‘Zakat’ or ‘Zakah’ is a type of tax imposed by Islam on its members. This is different from ‘Jizya’ which is a tax imposed by Islam on non-Muslims living in Islamic country. Some translators translated Zakat as alms-tax, purifying alms, welfare tax, religious tax, poor-due, poor-rate, obligatory charity, etc. The proceeds of the this tax collection is to be given to the poor Muslims as alms, and for financing Allah’s cause _ which is to wage war against non-Muslims. If you can notice, Allah kept asking taxes from Muslims for his prophet. Why there’s a need for Him to demand taxes from His believers at numerous times? Cannot he provide wealth to his prophet by His own means? By demanding taxes or obligatory alms from members, we can tell that islam is not a religious organization but a commercial or political entity.
QUOTED FROM QURAN
1. [Quran 2:3] Who believe in the Ghaib and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and spend out of what we have provided for them [i.e. give Zakat , spend on themselves, their parents, their children, their wives, etc., and also give charity to the poor and also in Allah’s Cause – Jihad, etc.].
2. [Quran 2:43] Perform prayers, and pay the purifying alms, and kneel together with those who are kneeling.
3. [Quran 2:83] Remember, We took a covenant (firm commitment) from the children of Israel: “You shall worship none but Allah; be good to your parents, relatives, orphans and destitute, speak fair to the people, establish ‘Salah’, and pay ‘Zakah.'” But you broke the covenant, except a few of you, and you paid no heed
4. [Quran 2:110] Establish Salah and pay Zakah, and whatever good you send ahead of you to the Hereafter for yourselves, you shall find it with Allah; surely Allah is watching all your actions
5. [Quran 2:177] Virtue does not mean for you to turn your faces towards the East and West, but virtue means one should believe in God [Alone], the Last Day, angels, the Book and prophets; and no matter how he loves it, to give his wealth away to near relatives, orphans, the needy, the wayfarer and beggars, and towards freeing captives; and to keep up prayer and pay the welfare tax; and those who keep their word whenever they promise anything; and are patient under suffering and hardship and in time of violence. Those are the ones who act loyal and they perform their duty.
6. [Quran 2:277] Indeed those who believe, do righteous deeds, establish prayer, and give obligatory charity; for them their rewards are with their Lord. There is no fear on them, nor shall they grieve.
7. [Quran 3:17] (They are) those who are patient ones, those who are true (in Faith, words, and deeds), and obedient with sincere devotion in worship to Allah. Those who spend [give the Zakat and alms in the Way of Allah] and those who pray and beg Allah’s Pardon in the last hours of the night.
8. [Quran 3:180] 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 Zakat). 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. And to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is Well-Acquainted with all that you do.
9. [Quran 4:77] “Have you not seen those when it was said to them to hold back their hands (from fighting) and establish the prayer, and pay obligatory charity? Now, when the fighting is enjoined upon them, then a group of them fear people as they should have feared Allah or even greater fear, and say: “Our Lord! Why have You ordained on us the fighting? Why did not You defer it for us for another (short) period?” Say (to them): “Enjoyment of this world is short.” The Hereafter is better for whoever fears Allah, and you shall not be (treated unjustly) in the least (even equal to the thread of a date-stone).
10. [Quran 4:162] But those of them well-grounded in knowledge, the faithful ˹who˺ believe in what has been revealed to you ˹O Prophet˺ and what was revealed before you—˹especially˺ those who establish prayer—and those who pay alms-tax and believe in Allah and the Last Day, to these ˹people˺ We will grant a great reward.
11. [Quran 5:12] God took a pledge from the Children of Israel. We appointed twelve of them as leaders. And God said, “I am with you. If you are regular in prayer, give the purifying alms, and believe in My Messengers and support them, and lend God a good loan, I will cleanse you of your bad deeds and admit you into Gardens with flowing rivers. After this, any of you who deny the truth will be far from the right path.”
12. [Quran 5:55] Only Allah is your Vali and His Messenger and those who believe, those who keep up prayers and pay the poor-rate while they bow.
13. [Quran 6:141] And it is He Who produces gardens trellised and untrellised, and date-palms, and crops of different shape and taste (its fruits and its seeds) and olives, and pomegranates, similar (in kind) and different (in taste). Eat of their fruit when they ripen, but pay the due thereof (its Zakat, according to Allah’s Orders 1/10th or 1/20th) on the day of its harvest, and waste not by extravagance. Verily, He likes not Al-Musrifun (those who waste by extravagance)
14. [Quran 7:156] Grant us good things, both in this life and in the hereafter. To You alone we turn. He replied, As for My punishment, I smite with it anyone I will. But My mercy encompasses all things. I shall prescribe it for those who do their duty, pay the zakat and who believe in Our sign
16. [Quran 9:5] When the sacred months are over, slay the pagans wherever you find them. Capture, besiege, and ambush them. If they repent, perform prayers and pay the religious tax, set them free. God is All-forgiving and All-merciful
17. [Quran 9:11] But if they repent, perform prayer, and pay alms-tax, then they are your brothers in faith. This is how We make the revelations clear for people of knowledge.
18. [Quran 9:12] Allah made a covenant with the Children of Israel and appointed twelve leaders from among them and ˹then˺ said, “I am truly with you. If you establish prayer, pay alms-tax, believe in My messengers, support them, and lend to Allah a good loan, I will certainly forgive your sins and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow. And whoever among you disbelieves afterwards has truly strayed from the Right Way.”
19. [Quran 9:18] In fact, the caretakers of the house of Allah should be those who believe in Allah and the Day of Judgment, establish the ´salat´, pay the ´zakat´, and fear nothing except Allah. Such people are more likely to be rightly guided
20. [Quran 9:34] O you who believe! Verily, there are many of the (Jewish) rabbis and the (Christian) monks who devour the wealth of mankind in falsehood, and hinder (them) from the Way of Allah (i.e. Allah’s Religion of Islamic Monotheism). And those who hoard up gold and silver [Al-Kanz: the money, the Zakat of which has not been paid], and spend it not in the Way of Allah, -announce unto them a painful torment.
21. [Quran 9:35] On the Day when that (Al-Kanz: money, gold and silver, etc., the Zakat 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 treasure which you hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what you used to hoard.”
22. [Quran 9:71] The believers, both men and women, support each other; they order what is obviously right and forbid what is obviously wrong, and they perform prayers, pay the prescribed purifying alms, and obey God and His Messenger. God will have mercy on them. He is Almighty and All-Wise.
23. [Quran 9:58] There are some of them who are critical of your distribution of alms ˹O Prophet˺. If they are given some of it they are pleased, but if not they are enraged.
24. [Quran 19:31] And He has made me blessed wherever I am, and has recommended to me prayer and the paying of zakat as long as I live
25. [Quran 19:55] And he used to enjoin on his people prayer and zakah and was to his Lord pleasing.
26. [Quran 22:78] And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the poor-due, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting friend. A blessed Patron and a blessed Helper
27. [Quran 23:4] pay the purifying alms,
28. [Quran 24:56] Attend to your prayers and pay the zakat and obey the Messenger, so that you may be shown mercy
29. [Quran 27:3] who establish Salah and pay Zakah and who have faith in the Hereafter
30. [Quran 31:4] who establish Prayer and pay Zakah, and have firm faith in the Hereafter
31. [Quran 33:33] And abide quietly in your homes, and do not flaunt your charms as they used to flaunt them in the old days of pagan ignorance; and be constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues, and pay heed unto God and His Apostle: for God only wants to remove from you all that might be loathsome, O you members of the [Prophet’s] household, and to purify you to utmost purity
32. [Quran 41:7] Those who do not pay alms-tax are in denial of the Hereafter.
33. [Quran 58:13] Are you afraid to spend in charity before your private consultation (with Muhammad)? If you cannot afford, Allah will forgive you; so establish prayer and give obligatory charity and obey Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad). Allah is Well-Aware of what you do.
34. [Quran 73:20] Your Lord knows how you stay up close to two thirds of the night [in prayer], half of it, and even a third of it; and [so do) a group of those who are with you. God measures out both night and daylight; He knows that you (all) will never count them up, so He has relented towards you. Read whatever seems feasible from the Quran. He knows that some of you may be ill while others are out travelling around the earth seeking God´s bounty, and still others are fighting for God´s sake. So read any of it that seems feasible, and keep up prayer and pay the welfare tax, and advance God a handsome loan. Anything good you send on ahead for yourselves, you will find [later on] with God; it is better and more important as earnings. Seek forgiveness from God; God will be Forgiving, Merciful.
QUOTED FROM HADITHS
1. [Sahih al-Bukhari 1405] Narrated Abu Sa`id: Allah’s Messenger (p.b.u.h) said, “No Zakat is due on property mounting to less than five Uqiyas (of silver), and no Zakat is due on less than five camels, and there is no Zakat on less than five Wasqs.” (A Wasqs equals 60 Sa’s)
2. [Sahih al-Bukhari 1451] Narrated Anas: Abu Bakr wrote to me what Allah’s Messenger has made compulsory (regarding Zakat) and this was mentioned in it: If a property is equally owned by two partners, they should pay the combined Zakat and it will be considered that both of them have paid their Zakat equally.
3. [Sahih al-Bukhari 1455] Narrated Anas: Abu Bakr wrote to me what Allah had ordered His Apostle (about Zakat) which goes: Neither an old nor a defected animal, nor a male-goat may be taken as Zakat except if the Zakat collector wishes (to take it).
4. [Sunan Abi Dawud 1583]
Narrated Ubayy ibn Ka’b: The Messenger of Allah commissioned me as a collector of zakat. I visited a man. When he had collected his property of camels, I found that a she-camel in her second year was due from him. I said to him: Pay a she-camel in her second year, for she is to be paid as sadaqah (zakat) by you. He said: That one is not worthy of milking and riding. Here is another she-camel which is young, grand and fat. So take it. I said to him: I shall not take an animal for which I have not been commanded. The Messenger of Allah is here near to you. If you like, go to him, and present to him what you presented to me. Do that; if he accepts it from you, I shall accept it; if he rejects it, I shall reject it. He said: I shall do it. He accompanied me and took with him the she-camel which he had presented to me. We came to the Messenger of Allah. He said to him: Prophet of Allah, your messenger came to me to collect zakat on my property. By Allah, neither the Messenger of Allah nor his messenger has ever seen my property before. I gathered my property (camels), and he estimated that a she-camel in her second year would be payable by me. But that has neither milk nor is it worth riding. So I presented to him a grand young she-camel for acceptance as zakat. But he has refused to take her. Look, she is here; I have brought her to you, Messenger of Allah. Take her. The Messenger of Allah said: That is what is due from you. If you give voluntarily a better (animal) Allah will give a reward to you for it. We accept her from you.
5. [Sunan Abi Dawud 1603] Narrated Attab ibn Usayd: The Messenger of Allah commanded to estimate vines (for collecting zakat) as palm-trees are estimated. The zakat is to be paid in raisins as the zakat on palm trees is paid in dried dates
6. [Sunan Ibn Majah 1824] Abdullah bin ‘Amr narrated that: the Prophet took one-tenth of honey (as Zakat).
7. [Mishkat al-Masabih 1804] ‘Attab b. Usaid reported the Prophet as saying regarding the zakat on vines, “They are to be estimated as palm-trees are, then the zakat is to be paid in raisins as the zakat on palm-trees is paid in dried dates.”
8. [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 644] Attab bin Asid narrated that : the Prophet said about Zakat on grapevines: “They are to be assessed just as the date-palm is assessed. Then its Zakat is paid in raisins just as the Zakat for the date-palm is paid in dried dates.”
9. [Musnad Ahmad 711] It was narrated that ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: The Messenger of Allah said: `I have relieved you of zakah on horses and slaves, so give zakah on silver: for every forty dirhams, one dirham. There is no zakah on one hundred and ninety, but if it reaches two hundred, then five dirhams are due (in zakah).`
10. [Muwata Maliki Book 17, Hadith 27] Yahya said that Malik said, “The position with us concerning a man who has zakat to pay on one hundred camels but then the zakat collector does not come to him until zakat is due for a second time and by that time all his camels have died except five, is that the zakat collector assesses from the five camels the two amounts of zakat that are due from the owner of the animals, which in this case is only two sheep, one for each year. This is because the only zakat which an owner of livestock has to pay is what is due from him on the day that the zakat is (actually) assessed. His livestock may have died or it may have increased, and the zakat collector only assesses the zakat on what he (actually) finds on the day he makes the assessment. If more than one payment of zakat is due from the owner of the livestock, he still only has to pay zakat according to what the zakat collector (actually) finds in his possession, and if his livestock has died, or several payments of zakat are due from him and nothing is taken until all his livestock has died, or has been reduced to an amount below that on which he has to pay zakat, then he does not have to pay any zakat, and there is no liability (on him) for what has died or for the years that have passed.
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