What is Zakah
Out of five, Zakah is the third pillar of Islam. The literal meaning of Zakah is to purify something or to promote its growth. Therefore, the act of paying Zakah is the best means of purity of wealth with increase in it. In terms of Shari’ah, Zakah implies making a Muslim Faqir owner of the Shari’ah-fixed part of one’s wealth, for the pleasure of Allah .
The Muslim Faqir must neither be a Hashmi [i.e. a descendant of the Holy Prophet], nor an emancipated slave of any Hashmi. The Zakah-paying person must not also obtain any benefit from paid Zakah.
Primary Aim:
The primary aim of Zakah is to help the poor and to provide the deserving people with essential things, enabling the affluent people to make their contribution to the welfare and well-being of society. Undoubtedly, Zakah is the best means of eradicating poverty. If all the rich people pay their full Zakah, then the issue of poverty will be eliminated. Remember! As the circulation of blood
is essential throughout the body, or else, the body part unsupplied with blood will be paralyzed, becoming a burden and trouble for the whole body; the distribution of the amount of Zakah and Fitrah among all deserving people is also similarly essential, or else, this will compound the problems of the distressed people besides having negative impacts on society.
Keep in Mind:
It should also be kept in mind that Zakah is not like ordinary charity. If someone pays ordinary charity, it’s fine; if not, it does not matter; but this is not the case with Zakah. According to the Holy Quran and Ahadis, it is Fard to pay Zakah, a monetary worship. This is the right of the poor which must be fulfilled without hurting their self-respect. The significance of Zakah can also be realized by the fact that Zakah has been mentioned in the Holy Quran more or less 82 times with Salah, an important act of worship.
When the Noble Prophet (PBUH) appointed Sayyiduna Mu’az Bin Jabal as the governor of Yemen, he gave him the following piece of advice besides others at the time of his departure: “Tell them that Allah has made Zakah mandatory on their wealth which will be taken from the rich and given to the poor.” (Tirmizi, Kitab-uz-Zakah, vol. 2, pp. 126, Hadis 625)
Reminder:
Those not paying Zakah assume that their wealth will be reduced if they pay Zakah. They are under the impression that they will derive peace and comfort from their wealth living a luxurious and lavish lifestyle and satisfying their every whim. In fact, all of these things are nothing but a trick of Nafs and Satan that has entrapped many of the rich. Such people should ponder over the fact that their entire wealth is a divinely-bestowed favor. If they keep this in mind, they will find it easy to pay Zakah wholeheartedly besides reaping all of its benefits and blessings described in the Holy Quran and Ahadis; such as, perfection of faith, acquisition of divine mercy and help, piety, righteousness, path to success, a demonstration of Islamic brotherhood, reward of pleasing a Muslim, purity of wealth, getting rid of bad characteristics, blessing and protection of wealth and prayers of the poor for the Zakah-paying person etc. If someone does not pay Zakah after it has become Wajib for him, he will face loss in the world and in the Hereafter. One of the biggest losses of the hereafter is that such a person will suffer great torment. Secondly, the wealth he had saved parsimoniously instead of paying Zakah will be heated in the hellfire and the forehead, back and sides of that person will be branded with it, as described in the Holy Quran. Furthermore, that wealth will become the shackles of his neck
As for the worldly punishment, such people face financial loss day by day and ultimately lose all of their wealth. According to a Hadis, not paying Zakah is the main cause of every financial loss on land and in sea. Furthermore, this also causes drought, depriving people of rain.
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