Zakat
As a Muslim, the five pillars serve as a means of reflection into my inner and outer self and are a constant reminder of subservience to Allah. Islam encompasses every sphere of an individual’s life wherein Zakat is a social way of worshipping Allah, on the basis that it produces a humanitarian concern. It refers to the parting of 2.5% of one’s savings annually for the less fortunate in society. This moral obligation is upon every adult, who is mentally fit, male and female and who is financially stable. It is paid annually when one’s wealth reaches the minimum amount referred to as nisaab in Arabic.
Zakat literally means purification and growth because it serves as a cleansing tool for the remaining portion of a person’s wealth. Throughout the year we are preoccupied in making a livelihood in order to meet our basic needs and comforts, unconsciously impure wealth can also become part of our assets. On parting with this 2.5% it purifies the remaining wealth until the forthcoming year. Once this has been paid, Muslims are reassured that their wealth will now be protected by Allah from decrease and destruction.
Apart from being a monetary sacrifice, Zakat serves as a rectification of one’s moral-character. My perception of Zakat is that it is a way of implementing the shahadah, the basis of Islamic belief in the oneness of Allah. This is because I am only able to savor the connection with Allah and express true love for Him when I place Him above everything else. For every person, wealth and their properties are objects of love, objects of pleasure; on paying Zakat the love for Allah outweighs the love for this world. One is literally reminding themselves of the temporal nature of this world and the eternal nature of the hereafter.
The true essence of brotherhood and unity is revived on paying the poor-due. The recipient acknowledges this as an expression of love, that we are all brothers and sisters from the same mother and father, Adam and Eve. This aspect of sharing with one’s brethren is a way of removing jealousy and envy replacing them with love and affection. It is as though the giver is telling the recipient that what is mine is also yours, this eliminates haughtiness making way for humility. On the spread of this affection and love, Zakat instills social stability and peace within the community.
Many internal illnesses of the heart are related to the love of wealth based on the materialistic nature of this world. Materialism has given rise to the wide-spread illnesses of pride, miserliness and greed. As humans it is in our nature to be devoid of satisfaction in all that we have, we constantly fear the loss of our wealth and possessions; hence we experience difficulty in parting from them. Zakat alleviates miserliness and greed from the soul and ensues to instill charitable qualities.
Above all, I see Zakat as a demonstration of my appreciation and gratefulness to Allah. That Lord who in his infinite mercy continued to feed me, without asking me how much I ate and clothed me without questioning how many pairs of clothes I purchased and protected me from financial failure throughout the year, whose favors upon me I can never repay even in my lifetime, He surely deserves to be thanked for these favors. Zakat is an expression of gratitude for these blessings. I see this wealth as a trust from Allah, it does not belong to me, and it has been lent to me temporarily to make my life comfortable. Hence, making this monetary sacrifice is simply the returning of Allah’s trust back into his creation. This returning of wealth reminds me of the returning to Allah after death. All our possessions that we so dearly loved, will be left behind and empty handed we will commence our journey for the hereafter.
Alongside zakat, an immense, fruitful reward lies for those who give optional charity in an attempt to reduce the poverty inside the world. Muslims are also required to give in charity on the occasions of Eid, the Islamic festival so that the less fortunate can partake in the festivity surrounding these celebrations.
Back to Top
