Zakaah

All Praises are due to Allah alone, and may the Peace and  Blessings of Allah be upon him (Muhammad ) after whom  there is no Prophet, and upon his family, companions.  To proceed:  I wrote this treatise in order to sincerely advise and remind  [the  Muslims]  about  the  obligation  of  Zakaah,  a  matter  in  which  many  Muslims  have  been  too  careless  and  lenient.  Many do not offer their Zakaah in accordance to what has  been legislated in the religion, despite its greatness and its being one of the five pillars of Islam without which it (Islam)  cannot stand. The Prophet () said:  “Islam has been built (by Allah) upon five: The testimony (Shahaadah) that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger  of  Allah  (Laa  ilaaha  ill‐Allah,  Muhammad‐urRasoolullaah); establishing Salaah, giving Zakaah, Fasting (Sawm) the month of Ramadan, and performing Hajj  to the House [of Allah] (the Ka’bah).” (Bukhari and Muslim)  The fact that Zakaah is an obligation upon the Muslims is one  of the most apparent indications of the beauty of Islam and the  concern it has for its adherents. The benefits of Zakaah are indeed numerous, and [it has been made obligatory] due to the  dire need of the poor amongst the Muslims.   

From its benefits are the following:  1. It strengthens the bonds of love between the rich and the  poor, for it is from human nature that a person shows affinity  to those who treat them well.  2. It purifies and cleanses the soul and distances it from greed  and avarice, as indicated in the Noble Qur`aan when Allah ()  says:  ِﺑَﻬﺎ ﴿

   ﴾ ُﺧﺬﹾ ِﻣْﻦ ﺃﹶْﻣَﻮﺍِﻟِﻬْﻢ ََﺻﺪﻗﹶﺔﹰ ُﺗﻄﹶﱢﻬُﺮُْﻫﻢ َُﻭﺗَﱢﺰﻛﻴِﻬْﻢ “Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it.” [Surah at‐Tawbah  (9):103] 

3. It causes Muslims to grow accustomed to performing acts of  generosity, hospitality and empathy towards those who are in  need.  4. It brings increase and blessings to one’s wealth, and Allah  replaces it (the wealth given as charity with something better),  as Allah () said:  ُﻳِْﺨﻠﻔﹸ ُﻪ ﴿

 َﻭَﻣﺎ ﺃﹶْﻧﻔﹶﻘﹾُْﺘﻢ ِﻣْﻦ َﺷْﻲٍﺀ ﻓﹶُﻬَﻮ ﺍﻟﺮﺍِِﺯﻗَﲔ

   ﴾ َﻭُﻫَﻮ َْﺧﻴُﺮ “And  whatsoever  you  spend  of  anything  (in  Allahʹs  Cause), He will replace it. And He is the Best of providers.” [Surah as‐Saba´ (34):39] 

In a Saheeh (authentic) hadeeth, the Prophet () said: 

“O child of Adam! Spend in charity and We (Allah) will  spend on you.”1 There are numerous other benefits that may be found in the  legislation of Zakaah.  A severe warning has been issued to those who do not offer  Zakaah out of greed as well as those who fall short in doing  so. Allah () said:  ﴿ َﻭﺍﱠِﻟﺬﻳَﻦ َﻳﻜﹾِﻨُﺰﻭﻥﹶ ﺍﻟﱠﺬَﻫَﺐ َﻭﺍﻟﹾِﻔﻀﺔﹶ َﻭﻻ ﺍِﷲ ُْﻳِﻨﻔﻘﹸﻮَﻧَﻬﺎ ِﻓﻲ َِﺳﺒﻴِﻞ 
 ﻓﹶَﺒﱢﺸْﺮُْﻫﻢ َِﺑﻌﺬﹶﺍٍﺏ ﺃﹶِﻟﻴٍﻢ*  َﻳْﻮَﻡ ُﻳْﺤَﻤﻰ َﻋﻠﹶْﻴَﻬﺎ ِﻓﻲ َﻧﺎِﺭ َﺟَﻬﻨَﻢ ﻓﹶُﺘﻜﹾَﻮﻯ ِﺑَﻬﺎ َِﺟﺒﺎُﻫُْﻬﻢ َﻭُُﺟﻨﻮُﺑُْﻬﻢ َﻭﻇﹸُﻬﻮُﺭُْﻫﻢ َﻫ َِﻷ ﺬﹶﺍ َﻣﺎ ﻛﹶَﻨُْﺰْﺗﻢ ْﻧﻔﹸِﺴﻜﹸْﻢ  ﻓﹶﺬﹸﻭﻗﹸﻮﺍ َﻣﺎ  ﴾ ﻛﹸُْﻨْﺘﻢ َﺗﻜﹾِﻨُﺰﻭﻥﹶ “And those who hoard up gold and silver [al‐kanz: the  money,  the  Zakaah of which has not been paid], and  spend it not in the Way of Allah, ‐ announce unto them a  painful  torment.  *  On  the  Day  when  that  (al‐kanz:  money, gold and silver, etc., the Zakaat of which has not  been paid) will be heated in the Fire of Hell and with it  will be branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their  backs, (and it will be said unto them): ‘This is the treas

1 Narrated by as‐Suyuti in ‘Al‐Jaami’ as‐Sagheer’. Declared saheeh by AlAlbani
ure which you hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what  you used to hoard’.” [Surah at‐Tawbah (9):34‐35]
Any type of wealth from which Zakaah has not been offered is  regarded as hoarded up treasure (al‐kanz) for which one will  be punished on the Day of Judgement. This has been indicated  in the saheeh hadeeth in which the Prophet () said:  “No owner of gold or silver who does not offer its due  right  (Zakaah)  except  that  in  the  Day  of  Judgement,  plates of fire will be beaten out for him, and they will be  heated in the Fire of Jahannam (Hell) and their flanks,  foreheads, and their backs will be branded with them.  Whenever they will cool, it will be done again to them,  on a Day of which its length is fifty thousand years, until  [Allah] judges between all [His] slaves. He will see his  path, either to Jannah (Paradise), or to Jahannam.” (Muslim)    The Prophet then further mentioned (in the hadeeth) that one  who owns camel, cattle, and sheep and does not offer the Zakaah due upon it will be punished through them on the Day of  Judgement.  It has also been authentically reported of the Messenger of Allah () that he said:  “Whomever Allah has provided with wealth and does  not offer the Zakaah due upon it, on the Day of Judgement it will be made into a baldheaded poisonous male  snake with two black spots over the eyes. The snake will  encircle his neck and bite his cheeks and say, ‘I am your wealth,  I  am  your  hoarded  treasure!’  The  Prophet  ()  then recited Allah’s saying:  ﺍﷲ ﴿
 َْﺧﻴ ُ َﻭﻻ َﻳْﺤََﺴﺒﻦ ﺍﱠِﻟﺬﻳَﻦ َْﻳﺒَﺨﻠﹸﻮﻥﹶ ِﺑَﻤﺎ ﺁَﺗﺎ ُُﻫﻢ
  ِﻣْﻦ ﻓﹶِْﻀﻠِﻪ ُﻫَﻮ ﺮﺍ  ﴾ ﻟﹶُْﻬﻢ َﺑﻞﹾ ُﻫَﻮ َﺷﺮ ﻟﹶُْﻬﻢ َُﺳﻴﻄﹶﻮﻗﹸﻮﻥﹶ َﻣﺎ َﺑِﺨﻠﹸﻮﺍ ِﺑِﻪ َﻳْﻮَﻡ ﺍﻟﹾَِﻘﻴﺎَﻣِﺔ ‘And let not those who covetously withhold of that  which  Allah  has  bestowed  on  them  of  His  Bounty  (Wealth) think that it is good for them (and so they do  not pay the obligatory Zakaah). Nay, it will be worse  for them; the things which they covetously withheld  shall be tied to their necks like a collar on the Day of  Resurrection.’ [Surah Aali ‘Imraan (3):180]”2