Zakat is one of the major religious duties in
Submission (Islam in Arabic). It is the obligatory charity that every
Submitter (Muslim in Arabic) should pay year around. Literal Meaning:
Zakat means grow (in goodness) or 'increase', 'purifying' or 'making pure'.
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).
Zakat must be given away "on the day of harvest"
(6:141). Whenever we receive "net income," the "known amount"
of Zakat should be paid or set aside. (see 70:24) This known amount as God
calls it, is 2.5%. This is the ONLY "known amount" to the submitters (Muslims).
This amount, 2.5% was passed down to us, generation after generation, like
Salat, from the time of Abraham to our time. We must set aside 2.5% and give
it to the specified recipients - the parents, relatives, orphans, the poor,
and the traveling alien, in this order (2:215).
Zakat must be carefully calculated and given away on a regular basis whenever
we receive any income. Government taxes should be deducted, but not other
expenses such as debts, mortgages, and living expenses. If one does not know
needy persons, he or she may give the Zakat to a mosque or charitable
organization with the distinct purpose of helping poor people. Charities
given to mosques or hospitals or organizations cannot be considered Zakat.
As we see from 6:141, Zakat should be paid all year around and not only during
the month of Ramadan or at the beginning of the year. Most of the Muslim
masses have been misled by their scholars who abandoned the Quran and followed
corrupted hadiths that contradict the Quran. These corrupted hadiths ignored
the Quran and made a new classification of Zakat that was never mentioned
in the Quran. These corrupted hadiths limited Zakat to Ramadan and to the
beginning of the year.
The believers can easily verify that there is ONLY one Zakat in the Quran.
This Zakat in the Quran is not connected with the fasting of Ramadan as the
Scholars and the hadithists made people to believe. God is all Merciful,
He knows that the poor and the needy are not only poor and needy during the
month of Ramadan but during the whole year. In 6:141 , God is telling us
to give our due Zakat at the time we collect our income. If you receive a
pay check every two weeks, your Zakat, (2.5%) is due the same day you receive
the check. You pay it immediately or set it aside to pay it as soon as possible
to the recipients defined in the Quran. The poor and the needy shall receive
their money every week, two weeks or every month,..etc. like you and not
once a year or once every Ramadan, as the corrupted scholars teach.
True believers will pay their Zakat all year around including and not limited
to the month of Ramadan. God is All Merciful, He left nothing out of His
book, the Glorious Quran, see 6:38
Zakat, Islam and Abraham
Quran teaches us in no uncertain terms that Abraham is the founder of Islam
as it is practiced today. As such, what did Abraham contribute to our daily
life as Muslims?
Quran teaches us that all religious practices came to us from Abraham,
generation after generation. The hypocrites of the Muslims always ask, how
can these practices come to us from Abraham and not from Muhammed.. They
do not trust that God Almighty who preserved the Quran, can preserve His
commanded religious practices.
In other words, all religious practices existed before Muhammad. Muhammed's sole mission was to deliver
the Quran.
"Your ONLY mission (O Muhammed) is to deliver
(Quran), while it is we who will call them to account." 13:40
"You (O Muhammed) have no duty EXCEPT delivering
(Quran)." 42:48
"The messenger has no function EXCEPT delivering
(Quran)..." 5:99
Abraham was the first recipient of the concept of Islam, and the one who
called us "Muslims" (Submitters in English).
"You shall strive in the
cause of God as you should. He has blessed you, and imposed no hardship in
your religion; the RELIGION OF YOUR FATHER ABRAHAM
.
Abraham is the one who named you "Muslims" in
the beginning. Thus, the messenger serves as witness among you, just as you
serve as a witness among the people. Therefore, you shall observe the Salat
prayers, give the Zakat charity, and hold fast to God; He is your Lord; the
best Lord, and the best supporter." 22:78
"Abraham was neither Jewish , nor Christian;
he was a monotheist; a Muslim; he never was an idol-worshiper. The people
most worthy of following Abraham are those who follow him and this prophet
(Muhammed), and those who believed. God is the Lord of the believers." 3:67-68
"Then we inspired you (O Muhammed) to follow
the religion of Abraham, monotheism; never was he an idol-worshiper." 16:123
Logically, if Muhammed was a follower of Abraham, and we are followers of
Muhammed, then we are followers of Abraham.
What did we learn from Abraham ???
The Quran teaches us that we learned all religious practices from Abraham. The whole Arabian society before
and during the time of Muhammed had many followers of the religion of Abraham.
Thus Abu Lahab, Abu Jahl, and the idolators of Quraish used to observe Salat
prayers as we can see in 8:33-35.
"........Their SALAT PRAYERS at the shrine were
no more than deceit and repulsion. ..."
In Sura 73, few weeks after the revelation of the Quran, 73:20 is telling
the Muslims to observe the SALAT and Zakat. Does it make sense that God would
issue a commandment to observe something not already known.???
"......and observe the SALAT and ZAKAT, and lend
God a loan of righteousness. Whatever you advance for your souls, you will
find at God better and multiplied manyfold....." 73:20
In 2:128 we see Abraham and Ismail implore God to teach them "THE RELIGIOUS
PRACTICES OF ISLAM"
"As Abraham raised the foundation of Kaaba, together
with Ismail, they prayed, 'Our Lord, accept this work from us; You are the
Hearer, the Omniscient. Our Lord, and make us Muslims (Submitters) to You
and from our descendants let there be a nation of Muslims (Submitters) to
you; AND TEACH US HOW TO PRACTICE
OUR RELIGIOUS DUTIES, and redeem
us; You are the Redeemer, the Merciful'" 2:127-128
The Prophets and Messengers prior to Abraham were not given any religious
practices. The human society was so primitive, only BELIEF IN GOD ALONE was
all that is required for salvation. See for example Sura 71, entitles "Noah"
Thus, religious practices appear in Quran ONLY after ABRAHAM; never before
him.
"(O Children of Israel) you shall observe the
SALAT PRAYERS & ZAKAT charity; you shall bow down with those who bow."
2:125
MORE PROOFS :
"O Mary (Mariam), you shall obey your Lord, and
shall prostrate and bow down with those who bow down." 3:43
"(Jesus said) God has made me blessed wherever
I go, and He commanded me to observe the SALAT PRAYERS and ZAKAT charity
for as long as I live." 19:31
" And we granted him (Abraham) Isaac and Jacob
as a gift, and we made them righteous. And we appointed them Imams who guide
in accordance with our commandments. AND WE TAUGHT THEM RIGHTEOUS WORKS
AND THE OBSERVANCE OF SALAT AND
ZAKAT.' 21:72-73
Unfortunately, this plain Quranic truth is not accessible by those who keep
trying to prove that Quran is not complete. First they have to come to sincere
conviction that Quran is complete, perfect and fully detailed; they have
to believe their Lord. Once they attain this conviction, the shields will
be removed from around their hearts, the deafness will be removed from their
ears and they will become worthy of the Quranic truth.
Even after showing all this Quranic evidence to those who do not believe
God, you will note that they insist on their ways. Until they decide to believe
their Creator in His repeated assertions that the Quran is complete, perfect
and fully detailed, they can never see the Quranic truth. This is documented
in 18:57;
"Who is more wicked than one who is reminded
of the verses of His Lord, then disregard them, while unaware of his sin
? Consequently, we place shields on their hearts, to prevent them from
understanding (Quran), and deafness in their ears. Thus, if you invite them
to the guidance, they can NEVER EVER be guided." 18:57
Question/Answer
<<Where did the 2.5% Zakat come
from?>>
Salaam,
God teaches us in the Quran that HE gave all rituals of Islam to Abraham
NOT to Muhammad.
"As Abraham raised the foundation of Kaaba, together with Ismail, they prayed,
'Our Lord, accept this work from us; You are the Hearer, the Omniscient.
Our Lord, and make us Muslims (Submitters) to You and from our descendants
let there be a nation of Muslims (Submitters) to you; AND TEACH US HOW TO
PRACTICE OUR RELIGIOUS DUTIES, and redeem us; You are the Redeemer, the
Merciful'" 2:127-128
Of course the corruptors of religion tried to give this credit to Muhammad,
but their words cannot be accepted in face of what GOD Himself says in the
Quran.
Quran is the end of Islam, not its begining as some people imagine. Muhammed
was the Last prophet in Islam, but he was its first.
"You shall strive in the cause of God as you should. He has blessed you,
and imposed no hardship in your religion; the RELIGION OF YOUR FATHER ABRAHAM,
Abraham is the one who named you "Muslims" in the beginning. Thus, the messenger
serves as witness among you, just as you serve as a witness among the people.
Therefore, you shall observe the Salat prayers, give the Zakat charity, and
hold fast to God; He is your Lord; the best Lord, and the best supporter."
22:78
"Abraham was neither Jewish , nor Christian; he was a monotheist; a Muslim;
he never was an idol-worshiper. The people most worthy of following Abraham
are those who follow him and this prophet (Muhammed), and those who believed.
God is the Lord of the believers." 3:67-68
"Then we inspired you (O Muhammed) to follow the religion of Abraham, monotheism;
never was he an idol-worshiper." 16:123
All rituals of Islam given before the Quran including Zakat as we saw on
2:127-128.
God created Hajj to all the Muslims from around the world to meet with Abrham
and his chidren and grand chilren to teach them and confirm with them the
corrrect practices. This Hajj practice never stopped since Abrahm, several
thousands years ago.
2.5% zakat came to us through generations who met yearly in Hajj since Abraham
and NONE of them ever came back telling the Muslims Zalkat is 7.5% for example.
This universally accepted percentage does not contradict the Quran and goes
along the fact that Zakat is older than the Quran. In the third revelation
of the Quran, 73:20, God ordered Muhammaad and the believers to pay "THE"
Zakat, not just any Zakat.
This "THE" ZAKAT means it is somehting already known to Muhammad and the
believers and not something left for Muhammad or everyone to
invent.
I hope this helps you.
info@submission.org
