Zakah: Qualifications to benefit by
zakah
Q737 :You have mentioned on more than one occasion
that zakah money may be paid only to eight classes of people in which
you included the poor, the needy and those whose hearts are to be won
over. Could you please explain what is meant by these three classes.
How to differentiate the needy from the poor? Is it permissible to pay
zakah money to people who wish to embrace Islam in order to encourage
them to take that step?
A737 : Let me begin by giving a translation of the
verse which enumerates the eight classes who may benefit by zakah. It
may be rendered in English as follows : " Alms may be given only to the
poor, the needy, officers in charge of zakah, those whose hearts are to
be won over, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage, and for
those who are overburdened with debts, and for the struggle in Allah's
cause, and for (stranded) wayfarers. This is an ordinance from Allah;
and Allah is all-knowing, wise." ( 9; 60). Scholars differ as to
whether "the poor and the needy" are one class or two different classes
of people. They also differ as to who is worse off: the poor or the
needy? It is beyond the scope of this column to go into the details of
these differences. It is sufficient to say that all sorts of poverty
and all its degrees qualify the poor to benefit from zakah. The
operative criterion which determines poverty is not how little a man
has, but whether he has enough or not. If a person has an income from
his work or from a pension or a building he lets out, but the income
does not satisfy his own and his family's needs, then he qualifies as a
poor person who is entitled to receive zakah. Basic needs include food
and clothes for the person and his family as well as reasonable
accommodation and furniture and the necessary tools for his trade and
means of transport. In order to know for certain who qualifies to
benefit from zakah under these two headings, it is useful to throw some
light on the opposite state of being "rich." Scholars agree on the
meaning of richness which makes one liable to pay out zakah. This sort
of richness means that one owns a certain minimum of money in certain
conditions. According to the Maliki and El-Shaf'ie and the Hanbali
schools of thought, richness means owning what is enough for one's
needs. He who does not need extra money to provide for his basic needs
cannot be entitled to zakah, even if he does not own anything.
Conversely, if he is in need, then he qualifies as poor or needy, even
if he owns what may be considered a fair amount of money by many
people. Imam El-Shaf'ie says : "A man may be rich if he owns only one
dirham (the smallest currency unit at the time) and is able to earn,
while another may have one thousand dirhams but may still be considered
poor if he is unable to earn or if he has too many dependants." Thus,
poverty means being in need while richness is the opposite case. It
may be asked whether zakah money may be paid to someone who is able to
work but prefers not to do so, because he feels that without work he
may claim zakah. The answer, according to most schools of thought is
that such a person cannot claim zakah and may not be paid any zakah
money which is apportioned to the poor and needy. The prophet states
very clearly : "Zakah may not be paid to anyone who is rich or to
anyone who is strong and healthy." This pronouncement is restricted by
another condition which is that the strong and healthy should also have
a job to earn his living. If he cannot find work, then he may be paid
from zakah, or, better still, he should be helped to find work. Muslim
scholars have also specified that if a person who is able to work
decides to spend all his time in worship, praying for much of the time
and fasting as many days as he can, then he may not be paid from zakah.
We are told clearly that to work in order to earn one's living is far
better, in Allah's view, than voluntary worship, provided that one does
not contravene the bounds of religion in his work. Islam does not
approve of this type of full-time worship if it means that one becomes
a burden to society or to others. On the other hand, if one seeks
better education and cannot combine this with working for his living,
then he may be paid from zakah what is enough for his needs until he
finishes his studies. Such a student is given from zakah because the
benefit of his education is not restricted to himself. The whole
society benefits from it. People "whose hearts are to be won over" may
be divided into several groups : 1. A person who, if given from
zakah. may become a Muslim or may persuade his people to become
Muslims. 2. A person who is hostile to Islam but, if given from
zakah, he and others with him may keep quiet. 3. A newcomer to
Islam, even if he is rich. The point here is that a newcomer may find
certain difficulties. His family or his people may turn against him,
and he may lose his job, or he may encounter other types of opposition.
Financial assistance in such cases may go a long way to reassure him
that he has made the right decision. 4. Some of the leading figures
among the non-Muslims may be given from zakah in order to encourage
others like them to become Muslims. 5. People who live in the
border areas may also be given from zakah in order to encourage them
to defend the borders, in case they are attacked by non-Muslims. Some
scholars, including Imam El-Shaf'ie, are of the opinion that this class
of people does not include non-Muslims. Other eminent scholars say that
this class of people includes Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Quite a
few scholars, over the ages, have been of the opinion that there is no
longer any need to win over the heart of anyone. They argue that since
Islam has established itself as a strong, firmly rooted religion, there
is no longer any need to spend zakah money in order to make some
people sympathetic to Islam. Other scholars who have a different view
argue that the need to win the sympathy of certain people can be
assessed at any particular time. It does not follow that there will
always be such people to win over. This need varies according to the
situation of the Muslim community. It is up to a Muslim ruler to
decide, in his discretion, whether to utilize part of the zakah money
in order to win over certain people. It is up to him also to decide not
to give such money to any people who used to receive it under his
predecessor. Zakah is paid to those of its beneficiaries who exist at
any particular time. If one or more of the eight classes of
beneficiaries does not exist at any particular time, then its share is
not paid out. Withholding it does not constitute an invalidation of
Allah's ruling. Indeed the need to win certain people over to Islam
does not cease. Some scholars of the Maliki school of thought argue
that such people are not given zakah money in order that they will help
us, but to make Islam acceptable to them so that we help them save
themselves. In other words, this is one of the means of calling people
to Islam. Imam Al-Tabari points out that there are two reasons for
paying out zakah. One is to remove a certain weakness of a Muslim and
the other is to strengthen Islam. if zakah is paid for the latter
purpose then it may be paid to rich and poor people alike. The
recipients here are not given zakah money because they need it but
because Islam needs their help.It is needless to say that only a Muslim
ruler may decide to pay zakah money to this class of people. Such
decision relates to the internal and the external policy of the Muslim
state. It is possible, however, that an Islamic organization takes over
such a responsibility in a situation where the government does not care
about zakah or about Islam generally.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News - Jeddah )