The Obligatory Charity
Zakaa
Literal meaning:(n)
purification
The As are pronounced as in "Cat".
-Concept:
One of the main things that Satan uses to bind us in slavery
is
"money". Many people sell their values, their families and even die for
this idol, money.
As for the Submitters they know that money has no
inherent power in itself, it's power comes from God, which means that
if someone idolized money and made it an end in itself, God may grant
him or her graet fortune, yet without His approval, which brings misery
on that person instead of happiness and satisfaction.
And to help us
break free from the money's hold, God prohibited gambling, as well as
encouraged giving for charity.
Charity in Submission should be given from the excess [2:219], those
who cannot afford are exempted from giving it.
However we must also keep in mind that this "excess" is realtive to
everyone's degree of soul developement and reverence of God, God loves
those who spend in the times of adversity as well as in prosperity
[3:134]
One kind of charity is obligatory on those who can afford it, and
is highly emphasized in Quran, it is called "Zakaa".
-Charity purifies your soul from worshiping money and material vanities,
[9:103] Take from their
money a charity to purify
them and sanctify them. And
encourage them, for your encouragement reassures them. GOD is Hearer,
Omniscient.
-Excerpt from appendix 15, "Authorized
english translation of Quran" by the messenger Rashad Khalifa
The vital importance of Zakat is reflected in God's law: "My mercy
encompasses all things, but i will specify it for the righteous who
give Zakat" (7:156)
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-Money is only a test to see if we will
get over attached to it and lose sight of its Creator or not,
[8:28] You should know that your money and your children are a test,
and that GOD possesses a great recompense.
-The obligatory charity was decreed on
all the Submitters starting with Abraham, passing by the Jews, the
Christians and the Muslims.
[2:110] You
shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory
charity (Zakat). Any good you send forth on behalf of your souls, you
will find it at GOD. GOD is seer of everything you do.
-Method:
1-
Zakaa must be given away "on the day of harvest", as soon as we
recieve "net income" in any form (e.g: money or products), this
practice has been distorted (the Muslims pay the Zakaa once a year)
and restored through the messenger of the
covenant Rashad Khalifa, this applies also to the women, who in general
get their income from their husbands.
[6:141] He is the One who
established gardens, trellised and untrellised, and
palm trees, and crops with different tastes, and olives, and
pomegranate - fruits that are similar, yet dissimilar. Eat from their
fruits, and give the due
alms on the day of harvest, and do not waste
anything. He does not love the wasters.
2- Zakaa is a specific amount that has
been handed down from generation to generation (since Abraham), the
easy Arabic expression that preserved this amount is "Rub'ul'Ushr" which means
"A quarter of one tenth" which translates to 2.5 %
3- Zakaa should be given to the parents, the relatives, the orphans,
the poor, and the traveling alien in this specific order.
As Rashad
taught us, charities given to mosques, hospitals or organizations
cannot be considered Zakaa (obligatory charity).
[2:215] They ask you about giving: say, "The
charity you give shall go to the
parents, the relatives, the orphans, the poor, and the traveling
alien." Any good you do, GOD is fully aware thereof.
-Proofs, 1:
Praise be to God, He
gave us a miracle (19) to reassure our
hearts of anything we have
doubts about, the specific amount of Zakaa is not mentioned in Quran,
however the very word "Al-Zakaa" carries a confirmation of the amount
2.5%.
- (2.5%) "Rub'ul'Ushr"
= "A
quarter of one tenth" = TGV 1076
-"Al-Zakaah" = "Obligatory Charity"
= 221
(same value as the
word
"religion", "Al-Deen", thus emphasizing the function of religion,
Zakaa or purification of the soul)
1076 = 19 x 45 + 221
The quotient of 19 is 45 which is the number of
the only verse where the amount "One tenth" is mentioned in Quran.
[34:45] Those before them disbelieved, and even
though they did not see
one-tenth of (the
miracle) we have given to this generation, when they
disbelieved My messengers, how severe was My retribution!
As for the second amount "One quarter", it is mentioned only in verse
number [4:12],
[4:12] You get half of what
your wives leave behind, if they had no
children.
If they had children, you get one-fourth
of what they leave. All this,
after fulfilling any will they had left, and after paying off all
debts. They get one-fourth
of what you leave behind, if you had no
children. If you had children, they get one-eighth of what you
bequeath. All this, after fulfilling any will you had left, and after
paying off all debts. If the deceased man or woman was a loner, and
leaves two siblings, male or female, each of them gets one-sixth of the
inheritance. If there are more siblings, then they equally share
one-third of the inheritance. All this, after fulfilling any will, and
after paying off all debts, so that no one is hurt. This is a will
decreed by GOD. GOD is Omniscient, Clement.
As we can see the fraction emphasized in the above verse is
"one-fourth" which is mentioned twice, while one-eighth, one-sixth and
one-third are only mentioned once.
The connection between the above two verses which has the specific
amount of Zakaah (one fourth of one tenth) is clear from the following:
-Sura numbers: 34 + 4 = 38 = 19 x 2
-Verse numbers: 45 + 12 = 57 = 19 x 3
2-Another
proof can be found in the following verse:
[70:22] Except for
the worshipers.
[70:23] Who always
observe their contact prayers (Salat).
[70:24] They
set aside a specific portion of their money.
[70:25]
For the poor and the needy.
The term "A Specific Portion" (in Arabic,
Haqqun Ma'aloum) points to the "Zakaa", the obligatory charity as per
the following proofs:
-"They set aside a
specific portion of their money", TGVverse = (978+165+297+162+362)
= 1964
- "Zakaa" =
Obligatory Charity = 221
- 1/4 x 1/10 = 2.5% =
"Rub'ul'Ushr" = TGV. 1076
- "Haqqun Ma'aloum"
= Specific portion = TGV. 524
------------------------------------------------------
1- TGVverse
= 1964
1964
+
221 = 2185 = 19 x 115
"They set
aside Zakaa
a specific portion
of their
money"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1964
+ 1076 = 3040 = 19 x 160
"They set
aside A
Quarter
a specific portion
of
of their
money" One Tenth
------------------------------------------------------------
2- Therefore the "Specific Portion" in the scripture equals "A Quarter
of One tenth":
524
+ 552 =
1076
"Specific
Portion"
"Scripture"
A quarter of one tenth
Haqqun Ma'aloum
Al-kitaab
Rub'ul'Ushr
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