ISLAM
ZAKAT
Verse 002:044 mentions the word ZAKAT as one of the worships. The Holy Qor-aan has mandated this in at least 20 verses. 002:044, 002: 084, 002:111, 002:178, 002:278, 004:163, 005:056, 009:005, 009:011, 009:071, 019:032, 019:056, 022:079, 023:005, 024:057, 027:004, 031:005, 041:008, 073:021, 098:006.
Zakaat is extrapolated to mean the alms, alms-tax or purifying alms, charity, donation, portion of income paid as alms or tithes to purify one’s earnings and soul, poor due, poor-rate, regular charity, spending this way to make earnings grow, and investing in the causes of Allah with a little now in order to reap richer rewards in the future in this life and in the Hereafter. Made obligatory on Moslems this is one of the basic 5 Acts of Worship which are also called the Pillars of Islam.
Zakaat is subject to the same rule that applies to all other beliefs, practices and worships. That rule repeated in the Holy Qor-aan several times and in different words is as follows.
There is no compulsion in religion (002:257. The concept repeated in many verses)
For you is your religion and for me is my religion (109:007)
No bearer of a burden shall bear the burden of another. (006:165 and four other places)
The Holy Prophet s.a.w exhorted the Moslems to practice the 5 Acts of worships. But he did not compel or insist upon an enforced compliance by anyone on anyone else. The things changed when a new man was elected as his 1st successor Khaleefa-tor-Rasool. The system of his s.a.w succession became known Khe-laa-fut–e-Ra-sool or the Caliphate. The former Leader s.a.w had introduced, established and maintained several social services. The new leader faced with the uphill task to continue those programs had to find revenue. Rapid realization regarding required revenue to fund said functions brought Zakat upfront. The Obedience [State-enforced and spiritual] proved a big tool to reach the intended goal.
The reasons why and the process how Zakat got made mandatory and state-enforced are no secret. Firstly, the need for money for the continued funding of noble functions started was quite obvious. Secondly, the doctrine of Ijmaa (Consensus of opinions) was a new power eager to show its muscle. Thirdly, clergy issued Futwas or decrees in temporal matters but enforced as the spiritual mandate. Fourthly, the combined force of Ijmaa and Futwas became that force which needed demonstration. Fifthly, the hardliners prevailed upon their leader to wage war on Moslems refusing to pay Zakat. Thus the development from its primitive stages to the modern Federalism and Taxation moved fast. The importance of Zakat grew exponentially in three major phases as follows.
First: Caliphate realized the Holy Qor-aan urge paying Zakat at least 20 times. Zakat was the worship that state made mandatory and enforced through forced collection. Zakat was why war was waged on Moslem tribes who objected to compelled compliance. Zakat-avoiding tribes got defeated and income stream from the Moslems was established. Zakat has been since the 8th Century A.D. the economic backbone of almost all Caliphates. Zakat was used in early Caliphates to feed and shelter the orphans, widows and the needy. Zakat, Sudqa, Goodly loans and Spending in God’s causes are how Moslems give in charity. The income from the Moslems under those four heads was meant for good causes and was initially used as such exclusively. Some of it later on got put to some other uses as well.
Second: Caliphates honored the Moslem Law that guaranteed freedom of worship and protection of life and property to non-Moslems residents. As non-Moslems could not be forced to pay Zakat, the religious scholars obliged the Caliphates by evolving newer rules regarding to Convert-or-pay-Juzyah-or-War. The non-Moslems who fell to Moslem invasions were given the option to convert to Islam, or pay tax as the protection money, or face war. Thus the income stream got ensured from even the new state-residents whether they became Moslems or Not.
Third: Man’s lust for money and power is well-known. Greed got sanctified under the religious umbrella and spurred accelerated expansion by invasions. War-happy generals rose to power on shoulders of the expanding armies they built for Holy Wars. A new impetus was set in motion to invade neighbors, annex their territory and boost the income. The rest is history.
Zakat had become the source of revenue from Moslems that led them to war on Moslem. The massive loss of life and spirituality is reflected by a report that nearly 500 Hoof-faaz (Those who had memorized the whole of the Holy Qoar-aan) were killed in such wars. Was it a good price to pay in order to forcibly collect Zaaat is a question for which the answer depends upon whom you ask and to which sub-sect the answerer belongs.
For the giver, the Holy Qor-aan exhorted paying a part of his earnings as Zakat to purify earnings. For the recipient, the payments were to help the less-fortunate-have-not’s to get back on their feet. The Holy Prophet s.a.w used some of donations to set up social services and pay certain stipends. The Holy Qor-aan fixed no share of income as Zakat like it laid for inheritance [004:012, 004:013]. The Holy Qor-aan did not specify any ratios of one’s earnings that must be donated as the Zakat. Yet man-made rules added to the portions, ratios and shares of earnings that one must pay in cash.
- Collecting 2.5% of a woman’s golden jewelry so that in 40 years 100% of that would go to the Zakaat-collector. In a way it resonates of the appeal by the Indian Government to the pundits of Hindu temples to loan to it the tons and tons of gold that is accumulated by taking gold and jewelry in donations in the name of God.
- Taking annually the cash equivalent of a share of a farmer’s herd and taking again when a goat, horse, cow, buffalo or camel delivered an off-spring.
- Receiving an ever-increasing percentage from the wages or income a Moslem generated. Our father was known to have donated 51% of his salary with the remaining 49% left for his wife and 10 children.
- Making out as if Islaam meant little more than taking other’s money as much as possible and on as many projects and pretexts as possible — in a clear violation of the Prohibition laid down in the verses 002:189.
- I remember two [10-days and later 3-weeks] visits to Saudi Arabia and the good fortune to offer prayers in different mosques. Frequently I saw that hardly the Imam had ended the prayers when several men stood up like the wild mushrooms and demanded payment of Zakaat, charity and donations to them for their good causes.
Islam and Sect Formation
LAW
Islam and Sect Formation
Verse 004:060 provides one of the most important rule of living in any civilized state in any era. The rule compactly states, ‘Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you.’ The genuine practicing of this Commandments would have kept Moslems in the world in one sect. But we do not live in an Utopian world. The Book is the name God gave to the Way to reach Him. Parts of it were revealed to the Prophets from time to time as man’s needs and mankind evolved. Ultimately the whole Book was revealed lump-sum, completed and perfected as Islaam (005:004).
No offence to anyone but the facts must be stated. In 1958, I happened to repeat the above verse (005:004) that made it clear that the Holy Qor-aan was not a totally new. But since I had said in a class where I was studying for the Master’s degree in the Arabic from the Punjab University, it offended the teacher named Masood Ghaznavi.
The Holy Qor-aan includes all the good in the prior Books of Torah, Zaboor and Bible except the man-made fictions of he-said-you-said-they-said inserted therein. Indeed Islaam is not the only way to reach God as stated in 002:063 and 005:070 and restated differently in 002:113. That’s why it is difficult if not impossible to establish the Superiority of one Religion over all others.
Religious sects are formed by the dissidents with their ruling clergies. Most cultures have experienced political drives advance fast when fueled by religion-based boosts. The vultures in clergy-cloaks are available as the best weapon to muffle angry disagreeing voices. All attempts to control by suppression quickly turns into fanaticism and frenzy to kill all opposing. Jesus son of Mary was put on the Cross by Romans who failed to keep him from talking about God. And the ‘People of Trenches’ (085:005) on the Stakes similarly illustrate how a religion is formed. In the same way sects have been formed among Moslems notwithstanding the above Command.
The four words of the Holy Qor-aan are as translated above, ‘those in authority among you.’ They were expanded in the light of the words of a Hadeeth, ‘Difference of opinion in my followers.’ The clergy then interpreted the words of this direction with numerous contradictory extrapolations. A large body of Moslems were indoctrinated with weird meanings of these straightforward words. The scholars then justified bloodshed and wars to enforce full obedience pursuant to these words. Moslems ignored that the Best Exemplar s.a.w had followed local rules while he lived in Makkah. He and his followers had obeyed and lived by the rules of their domicile all along they lived there. They practiced to Live by Law of Land when they moved to Madinah where they were welcome. The Holy Qor-aan gave a clear Command and the Holy Prophet s.a.w practiced upon it all his life.
But after the passing away of the Holy Prophet s.a.w, several excuses were created to stage non-compliance with the above content of the Holy Qor-aan, justify departure from the precedents set by the Holy Prophet s.a.w, and side-step the provision that some people did not like. Following are some of the major issues which the clergy created and exploited to form sects among Moslems.
1. The doctrine of [see our Commentary titled as] Abrogation. One example: Dr Khan and Dr Al-Hilai wrote regarding 004:015 that the “Provision of this verse has been abrogated by the verse of Surat An-Nur” (024:002).
2. Ahlay-Qor-aan (followers of the Qor-aan) are rejected by the Ahlay-Hadeeth who follow strictly only the Hadeeth, the reports of the verbal quotations of the Holy Prophet s.a.w. They argue (a) that he was the Best Exemplar s.a.w of what the Qor-aan had stated and (b) that he had fully covered by his quotes all that was important in it.
3. Ahlay-Sunnah-wul-Jamaa-ut (Sunny or followers of the ‘Actions’) go by the actions of the Holy Prophet s.a.w and then Ijmaa (Consensus of opinions of Scholars). They reject all else. Soon after the death of the Holy Prophet s.a.w some Moslems refused to pay the Zakaat to the Center and the 1st Caliph Abu Bakr waged a war on them until they were defeated and subjugated. There are many Sunny sects. Wahabis thrive in Saudi Arabia.
4. The major collections of the Aha-deeth known as the Bokhari, the Moslem and the Sonun Abu Dawood are recognized, respected and reproduced in the literature of most of the Moslem sects. Could some of the Aha-deeth be used to advance the agendas of various sects? Could their interpretations, explanations or extrapolations multiply confusion? Could these hear-says [neither written nor guaranteed (015:010) to be safeguarded like the Holy Qor-aan] be used, albeit unwittingly, to generate sects? Perhaps questions like these will never be answered with an iron-clad accuracy.
5. Shiites developed doctrines (which Sunny sects reject, some violently) as follows.
(a) That the Holy Prophet s.a.w died before last10 Parts of Qor-aan were revealed.
(b) That his son-in-law Ali r.a was entitled to an immediate succession but others starting with Abu Bakr r.a as the 1st Caliph usurped the Caliphate until he finally recovered it as the 4th Caliph. Literature shows that Shee-yan-e-Ali were a mob that scaled over the house-wall of the 3rd Caliph Othman to stab him to death. This crowd gained popularity. With the passage of time Shee-yan-e-Ali name was abbreviated and the adherents became known Shiites.
(c) That Ali was given the ‘full knowledge’ including the Hidden 10 Parts of Qor-aan.
(d) That the actions of Ali merit preference over all above. Shiites run government in Iran. Pakistan has the seat of a Shiite sect known as Ismaeeli led by Agha Khan.
6. The bifurcation of above basic schools had reached seventy-two (72) sub-sects by 1889. Some sects loudly professed the others worthy of being killed by waging wars on them. Fourteen centuries of Moslem history unfortunately shows plenty of Sunny-Shia battles. Modern version as Iran-Iraq war in the last quarter of 20th century A.D shed lot of blood. Blood-shed flagrantly flouts 005:033 that holds ‘to kill a man is killing whole mankind.’ Our Commentary explains that Jihad Is Striving For The Good, not for rampant murders.
7. Moslem clergy historically ignites by spewing obnoxious lies against some of their own. Judicial restraints have contained such malicious fires in secular states like British India. But many countries in Asia, Africa and Middle East succumbed to their powerful clergy. Pakistan Constitution Amendment of 1974 declared Ahmadis non-Moslems in Pakistan. Religious zealots had thus sliced off another chunk of the Moslems into an outcast sect as shown in our Commentary Islam and Sect Recognition.