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Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported as narrated by Imam Al Buhari:
Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Seven people Allah will give them His Shade on the Day when there would be no shade but the Shade of His Throne (i.e., on the Day of Resurrection): And they are: a just ruler; a youth who grew up with the worship of Allah; a person whose heart is attached to the mosques, two men who love and meet each other and depart from each other for the sake of Allah; a man whom an extremely beautiful woman seduces (for illicit relation), but he (rejects this offer and) says: 'I fear Allah'; a man who gives in charity and conceals it (to such an extent) that the left hand does not know what the right has given; and a man who remembers Allah in solitude and his eyes become tearful".
O Allah, our Lord! Grant peace and blessings to Sayyidina Muhammad, upon his Family, upon his Companions, the trustees, the blossom stars, the pure descendants and the ones who strived by their wealth and souls in the cause of Allah and who sacrificed the worthy and the cheap and the valuable and the souls.
O servants of Allah, I advice you and myself of fearing Allah, for Piety is the only thing accepted by Allah, and the people of Piety are the only ones to deserve Allah's Mercy.
Be aware that there were people who prevented Al Haqq, until it is purchased from them, and there were people who spread falsehood until it is ransomed from them by sacrifice.
Introduction: Islam is ideology and Sharia (the revealed or canonical law of Islam):
Islam is Allah’s religion that He All Mighty revealed to His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH). It contains faith, ideology and Sharia (the revealed or canonical law of Islam). Ideology, together with all its conceptions, it is fundamental part of the Noble Quran; while the Sharia, together with all its elaborate rules is a branch thereof. If man’s ideology is proper and sound, his work becomes proper, too. The principles of ideology are those of Faith; while principles of Sharia are those of Islam, devotional services, transactions and ethics. The Quran speaks of ideology as Faith and of the Sharia as righteous work. Belief and righteous work are associated together in most of the verses of the Noble Quran, for the relationship between them is that of cause and effect, just like the relationship between trees and fruits. Some Devotional services, such as prayer, are corporal; some, such as Zakat (Alms giving), are financial; and others are both corporal and financial respectively such as the Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah).
Az Zakat:
1- The importance of Zakat:
Zakat is, in fact, a kind of protection to properties and their owners. This is because when a hungry man’s appetite is satisfied and a needy man is provided with clothes, security and peace prevail. It causes the individual to love expenditure (in the cause of Allah) and generosity, and implants in society the seeds of cooperation and fraternity. It does not solve financial problems by using force but rather by awaking people’s conscience and enlightening their minds.
2- The wealth is Allah's, and man is appointed as successor in that wealth:
In the sight of Islam, wealth belongs all to Allah All Mighty; and a wealthy man is but Allah’s trustee on His wealth. The poor are dependents of Allah All High; the dearest of Allah’s viceroys to Allah are the most devoted to His dependents. Piety is responsibility and duty rather than grace or gift. To this effect, Allah, Glory be to Him, says,
﴾And spend of that whereof He has made you trustees.﴿
You are appointed as trustees on what Allah gives you of wealth.
3- Zakat is one of the pillars of Islam:
Zakat is one of the pillars of Islam and one of the basic aspects of true Faith. It goes side by side with Salat (prayer) and the Testimony of Islam (i.e. bearing witness that there is not god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger) as a sign of embracing the religion of Islam and deserving brotherhood with all Muslims. Allah All Mighty, says,
﴾But if they repent, perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) and give Zakat, then they are your brethren in religion.﴿
It is an indispensable obligatory religious duty. Those who deny it are considered as unbelievers; those who prevent it are deemed as profligate and iniquitous. It is by no means a mere donation that a rich man bestows upon a poor one or through which he does him a favor. It is in fact far deeper and far more reaching.
4- Zakat is important part of the whole Islamic economic system:
It is an important part of the whole Islamic economic system. It essentially means that part of the wealth of the Islamic nation is being transferred from some place to another - from the hands of those who are made Allah’s trustees on guarding and growing His Wealth, namely the rich, to the laboring toiling hands whose income is not sufficient for their needs, or those who are unable to work, namely the poor and needy.
Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, quoted the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH) as saying,
“Allah enjoined upon the rich Muslims as much from their wealth as will cover the needs of the poor ones; and the poor suffer strains of need and hunger only by that (wealth) which the rich waste. Verily, Allah will make with them a terrible reckoning and chastise them with a horrible chastisement.”
Imam Ali, may Allah honor him, says, “If the rich be stingy with their wealth, the poor purchase their Hereafter for the present world of the others.”
Deductions from an Ayah which is the origin of the Zakat duty in Islam:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allah for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them﴿
This Ayah is the origin of the Zakat duty in Islam. Therefore, it needs deliberate contemplation.
The first deduction: "Take":
From the term “Take” it can be inferred that Zakat is not merely a good work of charity; neither is it a noble quality; but rather it is a basic pillar of the religion of Islam, and one of its great religious rules and principles. It is the corner stone of the whole economic system of Islam, and one of the foundations of its social solidarity and integration. It is neither a free-will charity nor voluntary charity; but rather it is a religions duty of the highest legal and moral obligation. That is why Allah, Glorified and Exalted did not bid Muslims to pay it but He commanded His Messenger, and men of power after him, to collect it from the rich. In other words, Zakat is something taken and not given, imposed and not begged or pleaded for.
The second deduction: "from" :
From the term “from”, which denotes portioning, it can be inferred that Zakat does not touch the whole wealth but part of it. The Prophetic Sunna showed precisely the portions and amounts of this “some”, in proportion to the kind of such wealth, the way it is earned and the efforts exerted in earning it.
The third deduction: "their wealth":
From the term “their wealth” , which is in the plural, it can be understood that Zakat embraces all kinds of wealth, including land production, animals and livestock, gold and silver, all types of currencies, bills, debts, loans, credits, all kinds of commercial goods and transactions, jewelry that is not for personal use, and even mineral and oil resources.
The forth deduction: "their":
From the term “their” it can be inferred that Zakat is imposed on every Muslim possessing the Nissab (i.e. minimum amount of property or wealth liable to payment of the Zakat tax) as illustrated by the Sunna with no exceptions, exemptions, reductions, or concealments.
The fifth deduction: "freewill offering":
From the term “freewill offering” it can be inferred that when a Muslim gives his Zakat by his own free will, he confirms his truthfulness, i.e., conformity of his work with his belief. It also confirms his belief in Allah’s commandment as well as the Day of Recompense. The Messenger of Allah PBUH, as narrated by Imam Muslim in his Sahih Book of Hadith, says,
“Freewill offering is an Evidence (of the donor’s true faith).”
This means that it is an evidence of your truthfulness and your belief.
In this sense, the free will offering is a financial type of devotional service whereby a Muslim confirms his true Faith and sincerity to the Lord All Mighty and His religion. If men of authority do not command him to pay it, the Noble Quran does.
The sixth deduction: "to purify them":
From the phrase “to purify them” it is understood that Zakat purifies the soul of the rich from avarice which is a very dangerous evil quality that is conducive to loss of dignity, disloyalty, murder, crime, grudge and feud among the poor. No individual, or society, will ever be prosperous where avarice and niggardliness dominate. To this effect, Allah All Mighty says,
﴾ And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be the successful. ﴿
Zakat also purifies the soul of the poor from envy and malice towards the rich who hoard up Allah’s wealth and deprive His servants from it. Good work is apt to win people’s hearts and favor, whereas deprivation is apt to gain their malice and hatred. It also purifies the whole society from the seeds of destruction, dissension, disputation and discord.
It also purifies wealth from the rights of others. This is because an extorted rock used to build a house causes its destruction; similarly a dirham deserved by a poor man in the wealth of a rich one is apt to blemish it all. The Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), says,
“If you pay the Zakat of your wealth you safeguard yourself from its evil.”
He PBUH also says,
"Protect your wealth by Zakat"
((Whenever any amount of wealth is destroyed in the land or in the sea it could be because its Zakat was not paid.))
The seventh deduction: "and to cleanse them thereby":
Az Zakat is growth and augmentation to the rich:
From﴾ to purify them and sanctify them with it ﴿ growth and augmentation can be inferred. This is because Zakat is growth and augmentation to the poor, the rich and wealth. It also enhances and develops social relations and human principles and values. It is growth of the personality of the rich and their spiritual entity. A rich man who does favor to others, does deeds of righteousness, gives off, out of his own free will, in order to help his fellow humans, and do what Allah All Mighty has commanded him to do, such a man is sure to feel happy and contented, like someone who has won a battle. In fact he has won the battle against his avarice, weakness, egoism, and caprice, which is a great spiritual enhancement. Perhaps this is a part of the meaning of ﴾and sanctify them with it, ﴿ which follows ﴾ to purify them ﴿ in the above Quranic Ayah.
Az Zakat grows the personality of the poor:
Zakat grows the personality of the poor. It makes them feel that they are neither lost nor unheeded in their society. They feel that they are not discarded or forgotten in weakness and poverty. They feel that their society helps them get rid of their hardship and shoulder their responsibilities, and provides them with every help to overcome their difficulties. Even more, they do not get financial aids from a certain person or individual to whom they feel inferior; but rather they receive help from the men in authority. This way their dignity and self-respect are by no means injured or humiliated. If, however, individuals wish to offer help to other fellow humans, they are strongly warned by the Noble Quran of displaying any kind of reproach or injury to the poor or needy. To this effect, the Quranic Ayaht go,
﴾Kind words and forgiving of faults are better than Sadaqah (charity) followed by injury.﴿
Az Zakat is growth and increase of wealth:
Az Zakat is also growth and increase of wealth. How is it so while yet it seems to be decrease of wealth when part of it is paid to the poor. It is well-known to specialized people that behind this seeming decrease their stands a real increase; an increase of the general wealth of society, an increase of the wealth of the rich themselves. This is because paying Zakat augments purchasing power of the poor which in turn yields profits to those who pay Zakat themselves. This is exactly what the Quranic Ayah denotes,
﴾ And whatsoever you spend of anything (in Allah's Cause), He will replace it. And He is the Best of providers." ﴿
Allah also says:
﴾ Allah will destroy Riba (usury) and will give increase for Sadaqat (deeds of charity, alms, etc.) ﴿
Wealth and substance of the Zakat-giver will be increased through Divine Providence, not through any other materialistic ways.
Az Zakat is a kind of social security:
Az Zakat is also a kind of social security introduced by the religion of Islam, which abhors having in human society anyone deprived of food that suffices them, garment that protects them and a house that shelters them. Therefore, Muslims are strongly demanded to strive to attain such human requirements and rights by lawful means. If someone fails to do so, the whole Muslim society is there to sponsor and support him, and not to leave him easy prey to poverty and need.
Nu'man bin Bashir (May Allah bepleased with them) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever".
Az Zakat bridges the gap between the rich and the poor:
Az Zakat is also an Islamic strategy whereby the gap between the rich and the poor is bridged. Being the religion of pure human Nature, Islam acknowledges man’s natural inclination to earning and possessing money; yet it ordains certain rules and principles that guarantee welfare and prosperity to all mankind. Such rules and principles prevent the rich from increasing in richness at the expense of the poor and protect the poor and safeguard their rights for a happy decent life. Islam, for example, forbids usury, monopoly, extravagance, luxury, and bids to cooperation, expenditure and charity.
It forbids hoarding up of wealth or preventing it from playing its vital role in the field of work and development for the sake of prosperity and welfare of the whole nation. It strives to make the most of wealth and not to leave it where it would be an inactive paralyzed source of power whose owner wastes extravagantly here and there so as to increase the gap existing between the rich and the poor in depth and width. That is why Islam strongly forbids treasuring up of wealth and threatens those who do so,
﴾ 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. 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." ﴿
The Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), showed out that any kind of wealth, no matter how great, whose Zakat has been paid is not a treasure. Even more, imposing Zakat on wealth conduces to its exploitation in production and development projects lest it should be consumed by Zakat. That’s why the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), bade legal guardians of orphans’ wealth to invest it and use it in trade lest it should be consumed by Zakat.
Above all, Islam strongly forbids prodigality, squander and unwise expenditure of wealth. This is because other fellow humans have rights in this wealth. In the Divine Hadith, Allah All Mighty says,
“The rich are My custodians (of My Wealth); and the poor are My dependents; and whosoever forbids My dependents My wealth, I shall make him taste of My chastisement, and I care not.”
These are some of the ripe fruits of Zakat:
These are some of the ripe fruits of Zakat. Why should not they be ripe since the Gracious Quran guides to the way that is straightest?! It was narrated that Omar bin Al-Khattab, one day sent Mo’ath bin Jabbal to Yemen as a commander there. After sometime, Mu’ath sent one third of the Zakat to Omar. Omar rejected that and said to Mu’ath: ‘You have not been dispatched there as a tax collector or Jizya-taker [i.e. one who collects the head tax on free non Muslims under Muslim rule] !! You have been sent there to take from the wealth of their rich men what helps the poor of them. Mu’ath replied: ‘I have not sent you anything I could find anyone poor or needy to accept it from me.”
The next year, Mu’ath sent half of the Zakat, and they both discussed the matter again. The third year, he sent him all the Zakat. Again, they discussed the matter. Mu’ath said, ‘I have not found anyone who accepts anything from me!”
It was also said that when Omar bin Abdul Aziz, after having been a Caliph for thirty months, rich men used to bring great amounts of wealth for the Zakat, but they could find no one poor or needy to accept it!! Therefore, it was said that Omar bin Abdul Aziz made everyone of his people rich.
It is more proper to say that it was Islam that made everyone rich. The Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), brought good tidings of this common welfare saying,
Narrated Haritha bin Wahab: I heard the Prophet (PBUH) saying, "O people! Give in charity as a time will come upon you when a person will wander about with his object of charity and will not find anybody to accept it, and one (who will be requested to take it) will say,
"If you had brought it yesterday, would have taken it, but today I am not in need of it."
Famine, drought and epidemics are but the outcome of not paying Zakat:
Rain might be scarce, rivers might go dry, springs might sweep away; frost might destroy plants and pastures, trees might become fruitless, insects and epidemics might destroy harvests and crops, strong winds might blow off trees and destroy houses, a certain kind of fly might overcome a harvest, a worm another, locusts might come to destroy everything, and man stands amazed before such phenomena trying to find out the causes behind such disasters!
Science tells him: the increase of CO2 in the air caused gaps in the Ozone layer which led to changes of temperature, speed of wind and lines of rains. Such scientific explanation is not convincing enough for Muslims! It does not prevent them from asking the One and Only, the Originator of all causes, Creator of all worlds and Revealer of the Noble Quran, about the real cause of all this. He Most Merciful, in reply, says,
﴾ And if the people of the towns had believed and had the Taqwa (piety), certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth ﴿
﴾ If they (non-Muslims) had believed in Allah, and went on the Right Way (i.e. Islam) We should surely have bestowed on them water (rain) in abundance. ﴿
If we also ask the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), who was sent by Divine Providence, he replies,
“Any people who refuse to pay Zakat, Allah is sure to try (afflict) them with years of dearth (i.e., poverty and Famine)”
“Should they refuse to pay the Zakat enjoined on their wealth, they will be deprived of rain of the sky; would it not be for the animals, they would never have rain.”
“No wealth, whether on land or sea, shall ever be destroyed save by holding back Zakat.”
Zakat Al Fitr :
1- Zakat Al Fitr purifies the Sa'em (the one who observes Sawm):
There is one more topic in this Khutbah to tackle.
It is about Zakat Al Fitr (an amount of money that every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of their need must pay).
Our fasting and night prayers (during Ramadan) are not lifted to Allah the Almighty unless we pay this Zakat.
Allah commands us to pay Zakat Al Fitr which purifies the Sa'em from all the errors he has done during Ramadan, and it also offers food to the wretched, so he doesn't have to ask people.
2- Who have to pay Zakat Al Fitr?
Zakat Al Fitr is an amount of money that every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of their need must pay, whether he is free, a male in slavery, a female, a child, an adult, rich or poor.
One should pay Zakat Al Fitr for his self first, and then he should pay for every human being he supports (i.e. his wife, children, mother father or siblings if he supports them financially).
3- How much is Zakat Al Fitr?
Zakat Al Fitr (in its least amount) equals the money that is paid for half Saa' (weights scale A standard measure that equals 3 KG grams) of wheat (about 2 Kilograms of wheat) for every human being (he supports), and man can pay more than that as much as he wants because Allah says:
﴾ Let the rich man spend according to his means ﴿
There is no exceeding in expenditure in a good cause, and there is no good in extravagance.
4- The wisdom behind Zakat Al Fitr:
The wisdom behind Zakat Al Fitr is to let every Muslim (even the poor) taste the sweetness of spending in the cause of Allah so that man may train himself to spend on the needy whether he is in prosperity or in poverty and in order to have the upper hand.
Zakat Al Fitr can be paid from day one in Ramadan, until before going out to offer Eid Salah.
It is recommended that Zakat Al Fitr is paid to the relatives, except for the ascendants and descendants and except for the husband and the wife.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds
The second Khutbah:
1- He, who does not expend in the Way of Allah, he is sure to cast himself, by his own hands, into destruction:
Allah the Almighty says in the noble Quran:
﴾ And spend in the Cause of Allah (i.e. Jihad of all kinds, etc.) and do not throw yourselves into destruction (by not spending your wealth in the Cause of Allah) ﴿
This Ayah denotes that a Muslim who does not expend in the Way of Allah - and paying out Zakat is a part of this expenditure - he is sure to cast himself, by his own hands, into destruction!
2- The story of Tha'labah (the pigeon of the Mosque):
In application and confirmation of this purport, we bring forth the following story: In the Prophetic biography of the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), it was mentioned that a man called Tha’labah was used to be called "The pigeon of the Mosque" because he never missed At takbeer for every Salah behind the Master of mankind (i.e. the prophet PBUH). Once he was noticed by the Messenger of Allah as wearing shabby garments. The Messenger of Allah asked him,
“How are you, Tha’labah?”
Tha’labah replied
“I am as you see me.”
And he didn’t praise Allah because his heart was heedless and because he was involved in the trivial and perishable pleasures of the present world. One day, Tha’labah came to the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), and said,
“O Messenger of Allah! Ask Allah to make me rich!”
The Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), gave him a deliberate look and said,
“O Tha’labah! A little that suffices you is better than a lot that drives you to insolent disobedience; a little for which you be thankful is better than a lot whose rights you fail to fulfill. O Tha'labah be contented with what Allah has allotted for you, and then you will be (as it were) the richest of all people. O Tha'labah, riches is not that of multitude of wealth; riches is that of man’s noble soul. And whosoever becomes depressed for the present world becomes discontented with his Lord; Whosoever complains of a distress visiting him is discontented with Allah; Whosoever goes to a wealthy man seeking his money loses two thirds of his religion.”
However, Tha’labah insisted on his request and even confirmed,
“If Allah enriches me, surely I will make freewill offerings and become one of the righteous. Only then the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), invoked,
“O Allah! Enrich Tha’labah with whatever You will and the way You will!”
The Messenger’s supplication was answered and Tha’labah was given lots and lots of sheep that the paths of Madinah became too crowded with them.
But what happened after that? Upon missing him in the Mosque, the prophet PBUH was told that the wings of the pigeon of the Masjid (i.e. Tha'labah) had been cut off and had been submerged in the mud of wealth….
Is life all about money and wealth? No! By Allah it is but about obedience to the Most Gracious (i.e. Allah).
Unless man is dressed in the raiment of righteousness
He will walk naked even if he has his clothes on
The best of raiment for man is obeying his Lord
There is no good in a man who disobeys Allah
Tha’laba stopped going to the mosque for prayer. The Messenger of Allah asked about him (Pigeon of the Mosque as he was called) and knew that the man stopped all his relationship with the mosque, as he became too proud and arrogant to sit down on the ground and prostrate to Allah! A whole year passed, and the Messenger of Allah sent one of his men to collect Zakat from Tha’laba, who reconsidered the matter and then uttered the word of evil, as he addressed the Zakat collector disparagingly, “Tell your fellow (he meant the Messenger of Allah) that there is no Zakat in Islam.”
The Zakat-collector said, “Don’t you think that he is your fellow, as well?! You have added to your evil act of not paying Zakat another evil one, namely renouncing allegiance and breaking your covenant. The Messenger of Allah was informed of Tha’labah’s deed, and said
“Woe unto Tha’labah!”
Soon, Allah revealed verses to be read till the Day of Recompense about Tha’labah and the like of him,
﴾ And of them are some who made a covenant with Allah (saying): "If He bestowed on us of His Bounty, we will verily, give Sadaqah (Zakat and voluntary charity in Allah's Cause) and will be certainly among those who are righteous." Then when He gave them of His Bounty, they became niggardly [refused to pay the Sadaqah (Zakat or voluntary charity)], and turned away, averse. So He punished them by putting hypocrisy into their hearts till the Day whereon they shall meet Him, because they broke that (covenant with Allah) which they had promised Him and because they used to tell lies. Know they not that Allah knows their secret ideas, and their Najwa (secret counsels), and that Allah is the All-Knower of the unseen. ﴿
And Allah speaks the truth as He says,
﴾ And spend in the Cause of Allah (i.e. Jihad of all kinds, etc.) and do not throw yourselves into destruction (by not spending your wealth in the Cause of Allah) ﴿
And He says:
﴾Verily, man (disbeliever) was created very impatient; Irritable (discontented) when evil touches him; And niggardly when good touches him;- Except those devoted to Salat (prayers) Those who remain constant in their Salat (prayers); And those in whose wealth there is a known right, For the beggar who asks, and for the unlucky who has lost his property and wealth, (and his means of living has been straitened); And those who believe in the Day of Recompense,﴿
