Where was zakah money used.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
(May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
Salaam,
I dont mean to be argumentative, but this question has intrigued me for a
while. What was the collected zakat money used for during the time of the
Prophet (SAW)? Have the local government taxes replaced that function to some
extent? If so, do people paying government taxes also have to pay zakat of 2.5%
of their savings?
Again, I dont mean to be argumentative. I am just trying to understand this on
my own.
Thanks,
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Answer:
Where was zakah
money used
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His
help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide,
and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear
witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear
witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His
Messengers.
Beloved brother in Islam, never ever hesitate or apologize
for asking any questions in the deen; for the deen or ‘way of life’ called
Al-Islam is based on the Perfect Wisdom and Knowledge of the All Knowing Lord,
and every single command of the All Wise Lord is abundant in common-sense and
logic. Asking any type of questions in
Islam to gain more knowledge, or to confirm the Truth so that one’s heart is
more content, or to understand and thus follow with more conviction the
dictates of the deen is not only permissible, but absolutely encouraged in
Islam. It is the right of the brother or
sister to ask anything they wish to clarify in the deen; and it is the
responsibility and duty of the good scholars to address the question asked to
the best of their knowledge and ability, and in the most polite and humble
manner.
What is discouraged in Islam is if one asks questions for
the sake of asking, or arguing to ridicule the Truth with absolutely no
intention of obeying or following when the Truth is made clear to them,
etc. But if one asks questions to
clarify and seek knowledge so that one may better follow the deen; such seeking
of the Knowledge of Truth is absolutely encouraged in Islam
Your
Question: What was the collected zakat money used for during the time of the
Prophet (SAW)?
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah
Taubah verse 60:
60 Alms are for the poor, and the needy, and those employed to
administer the (funds), for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled
(to the Truth), for those in bondage and in debt, in the Cause of Allah, and
for the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah and Allah is full of Knowledge
and Wisdom.
Allah Subhanah has prescribed and Decreed that ‘zakah’
funds can only be spent on any of the above eight listed categories:
- To
the poor
- To
the needy
- To
those who are employed to administer the zakah funds
- To
those whose hearts have recently been reconciled to the Truth of Islam
(new-muslims)
- For
those in bondage
- For
those in debt
- In
the Cause of Allah
- To
the way-farer or traveler
The Messenger of Allah (saws) made arrangements to collect
the ‘zakah’ dues from the believers and deposit them in the ‘bayt-al-maal’ or
Central Treasury and in absolute obedience to the Command of Allah, the
Messenger of Allah (saws) would spend the ‘zakah’ dues in any of the above listed
eight categories only.
Your Question: Have
the local government taxes replaced that function to some extent? If so, do
people paying government taxes also have to pay zakat of 2.5% of their savings?
Beloved brother, the
obligatory ‘zakah’ dues are a right the Lord Most High has kept for the poor
and needy believers in the wealth of those believers who are blessed with
abundance by their Lord.
The taxes levied by the local governments, regardless of
whether the government is Shariah based or otherwise, has absolutely nothing to
do with one’s obligatory worship of ‘zakah’; and absolutely regardless of
whether or not one pays the other taxes levied by the government of the land
one stays in, if one is a believer and has excess wealth more than the prescribed
‘nisaab’, one would be liable to fulfill their ‘zakah’ dues unto their Lord.
If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and
commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws),
one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any
other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be
assured of being led astray.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only
due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me
alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is
the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister