Ramadan Lectures- Ramadan Notions 11445H- Lesson 19: Zakat is Taken from and is not Given by the One Who Pays it
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In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Zakat is taken from and is not given by the one who pays it:
There is an Ayah in the Noble Quran about Zakat which is considered a basic ruling in that matter. 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, and Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower. ﴿
Let us stop at the verb "take": The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, is the addressee in this Ayah, but some scholars commented on it saying, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, is not addressed in this Ayah as the Prophet or the ruler of Muslims at that time, but rather this Ayah confirms the fact that Zakat is taken from the one who is supposed to pay it and not given by him, because it is an essential financial factor in distributing fortunes."
It is a serious problem to have the money owned only by some people, because it should be circulated among all the members of the Ummah as Allah the Almighty ordains. When the minority possesses money, while the majority is deprived of it, the situation of the Ummah will be critical, since it will be unstable, and the way to its progress will be blocked. Zakat is an important factor for financial stability of the Ummah since it gives the rights of the poor, and it lets the rich fulfill their financial duties towards the poor.
Paying Zakat is not up to the Muslim in the sense of having the option to pay it or not, definitely not, because Allah the Almighty says in the Ayah:
﴾ Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth… ﴿
