T h e Fo u r Pill a rs
45
to Ethiopia. There, when they introduced Islam in the court of
King Najashi, their leader, Jafer binAbi Talib, laid emphasis on the
payment of
Zakat
: “He (the Prophet) ordered us to worship God,
establish
Salat
as a rite and pay
Zakat
.”
Chapter 23 of the Quran, entitled ‘The Believers’ begins:
“Blessed are the believers who give alms to the destitute,” while
chapter 42 gives a warning to the unbelievers: “Woe to those who
give no alms.” (41:7)
In the beginning, it was a general commandment. Later, the
frequency of payment, the amount and individual items of
Zakat
were fixed, so that alms had to be collected on behalf of the state
like a tax. But since the payment of
Zakat
is not just tax-payment
in the ordinary sense, but is also an act of worship, no upper limit
has been set to it. It is, therefore, left to individual’s discretion
to how much should be expended on
Zakat
in order to please
God. According to Fatima bint Qays, the Prophet once answered
a question about how much should be given as
Zakat
by saying,
“Truly, God’s share in men’s possessions is more than
Zakat
.”
(
Tirmizi
). The Quran enjoins man to spend whatever is left after
providing for his own needs – ‘what you can spare.’ (2:219)
There are two forms of
Zakat
, or spending for the sake of the
Lord: (i) Charity and (ii) what is called the ‘goodly loan.’
Those that give alms, be they men or women, and those that
give a generous loan to Allah, shall be repaid twofold. They shall
receive a noble recompense. (57:18)
Charity means feeding the hungry (Quran, 74:44) or, in a more
general sense, providing for the needy. Giving a ‘goodly loan’ means
spending for the cause of God as a measure of support to the faith.
The spreading of faith is greatly desired by God. Dedicating one’s
life and property to this end is considered to be deserving of great
rewards. As this activity is not solely to provide for the material
needs of the people, but is also for the sake of God, God has called
it making a loan to Himself.
The amount to be given in charity has been fixed in the form of
