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Almsgiving
God, Exalted is He, has made Zakat, (Almsgiving) one of the pillars of Islam and has usually mentioned it immediately after the Prayer, saying, ‘And perform Prayer and give Alms’. The Prophet, upon him be peace, said: ‘Islam rests on five things: to witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, to perform Prayer, to give Alms …’. God, Exalted is He, has warned those who do not give Zakat with dire consequence, for He says: ‘Those who amass gold and silver and do not spend them in the way of God – give them the glad tidings of a painful chastisement’ [al-Tawbah, 9:34]
Certain inward attitudes and duties are incumbent on those who seek, through payment of their Alms, the way that leads to the Hereafter:
1 Understand the Purpose and Significance
To understand the necessity and significance of paying the Alms, how it represents a test of character, and why it has been made one of the fundamentals of Islam, even though it is a financial transaction and not a physical act of worship.
Three points deserve consideration here:
(a) TESTING THE DEGREE OF LOVE FOR GOD
To pronounce the two sentences of the Confession of Faith (Shahāda) (‘There is no god but God – Muhammad is God’s Messenger’) is obligatory as affirmation of the Divine Unity and testimony to the singleness of the One to Whom all worship is due. Complete fulfilment of this obligation requires that he who affirms the Divine Unity should direct his love to none but the One, the Unique, for love tolerates no partnership. There is little value in mere verbal affirmation. The degree of love is tested only by separating the lover from other things he loves.
Now, worldly goods are an object of love in everybody’s eyes, being the means by which they enjoy the benefits of this world; because of them they become attached to life and shy away from death, even though death leads to meeting the Beloved. The truth of our claim to love God is therefore put to the test, and we are asked to give up the wealth which is the darling apple of our eye.
That is why God, Exalted is He, said:
‘God has bought from the believers their persons and their goods, Paradise being theirs for the price.’ [al-Tawbah, 9:111]
(Inna-llaha-shtarā mina-lmu’minīna anfusahum waamwālahum bi-anna lahumu-ljanna.)
This concerns Jihād, the struggle in the way of God, which entails a readiness to sacrifice even life itself in longing to meet God, Great and Glorious is He. The renunciation of wealth is trivial by comparison.
Once this concept of testing the degree of love is understood to underlie the spending of wealth and material sacrifice, people fall into three groups in this respect:
Firstly, those who affirm the Divine Unity, fulfil their covenant and renounce all their worldly goods, setting aside neither pounds nor pence. They are unwilling to incur the liability to pay the Alms; so much so that when one of them was asked the amount due on two hundred dirhams, he replied: ‘For ordinary people the legal requirement is five dirhams, but we must give up everything.’
Thus Abū Bakr, may God be pleased with him, donated all his wealth, while ‘Umar, may God be pleased with him, gave half of his. When the Prophet, upon him be peace, said to the latter: ‘What have you kept for your family?’ he replied: ‘An equal amount.’ And when he asked the same question of Abū Bakr, may God be pleased
with him, he said: ‘God and His Messenger.’ The Prophet, upon him be peace, then said: ‘The difference between you is the difference between your two answers.’
1 For Abū Bakr, the veracious, had borne himself out completely, keeping nothing back for himself but the Beloved, i.e. God and His Messenger.
Secondly, at a lower level are those who hold on to their goods, waiting for occasions of need and seasons of charity. Their object in saving up is to supply their own needs, without extravagance, and to devote what is left over to charitable purposes as the occasion may arise. Such people do not confine their giving to the prescribed amount of the Alms. One group of the Successors
2 (the generation following the Companions, may God be pleased with them) maintained the view that wealth is subject to other dues apart from the Zakat. When al-Sha’bī was asked if this was the case, he replied: ‘Yes, have you not heard the words of God, Great and Glorious is He:
“[True piety means …] and giving away one’s wealth, much as one loves it, to close relatives, orphans, the wayfarer and beggars, and for the emancipation of slaves …” [al-Baqarah, 2:177]?’
(Wa-ātā-lmāla ‘alā ḥubbihī dhawī-lqurbā wa-lyatāmā wa-lmasākīna wa-bna-lsabīli wa-lsā’ilīna wa-fī-lriqāb.)
They cited the words of God, Great and Glorious is He:
‘And spend from what We have provided them with.’ [al-Baqarah, 2:3]
(Wa-mimmā razaqnāhum yunfiqūn.)
as well as His words, Exalted is He:
’And spend from that which We have provided you.’ [al-Munāfiqūn, 63:10]
(Wa-anfiqū mimmā razaqnākum.)
They maintained that these duties, far from being abrogated by the ‘Verse
of zakāt’* form part of the mutual obligations of all Muslims. In other words, whenever a well-to-do Muslim encounters one who is in need, it is incumbent upon him to relieve that need, over and above his payment of the Alms.
The correct legal opinion in this matter is that the relief of pressing need is a collective duty, resting on the Community as a whole, since a Muslim cannot be allowed to perish.
It may be argued that a well-to-do person is not obliged to pay for the relief of want except by way of a loan, and that no donation can be required of him once he has discharged his due by giving his Alms. It could also be argued that he is never- theless required to make a donation and that lending is impermissible, i.e. it is not permissible to burden the poor with the acceptance of a loan. There is no unanimity on this question.
Thirdly, to resort to lending is to descend to the final level of ordinary people. Those who belong to this third group confine themselves to the bare fulfilment of duty, neither more nor less. This is the lowest degree, the limit to which all ordinary people confine themselves because of their miserliness, their attachment to money and the feebleness of their love of the Hereafter, As God, Exalted is He, said:
‘If He were to ask your possessions of you, and press you to give most of them, you would be miserly.’ [Muḥammad, 47:37]
(In yas’alkumūhā fa-yuḥfikum tabkhalū.)
What a difference between a servant whose property and person God has bought, with Paradise as the price, and one He does not even ask to give all of it because he is so miserly!
(b) ELIMINATION OF MISERLINESS
The Divine decree by which God, Glorified is He, bids His servants to expend their wealth, is also significant in respect of purging the habit of miserliness, which is one of the deadly sins. As the Prophet, on him be peace, said: ‘Three are deadly: avarice indulged, passion pursued and self-conceit.’
3 And in the words of
God, Exalted is He:
‘Those who are shielded from their own greed, they are the ones who will prosper.’ [al-Ḥashr, 59:9]
(Wa-man yūqa shuḥḥa nafsihī fa-ulā’ika humu-lmufliḥūn.)
The habit of miserliness is only eliminated by making oneself accustomed to spending money, for to break an attachment one must force oneself away till a new habit is formed.
From this point of view, therefore, Zakat signifies purgation, in that he who pays the Alms is purged of the deadly evil of miserliness. The purity he acquires is in proportion to his outlay, to his delight in giving away and to his joy in spending for the sake of God, Exalted is He.
(c) EXPRESSION OF GRATITUDE
The third factor is gratitude for benefits received, for the servant is indebted to God, Great and Glorious is He, for bounties both personal and material. Bodily acts of worship are an expression of gratitude for bodily blessings, while financial acts of worship express gratitude for material bounty. How mean one must be to see a poor man in needy straits, and yet be unwilling to give up two-and-a-half or ten per cent of one’s wealth in token of one’s gratitude to God, Exalted is He, for sparing one the need to beg as others must.
2 Payment at Proper Time
The second duty concerns the time of payment. One of the good practices of religious people is to anticipate the moment when payment falls due, demonstrating their willingness to comply by bringing joy to the hearts of the poor, forestalling the obstacles time might place in the way of charitable action, aware that there are dangers in delay as the servant runs the risk of disobedience should he postpone beyond the appointed moment. Whenever the impulse to good arises from within, the opportunity must be grasped at once as heaven-sent. ‘The believer’s heart lies between two fingers of the All-merciful.’ Yet how fickle is the heart! The Devil threatens poverty and bids us to commit atrocious and abominable deeds. Demonic suggestion follows hard on the heels of angelic inspiration. One should therefore seize the opportunity and fix a definite month for giving the Alms (if one is used to paying it all at once.) One should endeavour to choose one of the most propitious times, resulting in extra closeness to God and compounding the value of the Zakat.
Such a favourable time would be the month of Muḥarram, since it is the first in the year and one of the Sacred Months; or Ramaḍān, for the Prophet, on him be peace, was the best of all creatures, and during Ramaḍān he was as unstinting as the breeze that blows.
4 Ramaḍān also enjoys the special virtue of the Night of Destiny, as well as being the month in which the Quran was sent down. Mujāhid used to say: ‘Do not say “Ramaḍān,” for Ramaḍān is one of the Names of God, Exalted is He. Rather say: “the month of Ramaḍān.”‘ Dhūl Ḥijja is also one of the months of great merit; as well as being a Sacred Month, it is distinguished by the major Pilgrimage, the
Ḥajj, and the Well-known Days (the first ten of the month) and the Numbered Days, which are the days of
tashrīq.*
3 Give in Secret
The third duty is secrecy, for this is farthest removed from hypocritical display and reputation-seeking. Said the Prophet, on him be peace: ‘The most meritorious form of Almsgiving is the effort to help a poor man, made in secret, by one who is himself of little means.’
5 According to one of the scholars: ‘Three things are accounted among the treasures of righteousness, one of them being to give Alms in secret.’ This saying has also been attributed to the Prophet, on him be peace.
6 The Prophet, on him be peace, also said: ‘Let the servant do a good deed in secret and God will surely record it to his credit as a secret; if he reveals it, it will be transferred from the secret list and recorded among good works done openly; if he talks about it, it will be taken off both lists and recorded as hypocrisy.’
7 According to the well-attested Tradition: ‘Seven will God shade on the day when there will be no shade but
the shade of His Throne: one of them is a man who offers Alms without his left hand knowing what his right hand has given.’
8 In another Tradition: ‘Secret Alms extinguish the anger of the Lord.’
9 God, Exalted is He, said:
‘But if you hide it and give it to the poor, it is better for you.’ [al-Baqarah, 2:271]
(Wa-in tukhfūhā wa-tu’tūhā-lfuqarā’a fa-huwa khayrun lakum.)
The advantage of secrecy is that it confers deliverance from the perils of hypocritical ostentation and reputation-seeking. As the Prophet, on him be peace, said: ‘God does not accept from a braggart, a hypocrite or one who always looks for gratitude.’
10 He who talks about Almsgiving is seeking prestige, while he who gives for all the world to see is after public recognition; these pitfalls are avoided by secrecy and silence. Some have taken such an extreme view of the merit of secrecy as to maintain that the recipient should not know the identity of the giver. Some used to slip their Alms into the hand of a blind man, while others would drop them in a poor man’s path or in the place where he sat, so that he could see the gift without seeing the giver. Some would tuck their Alms in the poor man’s clothes while he was sleeping; still others would convey them by way of a third party so as to hide the donor’s identity, the intermediary being asked to keep the secret and charged not to disclose it.
Such measures were designed to extinguish the anger of the Lord, Glorified is He, and as a precaution against hypocrisy and reputation-seeking. Whenever it is inevitable that at least one person should be in the know, it is preferable to entrust the Alms to an agent for delivery to the needy beneficiary, who should not be known to his benefactor; for knowing the beneficiary carries the double danger of ostentation and expectation of gratitude, whereas knowing the intermediary carries the former alone.
Whenever fame is the donor’s objective, his work will be in vain, since the purpose of Almsgiving is to eliminate miserliness and to weaken the love of wealth. But the love of status has a stronger hold over the soul than the love of wealth, and both of them have deadly consequences in the Hereafter. In the tomb, while the attribute of miserliness will assume, as it were, the form of a stinging scorpion, the attribute of ostentatiousness will turn into a viper. We are bidden to render them both weak or to kill them, so as to ward off their mischief or at least reduce it. But whenever we seek recognition and renown it is just like reinforcing the viper at the scorpion’s expense: as the scorpion gets weaker so does the snake get stronger. Things would have been better left as they were. The way to reinforce those attributes is to act in accordance with their demands, while the way to reduce their power is to combat and oppose them and to act counter to their demands. So what is the use of going against miserly impulses only to yield to hypocritical motives, weakening the lesser only to reinforce the more powerful?
4 Give Openly
The fourth duty, when one knows that such conduct will tend to encourage others to follow suit, is to let one’s giving be seen. In doing so, however, one must be inwardly on guard against hypocritical motives.
* God, Great and Glorious is He, has said:
‘If you make your Almsgiving public, it is well …’ [al-Baqarah, 2:271]
(In tubdū-lṣadaqāti fa-ni’immā-hī.)
That is, in cases where display is called for, either to set a good example or because a beggar has made his request in public. In the latter instance it is not proper to withhold Alms for fear of publicity; rather should one give while making every effort to be inwardly on guard against hypocrisy. This is because, apart from the expectation of gratitude and the risk of hypocrisy, there is a third danger in visible Almsgiving, namely that of offending a poor man’s dignity. It may be hurtful to him to be seen to be needy. But someone who begs in public is bringing the disgrace upon himself; there is therefore no sense in being wary.
Consider similar cases: It is forbidden to expose a person’s vice
so long as he keeps it private, and it is equally prohibited to spy on him and gossip about it. A flagrant offender, on the other hand, has only himself to blame when he suffers the penalty of public disgrace. Of like import are the words of the Prophet, on him be peace: ‘He who casts off the garment of shame has no cause to complain of slander.’
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God, Exalted is He, said:
‘And spend of that which We provide for them, in secret and in public’ [al-Ra’d, 13:22]
(Wa-anfaqū mimmā razaqnāhum sirran wa-’alāniya.)
He commends giving in public also, because this has the advantage of encouraging others. His servant should therefore take careful stock, weighing this benefit against the risks involved, for the situation varies from case to case and from one individual to another. For certain people under certain conditions open giving is preferable. To one who is aware of the pros and cons, and whose vision is unclouded by desire, what is right and proper in any given case will be readily apparent.
5 Avoid Taunting and Hurting
The fifth duty is not to invalidate one’s Alms through taunting and hurting. As God, Exalted is He, said:
‘Do not make your Almsgiving void by taunting and hurting.’ [al-Baqarah, 2:264]
(La tubṭilū ṣadaqātikum bi-lmanni wa-1’adhā.)
There is some disagreement as to the true meaning of taunting and hurting. According to some, taunting is reminding a person of a favour, while hurt lies in making it commonly known. Said Sufyān: ‘Anyone who taunts invalidates his Alms.’ When they asked him the nature of taunting, he replied: ‘Reminding him of the favour and talking about it.’ According to others taunting is to exploit a person in return for a gift, while hurt lies in making him feel ashamed of his poverty. Still others say that taunting means making one’s gift an excuse for arrogant behaviour, while hurt is caused by scolding and rebuking a man for begging.
The Prophet, on him be peace, said: ‘God does not accept the Alms of a taunter.’
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My personal opinion is that taunting has its root and origin in the conditions and qualities of the heart, from which it then ramifies into external manifestations on the tongue and other organs. It stems from seeing oneself as the bountiful benefactor, whereas one ought really to look upon the poor person as one’s own benefactor, by virtue of the fact that he accepts what one owes to God, Great and Glorious is He, and allows one to attain purity and salvation from the Fire. Had he not accepted, one would have remained under obligation. One is therefore indebted to the poor person inasmuch as he makes the palm of his hand a surrogate for God, Great and Glorious is He, to collect what is due to Him. God’s Messenger, on him be peace, said: ‘Alms fall into the hand of God, Great and Glorious is He, before they reach the hand of the beggar.’
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One should therefore realise that giving Alms is actually paying God, Great and Glorious is He, what is due, while the poor man is actually receiving his sustenance from God, Exalted is He, to whom it has first passed. Suppose a man owed someone a debt, and that he transferred it to a servant totally dependent on him for his livelihood; that servant would be a silly fool to believe that the creditor was obliged to him for making the repayment. The true benefactor would be the man responsible for his livelihood. As for him, he is merely discharging a liability incurred in getting what he wanted; since he is pursuing his own interests, why should he think he is doing someone else a favour?
Anyone who grasps the significance of the three points we mentioned earlier, while discussing the purpose and importance of the Zakat – or even one of them – must realise that he is a benefactor only to himself, through expending his wealth either to demonstrate his love of God, Exalted is He, or to purge himself of the vice of miserliness, or to give thanks for the blessing of wealth in the hope of receiving more.
However that may be, there is no problem between the donor and the poor recipient until the former comes to regard himself as a benefactor. But should he be so foolish as to see himself in this light, he then begins to manifest all the symptoms of taunting we have described; talking about his donation and advertising it, seeking recompense in the form of gratitude, good wishes, service, respect and veneration, attention to his interests, deferential treatment and sub-servience in all matters. All these things are the fruits of taunting, the inner nature of which we spoke about earlier.
As for hurtfulness, its outward manifestations are scolding, derision, coarseness of speech, frowning, humiliation by exposure, and every type of ridicule. Its inner source is twofold: (i) reluctance to part with money and the painfulness of the experience, which inevitably causes bad temper, and (ii) regarding oneself as better than the poor man and considering him inferior by reason of his need. Both attitudes stem from ignorance.
Reluctance to part with money is stupidity, for one must be stupid indeed to resent laying out one coin in exchange for the equivalent of a thousand. The outlay is known to be made in the hope of earning the approval of God, Great and Glorious is He, and reward in the abode of the Hereafter, a nobler aim than to spend or to have spent either to purge oneself of the vice of greed or to give thanks in the hope of receiving more. However one views it, there can be no justification for reluctance.
As for the supercilious attitude, this is also a sign of ignorance. One who recognised the superiority of poverty over wealth, and who was aware of the danger to the rich, would surely not despise the poor; rather would he seek their blessing and wish he were at their level. The righteous among the rich will enter Paradise five hundred years later than the poor. That is why the Prophet, on him be peace, said: ‘By Lord of the Ka’ba, they are the greatest losers.’ When Abū Dharr asked: ‘Who are they?’ he replied: ‘Those with the most wealth …’
14 Besides, how could one despise the poor, when God, Exalted is He, has made them a source of profit? One strives to acquire wealth and increase it, and tries to keep as much of it as one needs. Then one is obliged to hand over to the poor in accordance with their needs, withholding any surplus that would
be detrimental. Thus the rich are gainfully employed in providing for the poor, from whom they are distinguished only by having wrongs to settle, problems to cope with and surpluses to take care of until they die, when their enemies will devour what they leave behind.
When reluctance is transformed and gives way to joy and gladness at being helped by God, Exalted is He, to pay one’s due and to discharge one’s obligation through its acceptance by the poor, there is then no more hurtfulness with its scolding and frowning; instead, there is happiness, appreciation and gratitude.
Although we have explained the source of taunting and hurting, you may well say: ‘Seeing oneself in the role of benefactor is somewhat vague. Is there some indicator, some test to apply to the heart in order to make sure one is not regarding oneself as a benefactor?’ Yes, there is indeed a precise and unambiguous indicator. Suppose, for instance, that a poor man committed an offence against you, or teamed up with an enemy of yours. Would your disapproval and antipathy be all the greater if you had previously given Alms to the man? If the answer is yes, then your Almsgiving was not untainted by resentment, since it has caused you to expect more of him than you would otherwise have done.
This too may seem vague. You may say: ‘Nobody’s heart is detached from that sort of thing, so what is the remedy for it?’ Well, it does have a remedy, both internally and externally. The internal remedy is to become conscious of the truths we have already mentioned: understanding the necessity of the Almsgiving and coming to see that the beneficiary is the real benefactor, in that by his acceptance he enables us to purge ourselves.
As for the external remedy, this consists of some particular good deeds performed by the one who is prone to taunting, for well-intentioned actions have a good influence on the heart. This is why some people used to place their Alms in front of a poor man and stand before him, begging him to accept them, so that they assumed the role of beggars and felt how they would hate to be rejected. Others used to spread their palms, so that the poor man’s hand would be uppermost when he took from them. Whenever ‘Ā’isha and Umm Salama, may God be pleased with them, sent a gift to a poor person by messenger, they would tell the messenger to memorise the person’s good wishes, then they would wish him the same, saying: ‘This in return for that, so that our Almsgiving may be pure.’ Such people did not look for good wishes, for these represent a kind of compensation, and so they matched each wish with its equal. ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb followed the same practice, as did his son ‘Abdullāh, may God be pleased with them both. Spiritual specialists in purifying hearts used to treat their hearts this way.
Externally, there is no remedy apart from these good deeds, signifying self-abasement, humility and appreciativeness, while internally the cure lies in the awareness and understanding we have mentioned. It is a matter of action on the one hand, of knowledge on the other. There is no treatment for the heart except the medicine of knowledge and action.
This condition applies to Almsgiving just as humility does to Prayer. The proof is to be found in the words of the Prophet, on him be peace: ‘A man profits from his Prayer only to the extent that he does it consciously;’
15 and: ‘God does not accept the Alms of a taunter;’
16 as well as in the words of God, Great and Glorious is He: ‘Do not make your Almsgiving void by taunting and hurting.’ [al-Baqarah, 2:264]
*
6 Adopt Humility
The sixth duty is to think little of one’s donation, for to regard it highly is to invite that sanctimonious pride which is one of the deadly sins, making good deeds worthless. The Exalted One said:
‘And on the battle-day of al-Ḥunayn, when you were so proud of your numerical strength, it helped you not at all.’ [al-Tawbah, 9:25]
(Wa-yawma ḥunaynin idh a’jabatkum kathratukum falam tughni ‘ankum shay’ā.)
It is also said that whenever an act of obedience is belittled, it is magnified in the sight of God, Great and Glorious is He, while a sin considered serious appears small in His eyes. Another saying has it that three things are necessary to make a kindness complete: thinking little of it, doing it promptly, and keeping it out of sight.
To make much of a gift is not the same as taunting and hurting, however. A man who spent his money on the construction of a Mosque or hospice might well think it something to boast of, but taunting and hurting would be out of the question. Sanctimonious pride and self-importance do tend to infect all acts of worship, and their antidote is knowledge and action.
As for knowledge, it must be recognised that ten or two-and-a-half per cent
* is a tiny fraction, and that to pay only this is to content oneself with the least generous level of expense, as we have explained above. This is something to be ashamed of rather than to boast about. Even if one rose to the highest level, disbursing all or most of one’s wealth, one should still reflect on where it came from in the first place, and for what purpose it is being spent. For all wealth belongs to God, Great and Glorious is He. It is to Him one should be grateful for being given it and being enabled to spend it, so why pride oneself on spending for the sake of God, Exalted and Glorified is He, what is actually His property all along? And, if one’s situation is such that one must look to the Hereafter, spending for the sake of spiritual reward, why boast of giving what one expects to receive many times over?
As for action, one’s giving should be done with a sense of shame at one’s meanness in holding back the rest of one’s wealth from God, Great and Glorious is He. One’s demeanour should be humble and abashed, like that of someone who is asked to hand back a deposit but returns only part of it and holds on to the rest. For all wealth belongs to God, Great and Glorious is He, and He would prefer to see us give all we possess. If He has not commanded His servants to do so, it is only because that would be too hard on them by reason of their greed. As God, Great and Glorious is He, has said: ‘Were He to press you to give all of it, you would be miserly.’ [Muḥammad, 47:37]
7 Give the Best and the Dearest
The seventh duty is to select from one’s wealth what is best and dearest to one – the finest and most excellent part – for God, Exalted is He, is Good and accepts only what is good. If the offering has been acquired by dubious means, it may not strictly belong to the donor and will then be disqualified. According to the Tradition reported by Abān on the authority of Anas ibn Mālik: ‘Blessed is the servant who spends out of wealth he has earned without sin.’
17 Not to make the offering from the best one has is to be guilty of bad manners, since it means that one is keeping the best for oneself, for one’s servant or for one’s family, and so preferring others over God, Great and Glorious is He. To treat a guest in this fashion, offering him the worst food in the house, would be sure to annoy him.
That is to look at it from the standpoint of God, Great and Glorious is He. If we look to ourselves and to reward in the Hereafter, no sane person is going to put others before himself. Whatever we possess, we may either give it in Alms and so make it truly ours to keep, or consume it for some immediate purpose and say goodbye to it forever. But it is unreasonable to concentrate solely on the present, neglecting to lay by for the future. God, Exalted is He, said:
‘You who believe, spend from the good things you have earned, and of what we have produced for you from the earth, and do not choose the bad part to donate when you would not take it yourselves without turning your noses up at it.’ [al-Baqarah, 2:267]
(Yā ayyuhā-lladhīna āmanū anfiqū min ṭayyibāti mā kasabtum wa-mimmā akhrajnā lakum mina-l’arḍi wa-lā tayammamū-lkhabītha minhu tunfiqūna wa-lastum biākhidhīhi illā an tughmiḍū fīh.)
That is to say, you would accept it only reluctantly and with a feeling of shame, so do not select it for your Lord.
According to the Tradition: ‘A single coin may overtake a hundred thousand.’
18 This happens when a person’s offering represents the best and finest part of his wealth, and is made in a
spirit of pleasure and happiness in giving. Were he to offer a hundred thousand times as much, but out of the part of his fortune he disliked, that would only go to show that he would not offer to God, Great and Glorious is He, anything he was fond of. That is why God, Exalted is He, finds fault with people who set aside for Him what they themselves dislike. He said, Exalted is He:
‘They set aside for God what they themselves dislike, and their tongues expound the lie that the better portion will be theirs. No … [al-Naḥl, 16:62]
(Wa-yaj’alūna lillāhi mā yakrahūna wa-taṣifu alsinatuhumu-lkadhiba anna lahumu-lḥusnā lā.)
Some Quran-reciters pause at this negation, stressing the falsehood of what those people say, before continuing with:
‘… doubt about it: theirs is the Fire.’
(… jarama anna lahumu-lnār.)
That is, they have earned the Fire by setting aside for God what they themselves dislike.
8 Seek the Worthy and Deserving
The eighth duty is to seek out a truly worthy recipient for one’s offering (ṣadaqa), rather than be content with just anybody who happens to fall within the eight categories of legally qualified beneficiaries. For among those generally eligible there are some with special qualities. Attention should be paid to these special qualities, which are six in number:
Firstly, one should seek out those pious people who have renounced the world and devoted themselves exclusively to the business of the Hereafter. The Prophet, on him be peace, said: ‘Partake of no food but that of a pious man; and let none but the pious partake of your own.’
19 The reason for this is that your food will support the pious person in his piety; by helping him, you will become a partner in his worship. The Prophet, on him be peace,
also said: ‘Offer your food to the pious, and favour the believers with your kindness.’
20 Another version has the words: ‘Treat to your food those whom you love in God, Exalted is He.’
21
A certain scholar used to make a point of feeding poor Sufis to the exclusion of others. When it was put to him that he ought rather to distribute his charity among the poor in general, he replied: ‘No, these are people entirely devoted to God, Glorified is He. If smitten with destitution, one of them might be distracted, so to revive one man’s devotion to God, Great and Glorious is He, is dearer to me than giving to a thousand of those whose sole concern is this world.’ These words were related to al-Junayd, who expressed his approval and said: ‘This man is one of the saints of God, Exalted is He.’ He then went on to say: ‘It is a long time since I heard better words than these.’ It was later reported that this man had fallen upon hard times and had decided to close up his shop, so al-Junayd sent him some money and said: ‘Take this as your capital and keep your shop open; commerce is surely not harmful to men like you.’ This man was a grocer who used to serve the poor without charging them anything.
Secondly, the recipient should be chosen from among the people of learning, to support him in his quest for knowledge. Learning is the noblest form of worship, so long as it is based on right intention. Ibn al-Mubārak used to address his charity exclusively to people of learning. ‘I know of no rank, after that of Prophethood, superior in merit to the rank of the learned. If one of them became preoccupied with his needs he would not be free to devote himself to knowledge and concentrate on study. It is therefore better to give them the freedom to pursue learning.’
Thirdly, the recipient should be sincere in his piety and exclusive worship and devotion to God alone. This singleness of worship and devotion (Tawḥīd) is apparent when, on accepting a gift, he offers praise and thanks to God, Great and Glorious is He, regarding Him as the source of the blessing rather than any intermediary. Such a man is truly grateful to God, Glorified is He, recognising that all blessings flow from Him. Luqman said, in his testament to his son: ‘Set no-one as benefactor between yourself and God, but count the favours you receive from others as a liability.’
If anyone gives thanks to other than God, Glorified is He, it is as if he does not know the true Benefactor and does not realise that the intermediary is under compulsion, subject to the will of God, Great and Glorious is He, Who has endowed him with motivation and enabled him to act. The intermediary is therefore under compulsion to give; he could not choose to do otherwise after God, Great and Glorious is He, had instilled in his heart that his well-being both spiritual and worldly depended on his acting. When the impulse becomes powerful it demands a resolute response; it becomes irresistible and brooks no hesitation. It is God, Great and Glorious is He, Who creates these impulses and arouses them to action. It is He Who strips them of weakness and vacillation, compelling the faculties to respond to their demands. No-one conscious of this could pay attention except to the Cause of all causes.
Such an awareness is more valuable to the giver than the praise and thanks he might receive from others, for that would be mostly useless lip-service, whereas the help extended to this truly dedicated servant of God will not be wasted. As for those who lavish praise and good wishes in return for a gift, they may find fault when they are not satisfied and utter curses when they are disappointed, though cases vary.
It is related that the Prophet, on him be peace, once sent an offering to a certain man, telling the messenger to remember anything he might say. This is what the man said on receiving the gift: ‘The praise belongs to God, Who neither forgets those who remember Him nor neglects those who thank Him.’ Then he added: ‘O God, You have not forgotten so-and-so (meaning himself), so let him not forget You.’ When news of this reached God’s Messenger, on him be peace, he said in delight: ‘I knew he would say that.’
22 See how this man confined his attention to God alone.
The Prophet, on him be peace, once said to a man: ‘Repent!’ The man said: ‘I repent to God alone; I do not repent to Muhammad.’ To this the Prophet, on him be peace, replied: ‘The right has been
acknowledged where it is due.’
23
When it was Divinely revealed that ‘Ā’isha, may God be pleased with her, was innocent of the slanderous accusations levelled at her in the Episode of the Lie, Abū Bakr, may God be pleased with him, told his daughter: ‘Get up and kiss the head of God’s Messenger, God bless him and give him peace.’ But she said: ‘By God, I shall not do so! I shall give thanks to none but God.’ The Prophet, on him be peace, said: ‘Leave her alone, Abū Bakr.’
24 According to another version: “Ā’isha, may God be pleased with her, said to Abū Bakr, may God be pleased with him: “The praise is God’s, not yours nor that of your friend.”‘ God’s Messenger, on him be peace, did not object to what she had said, although it was by his tongue that the Divine revelation had reached her.
To see things as emanating from any source but God, Glorified is He, is the mark of the unbelievers. God, Exalted is He, has said:
‘And when God alone is mentioned, then contract with aversion the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter, but when those apart from Him are mentioned, see how they rejoice.’ [al-Zumar, 39:45]
(Wa-idhā dhukira-llāhu waḥdahu-shma’azzat qulūbu-lladhīna lā yu’minūna bi-l’ākhirati wa-idhā dhukiralladhīna min dūnihi idhāhum yastabshirūn.)
If someone has not inwardly purified himself of seeing the intermediaries except for what they really are, it is as if his secret soul is still attached to a concealed polytheism. He should therefore devote himself to God, Glorified is He, to purify his affirmation of Divine Unity from the taints and stains of associating others with Him.
Fourthly, the recipient should be a person who has remained anonymous and kept his need to himself, not being given to fuss and complaint; or one of those magnanimous people who, though fortune has departed, still remain unaffected and preserve their high standards. As God, Exalted is He, has said:
‘The ignorant man accounts them rich because of their restraint, but you shall know them by their mark – they do not beg of men importunately.’ [al-Baqarah, 2:273]
(Yahsabuhumu-ljāhilu aghniyā’a mina-lta’affufi ta’rifu-hum bi-sīmāhum lā yas’alūna-Ināsa ilḥāfā.)
In other words, they do not make a nuisance of themselves by begging, for they are rich in their certainty and proud in their fortitude. Such men should be sought out by thorough investigation of the religious people in each neighbourhood, and by looking deeply into the circumstances of good and decent people, since the reward for addressing charity to them is many times greater than for spending on those who are vociferous in their begging.
Fifthly, the recipient should be someone saddled with a large family, or else disabled by illness or some other cause, so as to come under the import of the words of God, Great and Glorious is He:
‘For the poor who are restrained in God’s cause.’ [al-Baqarah, 2:273]
(Lil-fuqarā’i-lladhīna uḥṣirū fī sabīli-llāh.)
In other words, they are held in confinement on the way of the Hereafter by reason of family responsibilities, hardship or psychological problems.
* They ‘cannot travel about the earth’ [2:273] because their wings are clipped and their limbs are tied. This is why ‘Umar, may God be pleased with him, used to give the household of the Prophet, on him be peace, a flock of sheep – not fewer than ten – while the Prophet himself, on him be peace, would suit his gift to the size of the family.
25 ‘Umar, may God be pleased with him, was once asked about the toughest trial and his answer was: ‘A big family and little money.
Sixthly, the recipient should be a close relative, whether paternal or maternal. The offering will then serve the additional purpose of strengthening ties of kinship, the reward for which is incalculable. ‘Alī, may God be pleased with him, once said: ‘To present one of my brothers with a single coin is dearer to me than giving twenty in Alms, while to present him with twenty is dearer to me than giving a hundred in Alms, and to present him with a hundred is dearer to me than emancipating a slave.’ Friends and fellows in a good cause should be preferred over mere acquaintances, just as relatives are put before strangers.
Conclusion
Each of these fine points should therefore be taken into consideration, for they represent the desired qualities. Within each quality there are further gradations, so one ought to seek the highest. If anyone can be found in whom all these qualities are combined, that is the greatest treasure and the supreme prize. If one does one’s best and succeeds, one gets a double reward, but even if one fails there is still a single reward for the effort.
One of the two rewards is instant purging of oneself from the attribute of greed, as well as the confirmation in one’s heart of the love of God, Great and Glorious is He, and the endeavour to obey Him. These are the qualities that grow even stronger in the heart, making it yearn to meet God, Great and Glorious is He.
The second reward is the benefit derived from the prayers and aspirations of the recipient, for the hearts of the righteous are efficacious both immediately and in the long term. If one succeeds, therefore, both rewards accrue, while if one fails the first is achieved but not the second. Here, as in other instances, the reward for successful endeavour is twofold. But God knows best!
* Zakat (or Zakah) is the amount of Alms which must be paid annually by every Muslim possessing more than a certain amount of wealth. The root meaning of the Arabic term suggests that it is a means of purification and development.
* Quran (al-Tawbah, 9:60), in which specific recipients of the Zakat are mentioned.
* The three days following the day of sacrifice on the tenth. Tashrīq,
‘turning to the East,’ is usually understood as referring to the sun-drying of the sacrificial flesh.
* The author mentions that the remedy for hypocrisy is discussed elsewhere in his work,
Iḥyā, viz. in
Kitāb al-Riyā’.
* As for the legalistic ruling, according to which payment of the Zakat is valid and effective even if this condition is not fulfilled, that is another story.
* The standard rates of Zakat on wealth and produce respectively.
* This also refers to those who are restrained from earning their livelihood because they are wholly engaged in striving in the way of God, e.g. Jihad and learning.