Author: Sayyed Musleh Uddin
Alms (Zakat) [Part 14]
The position of Zakat in Islam and Its Fundamental and Legal Structure
Zakat is mentioned in eighty-two places in the Quran along with prayer, and the verse: «وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلاةَ وَآتُواْ الزَّكَاةَ» Translation: “And establish prayer and give zakat.” It is repeated many times in it, and it is said about Muslims: «الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاَةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ» Translation: “Those who establish prayer and give zakat.”
And the Holy Prophet (PBUH) enumerated the pillars and foundations of Islam and said: “Islam is based on five pillars: Testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, establishing prayer, paying zakat, performing Hajj to the House of Allah, and fasting in Ramadan.”
He was asked about Islam, and he said: “Islam is that you worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, and that you establish the obligatory prayer, pay the obligatory zakat, and fast in Ramadan.”
It was narrated in the hadith of Hazrat Dammam bin Tha’labah (MABH) that he said to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH): “I swear you by Allah! Has Allah commanded you to take this zakat from the rich and distribute it to the needy?” The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “Yes!”
And there are countless hadiths narrated about this topic that reach the level of spiritual Tawator (repetition), and there is consensus on the equality of zakat with prayer, and generations of the Ummah have acted upon it one after another.
Allah Almighty has made the establishment of prayer and the payment of zakat a sign of the correctness of Islam and its rules, and a sign of entering into peace and reconciliation with Allah Almighty and brotherhood with Muslims, and has said: «فَإِن تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلاَةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَخَلُّواْ سَبِيلَهُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيم» Translation: “So if they repent and establish prayer and give zakat, then leave their way open for them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”
And He said: «فَإِن تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلاَةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَنُفَصِّلُ الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ» Translation: “So if they repent and establish prayer and give zakat, then they are your brothers in religion, and we detail the verses for people who know.”
Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim (may Allah bless them) narrated from Abdullah ibn Umar (MABH) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and they establish prayer and give zakat. If they do so, their blood and property will be safe. Except for the right of Islam and their reckoning is with Allah.” Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim and Imam Nesa’i (may Allah bless them) also narrated from Hazrat Abu Hurairah (MABH) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “I have been commanded to fight people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and believe in me and what I have brought. If they do so, their blood and property will be safe, except for their right and their reckoning is with Allah.”
The basis of Zakat is that it has a system
The nature of Zakat and its fundamental and legal structure is such that it is delivered to the Muslim treasury, the caliphs and rulers who are responsible for and oversee the Muslims; just as the nature of prayer and its fundamental and legal structure is such that it is performed in congregation.
Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (MABH)’s adherence to the principle of “taking Zakat as the system” and his persistence in it
This is the same principle and law that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) left this world and went to meet his Lord and left it for the Muslims after him. After him, his successor and trusted person in the religion and the nation, the most knowledgeable of the people regarding the religion and its secrets and purposes, and the most zealous person regarding Islam, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (MABH), adhered to it and worked hard and insisted on fighting those who refused to pay Zakat to the Public Treasury. Hazrat Abu Hurairah (MABH) narrated this incident and the words exchanged between Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) and their differences of opinion and viewpoints, and explained how in the end Hazrat Umar (MABH) agreed with Abu Bakr (MABH), approved of him, and acknowledged his insight, accuracy of understanding, and zeal for religion. Here I present this incident to the readers as it is mentioned in the books of Sahih:
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah (MABH) that: “When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) passed away and Abu Bakr (MABH) was appointed as the Caliph, many of the Arabs disbelieved, Hazrat Umar (MABH) said: “How can you fight people when the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: I have been ordered to fight people until they testify that there is no god but Allah, and whoever says this has safeguarded his life and property; except for the right to it and his reckoning is with Allah?”
Hazrat Abu Bakr (MABH) said: “By Allah! I will fight those who differentiate between prayer and zakat, because zakat is the right of wealth. By Allah, if they refuse to give the goat that they used to give to the Messenger of Allah, PBUH, I will fight them.” Hazrat Umar (MABH) said: “By Allah, Allah Almighty has given Abu Bakr (MABH) a clear insight and explanation for the war, and I understood that he was right.”
Why did Hazrat Abu Bakr (MABH) take such a position regarding those who deny zakat?
Allamah Khattabī (may Allah bless him) has discussed in detail the groups of apostates and rebels, the reality of refusing to pay zakat and its stages, and Hazrat Abu Bakr (MABH)’s position regarding it, so that the reader can consider the circumstances of that historical period and the reasons for the differences in understanding among the Companions regarding the ruling on apostates.
Here we will summarize it: “The apostates were two groups. The first group: Those who apostatized from the religion and fought against the Ummah and converted to disbelief. These were the people whom Hazrat Abu Hurairah (MABH) mentioned. This group is again divided into two groups. The first group: The liar musaylimah from the tribe of Banu Hanifa and those who confirmed his claim to prophet hood, and the followers of Aswad al-Ansi and some people from the people of Yemen who accepted his call. All of these groups denied the prophet hood of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and claimed to be prophet. Hazrat Abu Bakr (MABH) fought them until Musaylimah was killed in Yamamah and Aswad al-Ansi in Sana’a and their followers were scattered and most of them were killed. The second group: Those who apostatized from the religion and denied the laws of the Sharia and abandoned prayer, zakat and other laws of the religion and returned to the pre-Islamic period. The conditions were such that on earth, except in three mosques; There was no prostration for Allah Almighty, the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, and the Abdul Qays Mosque.
And the second group: Those who made a difference between prayer and zakat and denied the obligation of zakat and its payment to the Caliph of the Muslims. In fact, this group were rebels; but they were not known by this name (Ahl al-Baghi) at that time; because they were among the apostates and were generally called apostates; because the danger of apostates was greater and more important than them, and historically, the beginning of the war with the “Ahl al-Baghi” has been recorded from the time of Hazrat Ali (MABH); because at that time they were independent and did not mix with the polytheists.
Also, within the group of zakat deniers, there were people who accepted zakat and did not refuse to pay it; but their leaders and commanders prevented them from paying zakat. Like the tribe of Banu Yarboo who had collected their Zakat and wanted to send it to Hazrat Abu Bakr (MABH), but Malik bin Nuwayrah stopped them and divided their Zakat among themselves. And a dispute arose regarding this same group, which Hazrat Umar (MABH) became suspicious of and went to Hazrat Abu Bakr (MABH) and discussed the matter with him, citing this hadith (I was ordered to kill the people…) as evidence. Hazrat Umar (MABH) had reasoned from the apparent meaning of the hadith and had not paid attention to the final phrase of the hadith and its conditions. Hazrat Abu Bakr told him: “Zakat is a right of wealth.” What he meant was that this issue involves guarding blood and wealth, and this ruling is subject to two conditions, which are not implemented if one is present and the other is absent, and he compared it to prayer: Therefore, this statement of his is evidence that the ruling on fighting someone who refuses to pray was by consensus of the Companions, and for this reason he referred the issue of different opinions (fighting those who refuse to pay zakat) to the issue of consensus (fighting those who refuse to pray).
When the truth of Hazrat Abu Bakr (MABH)’s view became clear to Hazrat Umar (MABH), he followed him in fighting that group, and this is the meaning of his statement: “I knew that he was right,” and it refers to the fact that the evidence and argument that Hazrat Abu Bakr (MABH) expressed and argued from, in terms of words and implications, caused him to be pleased.
The role of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (MABH) and its impact on Islam
Not paying Zakat to the Imam and Caliph of the Muslims, in fact, created a huge gap in Islam and opened the door to rebellion and chaos. If Hazrat Abu Bakr (MABH) had allowed it to be opened and been negligent in closing and blocking it, no one after him would have been able to close it. Following this, other doors would have opened regarding prayer. Some people would say: “Friday and congregational prayers are not necessary, and praying prayers individually or at home is sufficient.” Another group would say about fasting: “It is not necessary to specify the month of Ramadan for fasting and its beginning and end.” Also, some people would deny the rulings of Hajj and state: “Group Hajj with its specific rulings and fixed times is not necessary. »
And thus the Prophetic Caliphate and the Islamic Emirate system, on which the implementation of the limits and laws of the Sharia and the glory and honor of Islam depend, became like a “ sea” that bears the name of the sea; but there is no water in it, and immediately after the death of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), the unity and integrity of Islam and Muslims were broken; as happened after a few centuries.
This stance of Hazrat Abu Bakr (MABH), in which there was no softness, flexibility, compromise or concession, was a stance that was inspired by Allah the Almighty and which Hazrat Abu Bakr (MABH) was successful in achieving, and he played the greatest role in the safety of this religion and the preservation of its authenticity and purity. Hazrat Abu Bakr (MABH) played such an important role in confronting the rebellious apostates and their efforts to disintegrate Islam that, as acknowledged by all and witnessed by history, he stood in the place of the divine prophets and messengers and defended Islam. This was the demand of the Caliphate of Prophet hood, which Hazrat Abu Bakr (MABH) truly fulfilled and as a result, he became worthy of the praise of Muslims forever.
Continues…
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