This Arabic word means “to grow” and refers to a prescribed portion of one’s wealth paid to the charity by every adult, mentally stable Muslim who possesses a certain amount of wealth over and above their personal needs. Interestingly, the Koran uses this specific word to explain ‘Zakat’, which bears the same meaning as the crop from which more grows after being sown, given away or stored.
The Quran addressed itself mainly to those people who had some material resources and commanded them not only to spend out of what they owned but also made it obligatory on themIn this article, we will discuss Zakat and its importance for Muslims and the Islamic strategy of Zakat collection and distribution.
Table Of Contents
What is Zakat?
As we have already mentioned above, Zakat is a portion of wealth paid by every Muslim who possesses more than the bare essentials required to sustain life, particularly those capable of earning (2:219). The word Zakat comes from Zakat, which means “to grow”. Thus zakah means that which causes growth or helps something grow. It can be described as purification and growth because it cleanses one’s possessions of any traces of selfishness and protects and develops them through productive investment (9:34)[2].
According to Islamic teachings, giving away a part of this wealth into charity is to be done only after the needs of one’s family are taken care of. That is why Zakat can not be given to individuals but has to be distributed to certain categories among the poor and needy, e.g., those whose hearts need winning over (59:8), and those who believe in fighting for and establishing Allah’s rule on earth (9:60-61).
Once a year, Muslims pay 2.5% of their savings as ZAKAT during Ramadan month if they meet certain criteria such as freedom from debt and scarcity of assets.
It should also be noted that Zakat is not just an act of piety; it purifies one’s savings and possessions from the shame of selfishness and greed; it provides one with an opportunity to share in the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon others, and thus acts as a social safety net in case one faces any kinds of scarcity in future. It also encourages people to increase their savings and investments because they know they have to pay Zakat on them once a year.
Islamic Strategy of Zakat Collection & Distribution
The strategy by which Muslims are encouraged to collect Zakat is outlined below:
- enslaved people who are struggling for freedom
- Debtors
- Zakat workers
- Alms
- Religious scholars whose duty is to encourage good and forbid evil
- The wayfarers
- Those fighting for the cause of Allah
- Zakat collectors themselves
Allah assigned the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself for this task. He visited the various Arab tribes and asked them to pay for their Zakat during his lifetime. On listening that they didn’t even know what it meant, he took pains to explain to them that it was obligatory on them; since they were making profits out of trading with other people’s money, one-fifth of it should be given away as Zakat, which would purify their capital and make it grow another four times more than before.
This responsibility after him has now been vested upon each Muslim who can earn, save and invest money. Â
Islam places great importance on the giving of Zakat since it purifies one’s savings. Therefore, it is obligatory upon every Muslim who has some material resources to distribute.
Zakat among eight different categories of people as outlined above.
- Enslaved people
- Poor
- Travellers
- Alms
- Religious scholars
- Debtors
- Those struggling for Allah’s cause
- Zakat workers themselves
Allah assigned the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself for this task. He visited Arab tribes asking them to pay their Zakat during his lifetime, which they didn’t even know what it meant. He patiently explained that one-fifth of their profits should be given away as Zakat, purifying their capital and growing four times more than before. This responsibility after him has now been vested upon every Muslim who can earn, save and invest money.
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