Islam The Voice of Human Nature
3. ISLAM IS THE VOICE OF HUMAN NATURE
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spending it upon religious duties and on needy
members of the community. The fulfillment of this
duty is, in fact, a kind of reminder that all one has is
in trust for God. Man should, therefore, hold
nothing back from God. To whatever one may
amass in one’s lifetime, one’s own personal
contribution is insignificant. If the Supreme Being,
who is at work in the heavens and on the earth,
refused to co-operate with man, there would be
nothing that the latter could accomplish single-
handed. He would not be able to plant so much as a
single seed to make things grow. Nor could he set
up any industries, or carry out any other such
enterprise. If God were to withdraw anyone of His
material blessings, all our plans would go awry,
and all our efforts would be brought to naught.
Zakat
is the practical recognition of this fact through
the expenditure of money. Islam requires man to
consider his personal wealth as belonging to God
and, therefore, to set apart a portion for Him. No
maximum limit has been prescribed, but a
minimum limit has definitely been fixed. According
to statutory
zakat,
each individual must abide by
this and spend a fixed minimum percentage of his
