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Zakat (Tax): Difference between revisions
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'''Zakāt''' (زكاة) is one of the [[Five Pillars of Islam]]. According to traditional Islamic sources it is a [[fard]] (obligatory) | '''Zakāt''' (زكاة) is one of the [[Five Pillars of Islam]]. According to traditional Islamic sources it is a [[fard]] (obligatory) tax<ref name="EBZT">{{cite web|url= http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/655448/zakat|title= zakat (Islamic tax)|publisher= Encyclopedia Britannica|author= |date= accessed November 16, 2013|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.britannica.com%2FEBchecked%2Ftopic%2F655448%2Fzakat&date=2013-11-15|deadurl=no}}</ref> required of Muslims, amounting to about 2.5% of one's wealth over the course of a year. [[Slavery|Slaves]] and horses owned by Muslims are exempt from this taxation.<ref>"''Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "There is no Zakat either on a horse or a slave belonging to a Muslim"''" - {{Bukhari|2|24|542}}</ref><ref>"''Narrated Abu Huraira :- The Prophet said,"There is no Zakat either on a slave or on a horse belonging to a Muslim.''" - {{Bukhari|2|24|543}}</ref> | ||
==Recipients== | ==Recipients== | ||
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Debtors (al-gharimin): This is regarding a person who despite having assets at his disposal, he is overwhelmed with debt and the debt exceeds the value of his assets. | Debtors (al-gharimin): This is regarding a person who despite having assets at his disposal, he is overwhelmed with debt and the debt exceeds the value of his assets. | ||
Those in the cause of Allah (fi sabil Allah): According to the majority of scholars, this refers to and is restricted to only those people who are engaged in Jihad (military struggle). | Those in the cause of Allah (fi sabil Allah): According to the majority of scholars, this refers to and is restricted to only those people who are engaged in [[Jihad]] (military struggle). | ||
Travellers (ibn al-sabil): This refers to those travellers who are in a desperate situation and have no access to their personal money. Money nowadays can be wired across the globe in a matter of minutes, hence, one who has the ability to receive his money, will not be allowed to take Zakat or Sadaqat al-Fitr.}} | Travellers (ibn al-sabil): This refers to those travellers who are in a desperate situation and have no access to their personal money. Money nowadays can be wired across the globe in a matter of minutes, hence, one who has the ability to receive his money, will not be allowed to take Zakat or Sadaqat al-Fitr.}} | ||
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There is an exception that non-Muslims can receive zakat "to attract the hearts of those inclined towards Islam", which is one of the eight categories of zakat recipients (although scholars of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence consider this category to be abrogated <ref name="sunnipath"></ref>), and it is permissible to give [[w:Sadaqah|sadaqah]] (regular, voluntary charity, not the obligatory zakat) to poor non-Muslims. <ref>Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid, [{{Reference archive|1=http://islamqa.com/en/ref/21384|2=2011-10-02}} "Giving zakaah to kaafirs"], Islam Q&A, Fatwa No. 21384</ref> | There is an exception that non-Muslims can receive zakat "to attract the hearts of those inclined towards Islam", which is one of the eight categories of zakat recipients (although scholars of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence consider this category to be abrogated <ref name="sunnipath"></ref>), and it is permissible to give [[w:Sadaqah|sadaqah]] (regular, voluntary charity, not the obligatory zakat) to poor non-Muslims. <ref>Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid, [{{Reference archive|1=http://islamqa.com/en/ref/21384|2=2011-10-02}} "Giving zakaah to kaafirs"], Islam Q&A, Fatwa No. 21384</ref> | ||
This has led to mainstream Islamic charities, like Islamic Relief, almost exclusively focusing their humanitarian work and funds in Muslim majority nations or areas in non-Muslim countries which are heavily populated by Muslim minorities, with noteable exceptions such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake and floods in central China.<ref>http://www.islamic-relief.org/annual-reports/</ref> In the aftermath of the 2010 | This has led to mainstream Islamic charities, like Islamic Relief, almost exclusively focusing their humanitarian work and funds in Muslim majority nations or areas in non-Muslim countries which are heavily populated by Muslim minorities, with noteable exceptions such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake and floods in central China.<ref>http://www.islamic-relief.org/annual-reports/</ref> In the aftermath of the 2010 Pakistan floods, many Christian survivors were denied aid supplied by Muslim charities.<ref>[http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7460 Pakistan: some Christians denied aid unless they convert to Islam] - Catholic Culture, September 6, 2010</ref> | ||
During the [[w:COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan|COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan]], reports emerged that rations were being denied to minority [[w:Hinduism in Pakistan|Hindus]] and [[w:Christians in Pakistan|Christians]] in the coastal areas of Karachi. The [[w:Saylani Welfare Trust|Saylani Welfare Trust]], carrying out the relief work, said that the aid was reserved for Muslims alone.<ref>[https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/covid-19-hindus-denied-food-supplies-in-pakistan-s-karachi-120033000041_1.html COVID-19: Hindus denied food supplies in Pakistan's Karachi] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200403212904/https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/covid-19-hindus-denied-food-supplies-in-pakistan-s-karachi-120033000041_1.html |date=3 April 2020 }}, Business Standard, 30 March 2020.</ref><ref> | |||
Shafique Khokhar, [http://asianews.it/news-en/Coronavirus:-Karachi-NGO-denies-food-to-poor-Hindus-and-Christians-49699.html Coronavirus: Karachi NGO denies food to poor Hindus and Christians], Asia News (Italy), 30 March 2020. | |||
</ref> On 14 April 2020, the [[w:US Commission on International Religious Freedom|US Commission on International Religious Freedom]] expressed concern with the discrimination. Other organisations, including [[w:Edhi Foundation|Edhi Foundation]], [[w:JDC Welfare Organization|JDC Welfare Organization]] and [[w:Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan|Jamaat-e-Islami]] are reported to have stepped forward to provide relief to the minorities.<ref> | |||
[https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/uscirf-says-troubled-by-denial-of-food-to-pakistani-hindus-christians/story-E4XHUc6GOs2TfURkTelnFK.html USCIRF says ‘troubled’ by denial of food to Pakistani Hindus, Christians amid Covid-19 crisis], ''Hindustan Times'', 14 April 2020. | |||
</ref> | |||
===Jihadists=== | ===Jihadists=== | ||
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==Donation and Taxation== | ==Donation and Taxation== | ||
[[Islamic Terms|Islamic terms]] are often not completely analogous to the commonly-accepted/non-Islamic concepts they are mostly associated with. In Islamic terms, zakat is both a tax and a charity, and no problem is seen with discussing it as both, along with actual voluntary Islamic charity (i.e. the sadaqah). But by its commonly-accepted definition, it is strictly a tax. | [[Glossary of Islamic Terms|Islamic terms]] are often not completely analogous to the commonly-accepted/non-Islamic concepts they are mostly associated with. In Islamic terms, zakat is both a tax and a charity, and no problem is seen with discussing it as both, along with actual voluntary Islamic charity (i.e. the sadaqah). But by its commonly-accepted definition, it is strictly a tax. | ||
When considering compulsory taxation in most non-Islamic nations, it is charged on certain goods and is taken by the state from individual yearly earnings and then in part distributed to those within the state who are unemployed, or other public services, such as the state's military services. In essence, this tax functions similarly to zakat, with the state distributing portions of the tax revenue for welfare purposes in accordance with the benevolent values of the society. | When considering compulsory taxation in most non-Islamic nations, it is charged on certain goods and is taken by the state from individual yearly earnings and then in part distributed to those within the state who are unemployed, or other public services, such as the state's military services. In essence, this tax functions similarly to zakat, with the state distributing portions of the tax revenue for welfare purposes in accordance with the benevolent values of the society. | ||
Like taxes, zakat is a fard (obligatory) requirement from Muslims, amounting to about 2.5% of one's wealth over the course of a year. It is levied on five categories of | Like taxes, zakat is a fard (obligatory) requirement from Muslims, amounting to about 2.5% of one's wealth over the course of a year. It is levied on five categories of property—food grains; fruit; camels, cattle, sheep, and goats; gold and silver; and movable goods—and is payable each year after one year’s possession.<ref name="EBZT"></ref> | ||
The collection and expenditure of this zakat throughout Islam's history has been a function of the state. The compulsory payment was collected and distributed by the state under the Prophet [[Muhammad]], the Rightly-Guided [[Caliph]]s, the later Caliphate, and is even collected and distributed by the state in some theocracies today (for example, Saudi Arabia).<ref name="EBZT"></ref>. The first Caliph, Abu Bakr, enforced the collection of zakat from Arab tribes that had rebelled after Muhammad's death (see [[w:Ridda Wars|Ridda Wars]]). | The collection and expenditure of this zakat throughout Islam's history has been a function of the state. The compulsory payment was collected and distributed by the state under the Prophet [[Muhammad]], the Rightly-Guided [[Caliph]]s, the later Caliphate, and is even collected and distributed by the state in some theocracies today (for example, Saudi Arabia).<ref name="EBZT"></ref>. The first Caliph, Abu Bakr, enforced the collection of zakat from Arab tribes that had rebelled after Muhammad's death (see [[w:Ridda Wars|Ridda Wars]]). | ||