BY: SUHAIL BASHIR KAR
An overwhelmingly positive development which the society has witnessed from last few years is with regard to the awareness towards the obligation of Zakat. According to a report carried out by The Guardian, Muslims donate around three and half million dollars of Zakat per year. Majority of them calculate the amount on their own and donate the respective share on individual level.
However, even after a donation of such huge amount, one fails to witness a considerable decline in the number of poverty stricken people, as would have been a genuine expectation. The bottleneck for the same, as is pretty evident, is the absence of a properly managed and well executed system of collecting the amount of Zakat and then disbursing the same on a community level, rather than on individual level. This sucks the gravitas out of the very concept of Zakat, as propounded by Islam.
Zakat, in Islam, is a collective endeavor which while striving to curb poverty, gives due attention in retaining the essence of individual effort in it. It is in consonance to the same that Imam Razi, establishing his verdict on the Quranic premise declares that it falls within the jurisdiction of the leader of Muslims to collect Zakat from his Muslim subjects.
During the golden epoch of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), special attention was paid to this department of the state wherein all the important officials would be appointed by Prophet (PBUH) himself. And these undoubtedly were the most able from the lot. Hazrat Umar (RA) was to administer the outskirts of Madina, the tribe of Banu-Kalb was under the charge of Abdul Rahman-bin-A’uf, Hazrat Umar-bin-A’as was given the charge of the tribe Fazara, Hazrat Abu-Obaidah was to collect Zakat from the tribes of Azina and Kanana, and both the tribes of Tai and Asad were taken care of by Hazrat Adi-ibn-Hatim.
The significance which the collective mechanism of Zakat holds in the Islamic body of governance can very well be gauged by the fact that during the reign of Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) certain tribes refused to donate the amount of Zakat in the central trust of government; Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) out rightly called for an armed action against them.
Unfortunate on our part, we have committed grave errors in understanding both the spirit and mechanism of Zakat. Moulana Abul Kalam Azad very well captures our attitude towards Zakat in his book Haqeeqat-e-Zakat: “With time, the real concept of Zakat started to fade among Muslims, due to which a concocted version of Zakat crept into their minds which stated it no more than a meager amount of money, earmarked to be donated to poor on individual level.
This is in direct violation of the Quranic teachings in this regard which in no capacity appreciate any other mode of it, except the collective one. And such Muslims will definitely be held accountable for the same in the court of Allah”. There are clearly stated options in which the amount of Zakat can be used, and it is only possible from the state that it will ensure the amount is duly invested in the prescribed accounts. Moulana Sadr-ud-Din Islahi writes in his book Islam: Ek Nazr Main: “The way Muslims establish mosques to lead the obligatory prayers collectively, it is incumbent upon them to set up a central trust (Baitul Ma’al) in order to collect the amount of Zakat and disburse among the needy ones. This way, the purpose of Zakat will be accomplished to a large extent. Even though in the absence of an Islamic state, the purpose may not be fulfilled completely, but still a considerable number of purposes will be served. If such a road map is not adopted, it will be collective mischief”. Just like the obligation of prayers can be fulfilled outside mosque also but it will lose its significance, quite similarly the donation of Zakat on individual level may relieve one from the obligation but it will surely fail to accomplish the real purpose which it is dovetailed with. This precisely is the reason why Abu Bakr (RA) coerced people to donate Zakat in the public trust, instead of distributing it individually.
The dearth of institutions in the first place is a big challenge faced by Muslim community. And if there are any, different misconceptions have badly hampered their functioning. These include false doctrines like giving zakat to poor relatives and religious schools doubles the reward for it. While as what is stated in the corresponding Hadith is to give Sadqah to poor relatives first, it is not about Zakat which is both to be collected and distributed on community level.
Likewise, around seventy percent of Zakat goes to the religious schools which are in direct violation of the hierarchy that is prescribed in the Quran. The Quranic wisdom is to give priority to the account which is mentioned first and then the rest in accordance to the sequence. The sequence maintained by the Quran is as such: “Zakāh expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed for it and for bringing hearts together [for Islām] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allāh and for the [stranded] traveler – an obligation [imposed] by Allāh. And Allāh is Knowing and Wise”. (9:60)
The above hierarchy very explicitly states that the most deserving of our Zakat is the poor of our society. Here, it seems pertinent to take on board the argument which certain people put forth and goes like this that those who study in the religious schools are the poor students only who belong to marginalized families.
However, as per the Hanafi school of jurisdiction, it is mandatory that the amount of Zakat is given under the ownership of deserving, he or she is then entitled to use the money according to his/her convenience. Another notable misconception stands that Zakat should be given in private, in accordance with the analogy that if the amount is handed over using the right hand, the left one should remain oblivious of the act.
While as, this very principle is to be invoked in case of alms (sadqah), not in the case of Zakat which is a collective act. Worth to mention here, the desirable approach according to Islam is that once the amount of Zakat is collected from a certain locality, it should be distributed among the poor of the same area. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) ordained Hazrat Ma’z bin Jabl that: “Collect the Zakat from their rich and distribute among their poor”.
The ideal approach is that, in case there exists an Islamic state, the amount of Zakat should be handed over to the central trust of government. If that is not the case, people should establish such institutions which shall discharge these types of duties. The president of Islamic Fiqh Academy, India, Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rehmani duly opines: “Where there doesn’t exist any Islamic state, Muslims should invent such collective modes which would ensure that Zakat is collected and distributed on community level”.
Need of the hour is that in almost every society, there should be an institution which would discharge the responsibilities with regard to Zakat. Religious scholars, economists and chattered accountants should be part of this institution and play their respective roles. In a given locality, a single budget should be prepared which would earmark separate slots for all the different accounts like poor and religious schools and funds would be disbursed accordingly.
Moreover, a professional auditor should audit the accounts on annual basis. Only such a modus operandi can ensure the positive change on ground which was witnessed in the golden epoch of Islam and can be made sense of by studying the administration ship of Zakat during the reign of Hazrat Umar (RA). When Hazrat Ma’z bin Jabl (RA) dispatched one third of the total amount of Zakat from Yemen to Hazrat Umar in Medina, the latter responded by saying that Umar (RA) had not appointed him to collect taxes from them and sent to me. Rather, collect the Zakat from their riches and distribute among their poor. Hazrat Ma’z responded by saying that he had not left any poor unattended. Next year, Hazrat Ma’z dispatched half of the total collection of Zakat, Hazrat Umar again refuted by citing the same reason. The year next to this, Hazrat Ma’z dispatched the entire amount of Zakat, and again Hazrat Umar refused to accept. Hazrat Ma’z declared that it is hard to find any deserving person in Yemen who shall be entitled to receive any help from Zakat.
Somewhat similar, during the reign of Umar bin Abdul Aziz, the governor of Egypt, Umar bin Aa’s wrote to the Caliph that there is no one in need of Zakat in my country, what am I supposed to do with this money? Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz told him to purchase slaves from their masters and set them free. Build rest rooms at highways so that passengers may take rest while they travel. Declare monetary help for those young men and women who avert marriage because of financial constraints. The caliph had specially appointed a person whose job was to announce publicly: “Where are the debt-ridden people who want to relieve themselves from the burden of debts? Where are the people who want help to get married? Where are the people who are in need? Where are the orphans and those who have no one to take care of them?” But none would respond to his call as everyone had enough wealth to take care of his needs.
None should falter in taking home the right message which I intended to convey in my above propositions. Donating the Zakat at individual level may fulfill the mandatory obligation though, but the ideal approach is strengthening the collective setup. Islam is a religion which ordains to appoint one of the two as in charge if two people are out for a journey. How come can one expect the same religion to undermine the collective significance of a doctrine like Zakat?