fact. Charity is made into a spiritual duty so that the behaviour of the
individual should approximate his real nature.
"Whosoever does good it is for his own
soul, and whoever does evil it is against it. And afterwards unto your Lord you
will be brought back." 45:15
Real Charity is
a matter of fellow feeling, empathy, sympathy and compassion. It is a
spontaneous action for the benefit of others without considering advantages or
consequences to oneself. The need of the other is seen as one's own need. No
instruction to be charitable is required. In this case charity cannot be called
a technique. The fact, however, is that few people have this kind of charity.
They usually want some kind of return. If it is not material advantage or
prestige they want, then it is the good opinion of others or even esteem in
their own eyes. Or they wish to purchase friendship, or even attain paradise.
Real charity is not like a commercial transaction. The truly charitable person
does not realise that he is 'charitable'. The word Charity ought not to be
applied either to such transactions or to naturally altruistic actions.
Religion, therefore, requires people to behave AS IF they had true charity.
This creates the conditions required for the development of true charity. In
this sense Charity is a religious technique for spiritual development. But it
also counteracts the consequences of selfish actions in social systems where
freedom of enterprise is practiced by unregenerate people.
The nature of
Charity is described in the Quran and Hadith thus:-
1. It consists
of giving or doing something without any desire or expectation of a return or
compensation, materially, socially or psychologically.
2. It must
bestow a real benefit. In this case intention to do good must also include the
acquisition of the appropriate knowledge and ability
3. It must be
given or done to someone who needs it.
4. It must be
given or done whether or not a person asks for it. He may not ask for it
because he is too ashamed, unaware of his need, unaware that the other can give
it to him or he may be in a situation where he cannot ask for help. The Muslim
is, therefore, required to be aware of the needs of others.
5. Charity
should not be done in a way that injury or harm is done to the receiver
physically, socially or psychologically. That is, he is not humiliated, put
under an obligation, compromised, made dependent or disabled in any way. It is
necessary to realise that charity humiliates and corrupts the receivers, makes
them dependent, and destroys their self-respect. Some people have too much
pride to receive it, but pride is not a virtue and does much damage. The
Prophet, therefore, gave it in a form of a transaction.
6. It can be
given openly or in secret, preferably the latter.
7, It is done
for the sake of Allah. This implies that it is not the lower faculties of
intellectual calculation, sentimentality and conditioned reflexes which are
involved, but consciousness, conscience and will. The individual should act
from genuine Compassion, Wisdom and Capability. Charity should not be done in a
naive, clumsy or arrogant manner.
"Those who spend their resources for the
cause of Allah and afterwards make not reproach and injury to follow that which
they have spent, their reward is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come
upon them, neither shall they grieve. A kind word and forgiveness is better
than charity followed by injury. Allah is Absolute, Clement. O you who believe!
Render not vain your charity by reproach and injury, like him who spends his
substance only to be seen of men and believes not in Allah and the Last Day.
His likeness is as a rock whereon is a little soil. A rain storm smites it
leaving it smooth and bare. They have no control of anything which they have
gained. Allah guides not disbelieving folk. And the likeness of those who spend
their substance in search of Allah's pleasure and for the strengthening of
their souls is like a garden on a height. The rainstorm smites it and it brings
forth its fruits twofold. And if the rainstorm smite it not, then even light
moisture is sufficient. Allah is Seer of what you do." 2:262 - 265
"As for the righteous... they remembered
in their wealth and possessions the needs of those who asked and those who were
prevented from asking." 51:19
"If you disclose your charity, it is well,
but if you hide it and give to those who really need it, it will be better for
you, and will atone for some of your ill-deeds...Those who spend their wealth,
by night and day, by stealth and openly, verily their reward is with their
Lord." 2:271, 274
"Those who spend of that which Allah has
given them in ease and adversity, those who control their anger and are
forgiving towards mankind - Allah loves the good." 3:134
"Keep your duty to Allah as best you can,
and listen, and obey and spend in charity. That is better for your souls. Those
saved from their own greed, they are the successful" 64:16
Charity has
psychological, social and economic value:-
1. It is
obligatory in the sense that the person must acknowledge that he owes Allah and
the Society for the benefits he has received. He does so by returning to Allah
and the Society part of what he has received. He discharges a debt, thereby
purifying what he has. The faculties that he has been given are obviously not
earned by him. Nor is the existence and work of other people or the light and
heat of the sun and the materials from which he benefits. The psychological
value of this should not be under-estimated. The rich tend to have a guilt
feeling about their possessions particularly when they see the poverty of
others, though they repress this by means of rationalisations and certain kinds
of behaviour designed to do this. This creates inner and outer distortion.
2. The purpose
of charity is to develop detachment from objects, freedom from greed, avarice,
laziness, pride and from property, to free the individual from what is not him.
This is essential to allow objective thinking, feeling and action. To destroy
the prison created by self-centredness.
"Whoever is saved from his own greed - he
is the one successful." 59:9
3. To create brotherhood and social unity; and
develop compassion, sympathy, empathy, and love. Others should be seen and felt
for as one sees and feels for oneself. Every person is essentially like any
other person. Not to see and feel this must be considered a disease.
4. To provide a
moral dimension to material and worldly pursuits.
5. To remove
need and suffering and create security. Though the recipient is the first
beneficiary, the giver is also assured that if he should fall on hard times he
will be helped. Security of this kind is essential if any kind of enterprise
carrying risk is to be undertaken.
6. To
re-distribute wealth and reduce the differences between people, which might
become a cause for conflict, unrest and revolution. Money, like blood, must
circulate. The accumulation of money in one place causes economic disruption.
7. To maximize
usefulness. Each unit of wealth has a value that is inversely related to the
total amount possessed. One unit has greater value to a person who has ten
units than it has to a person who has a hundred units. The latter, therefore,
wastes it in so far as he uses it for less important purposes. While the poor
are starving the rich may be contracting diseases of over indulgence, or simply
throwing food away. Or they may be using money to patronize the makers of
luxury goods rather than the growers of food, thus causing food shortages.
That which is
given in charity is not considered to be lost to the individual (2:261, 265,
30:39, 64:16). It is spent to enhance the person's moral and spiritual welfare.
It is, therefore, no different from other kinds of expenditure. It is a
question of knowing what is good for you.
People spend
money, energy or time to acquire what they need for their physical, social or
mental advantages. They ought also to consider their spiritual advantages,
which is even more important. The advantages of all other pursuit cease on
death. An expenditure is part of a transaction, an exchange. Sacrifices are
made in order to receive some advantage. All the resources we receive and give
are here treated as one because, though different kinds are required, they are
interdependent and to some extent inter-changeable. It is perfectly possible to
spend in one area to acquire something in another, or make sacrifices in the
present to obtain greater or more permanent benefits in the future. Conversely,
a gain in one area always extracts a price in another. We have to expend energy
to obtain the means to life. Social advantages may be gained by sacrificing
material wealth and money or vice versa. Making the sacrifices required to
obtain an education today produces advantages in the rest of life. It is
equally possible to sacrifice spiritual welfare for some material or social
advantage or vice versa. It is possible, for instance, to accumulate money or
material wealth at the expense of friendship, domestic harmony or mental and
spiritual welfare. It is possible to spend money in order to obtain or retain
friends or to obtain knowledge or peace of conscience and so on. Everything is
paid in some coin. Nature abhors a state of disequilibrium or disharmony, If
something is removed from one area, forces are set up to counteract this. A
person who is rich in the sense of being full of attachments to objects, money,
self-opinion, pride, prejudices and so on, allows nothing valuable to enter
him. He is poor. If he empties himself, nature itself fills him. The poor and
unburdened, therefore, become the rich. In this sense charity is a transaction
though not a commercial one. It is not that a person pays in order to obtain a
spiritual reward, but the reverse, he may sacrifice his spiritual welfare to
obtain some material advantage and will then have to do something to restore it.
The following
forms of Charity are recognized:-
(1) Formal
Zakah, a regular religious obligation, described below.
(2) Zakah
ul-Fitr is given to purify fasting and feeding the hungry.
(3) Kaffarah is
given to atone for a broken fast, promise or oath. A person must either fast
for 60 days or feed 60 poor people.
(4) Fidiyah is
given to feed someone or benefit them in other ways when a person cannot fast,
or make personal efforts or sacrifices owing to illness, pregnancy or other
difficulties.
(5) Sadaqah
consists of every act of love, kindness and consideration, no matter how small
that brings some benefit to someone, relieves some difficulty or anxiety and
makes life a little more pleasant and happy for them.
(6) Sadaqah
Jariyah is some act or achievement that continues to provide on going benefits
to other people, the community or mankind, even after the death of the person.
This may consist of leaving a legacy, building a mosque, educational
institution or hospital, leaving some inspiring literature or art or good
example, the results of scientific research, exploration, organization,
enterprise, inventions and technologies – everything that contributes to the
progress of civilization.
Three kinds of
Charity may be distinguished, namely :- the Obligatory, the Voluntary and the
Objective.
The obligatory
is the Poor Duty, known as Zakah (2:110, 22:78, 24:56). It is a religious law
and, therefore, formal. It produces what might be called the Welfare State. Voluntary
charity is anything beyond the Zakah. Objective Charity is completely selfless
and done entirely for Allah's sake.
Voluntary Charity:-
There are four
forms of Charity:-1. To do something good to or for a person. 2. To forgive a
person who might have done some harm or owes us something. 3. To prevent evil
being done to someone. 4. To counteract some evil. Here charity is based on
compassion and benevolence
There is charity
of thought, motive and action. The deliberate conscious cultivation of these is
an important technique for the creation of mental and spiritual health. There
is nothing more destructive both for the individual and the society than
harboring destructive and resentful thoughts, gossip and scandal mongering. It
produces tension and anxiety and leads to actions that are not only directly
destructive but also elicit destructive reactions from others. It also produces
a gloomy outlook on life and the world, which perverts interpretation of
experiences. Gratitude is particularly important for mental health.
"Whoever gives thanks he only gives thanks
for the good of his own soul; and who ever is ungrateful harms his own
soul." 27:40
Charity includes
good will, kindness, consideration for others, thoughtfulness, generosity,
benevolence, tolerance, friendliness, forgivingness. It refers to the
expenditure of money, wealth, resources, property, services, knowledge, time,
effort, energy, attention, thought, company, praise, advice, skills,
opportunities, love, respect and dignity, status, freedom. Charity refers to
the giving of any thing which a person has control over to those who have need
of it or for their welfare, benefit and development. Charity refers to actions,
motives, feelings, self-restraint, support, encouragement and attitudes of
minds. It can be directed towards family, relatives, strangers, animals, plants
and the environment as a whole and even to oneself.
It does not
refer to things that may do harm or are not needed. It may be that someone asks
for what may in fact be harmful to him or refuses what may be of benefit. While
the facts are more important than the opinions or likes and dislikes, yet it is
necessary to take into account these factors since they too are facts. More
harm may be done by flouting someone's wishes. It may be that the giver thinks
that something is beneficial when it is not to a particular person, or that
what he thinks is harmful is not so in fact. It is necessary for the individual
to discover what it is that is truly needed.
"Ah, what will convey to thee what the
ascent is - it is to free a slave, and to feed in the day of hunger, an orphan
near of kin, or some poor wretch in misery, and to be of those who believe and
exhort one another to perseverance and exhort one another to pity." 90:12-
17
The slave, also
sometimes referred to as the prisoner, may be an economic, industrial, racial,
political, cultural, social or ideological one. He may be a slave in his own
mind, imprisoned in superstition, conventions, obsessions, compulsions,
ignorance, addictions, delusions, habits, conditioned reflexes and so on. There
is slavery to wealth, power or prestige, to pleasure or greed and lust. In
short everything which restricts or compels a person enslaves him. The person
to be freed is, firstly, the person himself. To feed is to supply the needs
whatever they may be, material, emotional, intellectual or spiritual.
Five things
should be compared in order to understand each properly - Charity, commercial
transactions, usury, exploitation, theft. Everyone has a right to make a
living. This requires that a person makes a certain sacrifice, e.g. effort in
return for some benefits. He exchanges goods for the same purpose. Theft or
robbery and fraud consist of flouting this law of exchange or justice by taking
something without an equivalent payment. The benefit is obtained by depriving
someone else. But the harm done is greater than this because it creates
insecurity. People have to expend much effort and resources in protecting their
property, and in catching and prosecuting thieves. If things can be obtained by
robbery then soon there will be no one to produce anything, and there will be
nothing to rob. Trade and commerce would stop. Usury is like robbery in that
the interest charged does not represent any product.
Exploitation
consists of taking advantage of someone's disadvantages or disabilities. This
includes mental disabilities, illness, social position, lack of literacy or
education, adversity, desperate circumstances etc. This is a common practice in
Western Capitalism but not allowed in Islam.
Charity is the opposite
of theft. A person gives without expecting a return. Generally speaking he
gives out of his surpluses to those who have little. If he were starving and
gave away his food to others there would be no overall social benefit. He might
as well give the charity to himself rather than someone else. However, he may
be humble enough to make the self-sacrifice either for a greater number of
people or for the benefit of someone who he regards as socially or spiritually
more valuable than himself. If he gives away his surplus then he gives away
something that has less value to himself to someone for whom it has greater
value. There is an over all benefit to the community.
But the benefits
go beyond this. Charity produces good will and security. People give things to
him and many opportunities are opened out. Cooperation is created and
incentives provided. It is usually the case that the man of charity gains far
more than he gives away. But if he were to give in order to obtain such
benefits this would not work. It would be a commercial transaction. People do
not give things to someone who they think has already had his due. Many
companies give away large sums of money in so called Charity. But though this
does benefit the recipients it is not Charity but Business. They expect to
benefit from the goodwill and publicity. If it is given in order to gain
gratitude, to obligate someone, to obtain prestige, a good name, friendship or
even merely to relieve guilt feelings or to obtain a feeling of righteousness,
then it is a business transaction and not charity. This is why it is better to
do charity anonymously and in secret. This also avoids the embarrassment that
the recipient may feel, an act of charity in itself. However, this should not
be an obsession. It would be foolish not to do what is charitable because there
is the likelihood of being discovered.
Islam forbids
Usury, taking interest on loans, precisely because it contradicts the principle
of charity.
"Allah hath blighted usury and made
charity fruitful. Allah loves not the impious and guilty." 2:276
This does not,
however, prevent commercial banks from charging a fee for the services they
provide and the transactions they arrange. After all staff has to be employed
and wages have to be paid for the work they do. Islam is against both
extravagance (17:27, 7:31, 17:27) and hoarding (4:37, 47:38). These create
artificial demands and scarcity that increase prices and cause wastage. It is
also against gambling (2:219, 5:91) where money is obtained in return for no work.
And yet it is not against people earning as much as they can (4:32). The
surpluses have to be spent. Extravagance wastes resources, and hoarding
prevents the circulation, and therefore, the use of money. Gambling creates
uncertainties and loss of control. All three are the major economic problems
that plague Capitalism. An Islamic economic system should, therefore, be able
to expand while still remaining within the confines of what the resources and
ecological system allows without creating social and environmental disruptions.
Obligatory Charity (Zakah):-
The word Zakah
means purification, growth, and blessing. It is obligatory for Muslims living
in a Muslim community because they benefit from living in that community and
have obligations towards it. These benefits, such as cooperation, a safe social
order, good moral, mental, spiritual and cultural influences, are proportional
to the how well the members discharge their obligations. it has be realized,
however, that the legal obligation is a minimum requirement. It is an example
as well as a safety net.
Islam regards
Charity as something that legitimizes wealth. That is, a person may seek wealth
for himself by making use of the community in which he lives as long as he
gives something back to that community. In so far as the individual is part of
a community, or even the human race, the selfish pursuit of wealth or any other
personal advantage at the expense of others is immoral, particularly as this is
made possible by the present or past work of other people. He should repay his
debt to the Society and Allah. The justification for such a pursuit is in its
charitable distribution. The individual should use his Allah given talents and
social advantages for the general good. Thus there is an element of both
Communism and Capitalism in the Islamic attitude while also limiting both. The
individual is allowed to pursue wealth as long as it is compatible with social
responsibility. Wealth is a trust. He does not own it since it is not a part of
him, but has been given to him.
Zakah is to be
paid on all that is superfluous (2:219). That is, on anything which is not
essential so that it can be redistributed to those who have need of it.
Obviously, if it were to be paid on everything a person possessed it might
deprive him of what is essential for him. It is applicable to (a) Gold and
silver. (b) Live Stock. (c) trade goods. It is not charged on household goods,
buildings, harvest and possessions that are not used for commercial
transactions. These days people keep money in Banks. It applies to such money
too.
It is obligatory
on a person who is (a) a free man (b) a Muslim (c) of sound mind (d) an adult (e) possesses full ownership (f) possesses
wealth which is surplus to his essential needs and those of his dependents. (g)
is in possession of this surplus for a complete year. (h) is free from debt.
Nisab - This is
the minimum amount needed by a person. It includes the needs of the persons who
are dependent on him. Any thing beyond this is defined as Surplus. (Note the
difference between this and the Marxist idea of surplus value). People have a
certain minimum need for food, clothing, shelter, security, family, friends,
health, education and justice. The minimum requirement will vary with time and
place. It is not likely to be the same in the hot deserts of Arabia, the wet
jungles of Asia and America
or the cold northern regions. It is not the same in a poor country such as India as it is in the rich USA Nor is it the same in an
agricultural community as it is in an industrial one. It is not the same today
as in the past, nor will it be the same in the future, if progress continues.
It is possible
to calculate the minimum needs of the whole population and make it into a
Political policy to guarantee this by taxing the surpluses above this amount.
This may be called the Guaranteed Minimum Standard of Living (GuMSoL).
Niy-yah
( Intention ). There must be a clear intention to give the Zakah. It cannot be
an after thought or some other kind of gift.
The payment of
the Zakah is a personal responsibility, though it may be collected and
distributed either individually or collectively through an organization.
Zakah is charged
at 2.5 percent of surplus wealth.
This rate was
fixed to suit the conditions in 7th Century Arabia.
It is a minimum requirement. It could be argued that we should stick to the
spirit rather than the letter, to the general principle rather than the
specific example, and adapt the rate to suit modern conditions. The rate could
be fixed by social or political consent at a higher level. Alternately, one
could stick to this rate, but incorporate it into a National Insurance Charge
(N.I.C). The total amount to be charged can then depend upon how much is needed
to fulfil the Guaranteed Minimum Standard of Living (GuMSol). But, if it is
taken out of the realm of personal responsibility and made an obligation of the
State that collects the tax on a compulsory basis, then all its psychological
benefits cease to operate. However, voluntary charity still exists for this
purpose.
If a Department
of National Insurance is created by the State, it should, therefore, have three
schemes. One consisting of the Obligatory Zakah, another consisting of
Voluntary Charity, and the third consisting of the compulsory National Insurance
Charges. The amount to be collected by this compulsory method can easily be
calculated.
The Zakah is to
be given to (9:60, 2:215, 273 ):-
(a) The poor, those who have fallen below the
Nisab.
(b) Those in need. They may well be persons
who possess something valuable, e.g. land, buildings, machinery etc., but these
may be sources of income, and the sale of these will not profit them. A person
may have great wealth that is tied up but if he is hungry or thirsty now it
will not help him.
(c) The wages and expenses of those engaged in
the collection and distribution of Zakah.
(d) Converts who may need instruction and
rehabilitation.
(e) Debtors (when income minus repayment of
debt leaves him below the Nisab).
(f) To ransom and free captives, prisoners and
slaves.
(g) Hospitality to the wayfarer or traveller
who may not be poor but is stranded.
(h) Those engaged in the service of Allah.
This includes:- (i) Missionaries, teachers and students learning Islam, (ii)
fighters and soldiers engaged in defending Islam against aggression. (iii) it
could include police, journalists and other campaigners who are defending Islam
against corruption.
These conditions
could also be modified to suit modern conditions if we adhere to the spirit
rather than the letter. It could include those engaged in research, reform and
peace making, social and health workers.
Zakah cannot be
given to:-
(a) Non-Muslims because it is meant for the
rich to help the poor in an Islamic community. The Islamic community is not bounded
by national boundaries. This does not prevent other charities to be given to
non-Muslims.
(b) Spouses, children, parents and near
relatives since these have already been taken into consideration as dependents.
(c) The descendants of the Prophet.
(d) It cannot be given in payment of services
or exchange of gifts.
(e) Mosques, since they belong to no one and
the community is separately responsible for them. No organized Priesthood is to
be financed.
(f) In payment of the debts of the deceased or
his funeral expenses since he cannot become the owner of the charity payments.
But the heirs may, if they are poor receive it to discharge the debt.
The Zakah may be
given in cash or kind.
The obligation
of the Zakah is deemed to have been discharged not when it is paid or received
but when the recipient has full possession of it and can use it as he likes.
Several lessons
can be learnt by examining these rules and regulations:-
1. There is a
human tendency to rationalize, often quite deviously, in order to get out of
obligations. For instance, a person may pay the Zakah to himself on the grounds
that the person whom he would have given it to owes him money. The rules make
the obligations so clear that no excuses can be made, and it becomes impossible
to misuse and pervert the Zakah as has so often happened with all kinds of
institutions which began with good intentions.
2. Many
religions have required their adherents to make payments. But these were to be
given as Tithes to the Organization or Church making them very rich. They also
established a succession that was not based on merit. The corruption that such
Churches underwent is a matter of History.
3. Those who are
responsible for tax reforms may learn how this should be done. It is not a
fixed percentage on earnings. It takes into account the fact that the needs of
people differ. They may have smaller or larger families or dependents of
various kinds. They may be ill or suffer from disabilities with special needs.
4. Economists
may learn the nature of wealth. Combining this with the ban on usury we have
the basis of a complete alternative Economic System.
5. It allows the
construction of better Welfare System. The Social Service and the National
Health Service in Britain,
for instance, provides the services for the people. The people do not have any
choice. This leads to arrogance on the part of the Authorities. They decide and
dictate what is to be given. It also leads to much inefficiency, abuse and
wastage. It would be much better if the recipients were free to choose where
they took their custom. Doctors, Hospitals and so on would be independent to
cultivate their expertise in competition to serve the needs of the community.
Objective Charity:-
The highest form
of Charity is to do good for Allah's sake. However, the Prophet Muhammad is
reported to have said, echoing similar teachings by Jesus, that what a person
does to another he does to Allah. And in so far as the Spirit is within him, he
is also doing it to himself. It consists of completely egoless actions. It
transcends sentimentality or ordinary compassion. It contains no kind of bias
at all. It is a natural duty, It is done simply because it is good.
"And they nourish the needy, the orphan
and the prisoner, for love of Him, saying: We feed you, for the sake of Allah
only. We wish for no reward nor thanks from you." 76:8-9
"And whatever good thing ye spend, it is
for yourselves when ye spend not save in search of Allah's countenance; and
whatever good thing ye spend it will be repaid to you in full, and ye will not
be wronged." 2:272
In these verses
we ought to consider the wider meaning of the words Needy, Orphan and Prisoner.
The specific meaning stands for a much more general condition.
The efforts
which people make to improve the environment, create a technology and a
culture, establish a better political system and to advance civilization may be
considered charities if their purpose is human development. Such efforts may
have a direct effect in modifying and developing their soul or psyche. Usually
they are an end in themselves. Though the efforts to produce such results may
have developmental effects on those who carry it out, the actual products of
these efforts, being external to them, are not part of themselves. They are
more in the nature of by-products or excretions. Though it is true that they
have a social value they do not possess any real psychological value. In
themselves they do not constitute evolution, though they may aid it. It is,
therefore, a major mistake to form attachments to them. Interest in its
excretions is merely a stage in the development of the child that he has to
leave behind. The development of Civilization or what has been called Progress
cannot be the ultimate goal, though it may be a means to it.