Author: Sayyed Musleh Uddin
Alms (Zakat) [Part Two]
Human Nature and Its Effect on Life and Civilization:
Unlike the nature of inanimate objects and animals, Allah Almighty has instilled in human nature a love for beauty, grace, elegance, cleanliness, diversity, and abundance in food and drink, as well as a desire for prosperity in agriculture and procreation. This natural longing for abundance has infused human life with heat, cold, passion, and a spirit of struggle, contributing a sense of progress, change, and freshness to existence. Allah Almighty has granted man free will in this regard: «كُلاً نُمِدُّ هَؤُلاء وَهَؤُلاء مِنْ عَطَاء رَبِّكَ وَمَا كَانَ عَطَاء رَبِّكَ مَحْظُورًا. انظُرْ كَيْفَ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَلَلآخِرَةُ أَكْبَرُ دَرَجَاتٍ وَأكْبَرُ تَفْضِيلا» Translation: “We will help all, this group and that group, by the mercy of your Lord, and the mercy of your Lord is not deterred. See how We have preferred some of them over others. And surely the Hereafter is greater in degrees and greater in superiority.”
He has inspired in man cooperation, the guarantee of rights, attention to safety on roads, security for lands, and a love of travel and adventure in pursuit of livelihood and common interests. All of this is embedded in human nature, despite the differences in eras, times, and places: «لإيلافِ قُرَيْشِ. إِيلَافِهِمْ رِحْلَةَ الشَّتَاءِ وَالصَّيْفِ. فَلْيَعْبُدُوا رَبَّ هَذَا الْبَيْتِ. الَّذِي أَطْعَمَهُم مَن جُوعٍ وَآمَنَهُم مِّنْ خَوْفٍ» Translation: “Because of the safety of the Quraysh; their attachment to migration in winter and summer. So, they should worship the Lord of this House, He who fed them in times of hunger and made them safe from fear.”
The Structure and Reality of Man:
The inherent structure of man dictates that he has no true ownership; all ownership belongs to Allah Almighty. This reflects man’s weakness, inferiority, and insignificance, while simultaneously highlighting the divine Lordship in its most beautiful manifestations. Reason, logic, and a sound conscience compel one to acknowledge that a person should not lay claim to any ownership or rights, except in the manner that one would attribute ownership to a child or a newborn, cradled in the arms of loving parents, raised under their supervision, and nurtured by their efforts and hardships. Truly, in comparison to the graces of the Great and Powerful Allah, a person is less valuable than that child in the arms of his parents.
«وَلَهُ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَى فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ» Translation: “And to Him belongs the highest description in the heavens and the earth, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”
Therefore, man must attribute all that he owns and the property and assets he claims as his own to the Being who created, nurtured, and protected them; the Being who has endowed man with the ability to use and utilize them for a specific purpose, for a specific time, and in a limited way.
The Main Idea of the Islamic Economic System:
The Quran has attributed all human states to Allah Almighty and has proven nothing for man except the responsibilities of trust and caliphate, as these notions prevail over all other truths and are, in essence, the spirit that governs all religious, moral, and economic systems. Sometimes this idea is expressed as: «وَآتُوهم مِنْ مَالِ اللهِ الَّذِي آتَاكُمْ» Translation: “And give them from the wealth of Allah what He has given you.”
At other times, it is expressed as: «وَأَنفِقُوا مِمَّا جَعَلَكُم مُّسْتَخْلَفِينَ فِيهِ» Translation: “And spend out of that which He has made you successors therein.”
The Quran specifically addresses Muslims, affirming that the true owner and heir is Allah Almighty; thus, a person with little capital has no favor or superiority and possesses no record or honor to boast about.
Allah Almighty says: «وَمَا لَكُمْ أَلَّا تُنفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلِلَّهِ مِيرَاثُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ» Translation: “And what is the matter with you that you do not spend in the way of Allah, while to Allah is the inheritance of the heavens and the earth.”
This structure necessitates that a person relinquish all of his possessions and be denied the right to control or interfere with his own belongings, whether large or small; his hands are tied, and his freedom to choose is constrained.
The Secret of Attributing Property and Wealth to Man and Its Benefits:
In the Quran, the final divine book, Allah Almighty does not unilaterally attribute the wealth and the results of man’s efforts to Himself. If it were the case, there would be no sense of wonder or astonishment, leading to a loss of self-confidence, dignity, and reliance on one’s abilities and energies. This deprivation could undermine the feelings of effort, ambition, and competition, as well as the joy of attributing the fruits of one’s labor— a joy inherent in human nature. Indeed, even children delight in claiming household goods or their father’s assets as their own. Depriving man of this would eliminate the motivations of love, compassion, benevolence, and sincerity in maintaining property, as well as the drive to purify, develop, and produce it. Human life would be drained of the powerful factors and motivations for struggle, battle, effort, and endeavor. The world would become a vast factory operated by solid, lifeless, heartless, and unscrupulous tools, devoid of joy or benefit. Therefore, before attributing these assets to the true Creator and Provider, the Quran assigns them to their earners, producers, and owners, stating: «وَلَا تَأْكُلُواْ أَمْوَالَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا بِهَا إلَى الْحُكَامِ لِتَأْكُلُواْ فَرِيقًا مِنْ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ بِالإِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ» Translation: “And do not consume your wealth among yourselves unjustly, and do not send it to the rulers (as a bribe) so that you may consume a portion of people’s wealth in sin while you know.”
He also says: «الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ ثُمَّ لاَ يُتْبِعُونَ مَا أَنفَقُوا مَنَّا وَلا أَذًى لَّهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ» Translation: “Those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah, then do not follow what they have spent with reminders or hurt; there is no fear for them, and they will not grieve.”
He further states: «يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنفِقُوا مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَمِمَّا أَخْرَجْنَا لَكُم مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ» Translation: “O you who have believed, spend from what you have earned and from what We have provided for you from the earth.”
And He says: «وَلَا تُؤْتُوا السُّفَهَاء أَمْوَالَكُمُ الَّتِي جَعَلَ اللهُ لَكُمْ قِيَاماً» Translation: “And do not give to the foolish your wealth, which Allah has made a means of sustaining you.”
He further states: «وَإِن تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا يُؤْتِكُمْ أُجُورَكُمْ وَلَا يَسْأَلْكُمْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ» Translation: “And if you believe and fear Allah, He will give you your wages and will not ask you of your wealth.”
Other verses also attribute wealth, income, and earnings to humans. In this light, Allah Almighty has bestowed His grace and generosity upon man, honoring him by referring to the wealth spent in Allah’s way and assisting His servants as a loan: «من ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِضُ اللهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ أَضْعَافًا كَثِيرَةً» Translation: “Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan, so that He may multiply it for him many times over?”
He has also said: «إن تُقْرِضُوا اللهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا يُضَاعِفْهُ لَكُمْ» Translation: “If you lend Allah a goodly loan, He will multiply it for you many times over.”
And He says: «وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَقْرِضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا» Translation: “And establish prayer, and give zakat, and lend to Allah a good loan.”
Continues…
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