Zakah is happiness

Since 2012-11-13

Zakah is the third pillar of Islam after the two testimonies and prayer...Its virtue is great...Its reward is big...

 

Dear Muslims:
 
Zakah is the third pillar of Islam after the two testimonies and prayer...Its virtue is great...Its reward is big...Allah the Almighty says: {The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the Way of Allah, is as the likeness of a grain (of corn); it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower.} [Al-Baqara 2:261]
 
{مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ سُنبُلَةٍ مِّائَةُ حَبَّةٍ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ يُضَاعِفُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ} البقرة: 261
 
Transliteration: Mathalu allatheena yunfiqoona amwalahum fee sabeeli Allahi kamathalihabbatin anbatat sabAAa sanabila fee kulli sunbulatin miatu habbatin waAllahu yudaAAifu liman yashao waAllahu wasiAAun AAaleemun
 
It's also an aid for the poor and the needy...and it has lots of material benefits in the life of Muslims.
 
 
Some of the benefits of Zakah as proven by modern science:
 
Firstly, Health and body benefits:
 
First: Zakah contributes in preventing lots of diseases (to the one who gives it) and especially those related to blood pressure, tension, nervousness, diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, kidney failure and the likes. When a Muslim gives his Zakah, he feels psychological comfort and happiness. And this comfort and happiness is a reason to protect him from these diseases, Allah willingly...praise be to Allah!
 
Second: Zakah trains people to not get much attached to money, and this is important to those who risk their money in daily deals, bids and tenders. Consequently, the one who pays his Zakah is more able to face financial crisis that cause sudden death to tens of people daily due to losses in trades and natural catastrophes and others.
 
Third: Many of the diseases that affect human is due to envy, and when the patient gives his charity specially to people surrounding him from neighbors and relatives, charity eliminate envy (Allah willingly) and help cure the patient.
 
 
Secondly, Security benefits:
 
Zakah reduces crime in societies:
 
First: The cause of many crimes is poverty and need. Zakah help in reducing poverty and eliminating it. Consequently it faces one of the major and important factors that cause crime!
 
Second: The motives for some crimes are:
1) Greed                2) Avarice
3) Dissatisfaction with the standard of living of the offender.
 
Zakah raise from the standard of living of some Muslims which makes them satisfied with their lives and as a result, these kinds of crimes reduce.
 
Third: Most of money robbery is done by people surrounding rich people. So if the rich paid his Zakah, especially to those near to him, this will remove from their hearts any feelings of greed or bitterness that might make them tend or intend to steal because of it.  With this blessed gift to the poor, their hearts are clearer and the person becomes more secure about his money.
 
 
Thirdly: Economical benefits:
 
Zakah leads to real growth in the total wealth of the nation.
 
It’s a known fact that the increase in demand is one of the most important factors of increasing investments. Development of money:

First: Either comes from production sector such as agriculture and industry.
Second: Or comes from Services sector: like trading, renting, transferring and others.
 
And the increase in demand on the agricultural and industrial products and services, requires an increase in the buying force of the rich and the poor. The rich has this buying force already, but the poor -and they are the more in number- needs financial support to create a suitable buying force within them. And that’s what Zakah do all year long.
 
The Islamic society that pays its Zakah doesn’t know recession periods; because material liquidity is available in the hands of all people; the rich and the poor, all year long. And hence no economic jolts like the one happening from time to time around the world, the latest of which was in 2008. Praise be to Allah, If we knew this fact before, we would have known why Allah the Almighty named Zakah as a known right for the poor in the society. Allah says: {And those in whose wealth there is a known right, (24) For the beggar who asks, and for the unlucky who has lost his property and wealth, (and his means of living has been straitened);} [Al-Ma’arij 70:24-25]
 
{وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَّعْلُومٌ ﴿٢٤﴾ لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ} المعارج: 24-25
 
Transliteration: Waallatheena fee amwalihimhaqqun maAAloomun (24) Lilssaili waalmahroomi
 
So the poor person is an indispensable part in the money development, and if it weren’t for the poor people, the rich wouldn’t have developed their money in the society and that is by buying and demanding commodities and services. And as the poor people are necessary for the growth of money to the rich, they also have a known right over them because they were a reason for its growth.
 
Important Note: Zakah is a right for the poor, not a charity from the rich to them. Allah is the Greatest!
 
Note: After the recent financial crisis in 2008, economic analysts said that, the way out of this financial crisis that hit the market by recession, lies in providing the poor people with material liquidity, and to do that they did some steps, among which:
 
First: Giving loans with zero interest or negligible amount, in order to encourage people to borrow and spin the wheel of production again.
 
Second: Rich countries supporting some poor countries by giving them free grants with a condition: That the poor country would buy commodities from the rich one. And these are all steps to apply the true Zakah even though they don’t name it so. Glory be to Allah!
 
Note: Some fair-minded from the west declared that the only solution for the financial crisis is to apply the Islamic economy, especially in France, where they founded some institutes to teach the laws, conditions and regulations for the Islamic economical system particularly what is related to banks.
 
And finally, We as Muslims believe that to Allah belongs everything and He is All Capable. Zakah is an obligation from Allah the Almighty on His slaves and paying it brings about us the satisfaction of Allah. And as a result This Ilah (God – Allah) protects His obedient slaves from what harms them in their money, and if He decreed upon them an ordeal, He sends with it kindness and mitigation if they paid their Zakah, and for this drought and famine decrease and rain increase and diseases and agricultural pests (which causes great loses) decrease!
 
Also catastrophes, crimes and fires would disappear or decrease, which will reflects on the Islamic community with an increase in prospers, blessings and ampleness by the grace of Allah and then by the blessing of this great pillar. Allah is the Greatest!

May Allah make us and all the Muslims among those who perform this blessed worship, He is the All capable to do this. And peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad and upon his family and companions. And the last of our prayer is that all praise be to Allah.
 
 

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