Zakaat and Sadaqaat

BY Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani

Praise be to Allah. We praise Him and seek His help and ask Him for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from our sinful deeds. He whom Allah guides, no one can mislead and He whom He leaves astray none can guide. And we bear witness that there is no god except Allah who is alone and who has no partner and we bear witness that Sayyidina Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family and companions and may He favour him and give him peace a complete peace abundantly.

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the Name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful. Read more

People who follow the orders and way of arrangements of the Holy Quran are well aware of the fact that most of the times the Quran joins together two different and opposite things, presenting a far-reaching effect and suitability between different verses. Read more

Certain inward attitudes and duties are incumbent on those who seek, through the payment of Zakat, that which leads to good in the Hereafter:
1. Knowing Zakat's purpose and significance

To understand the necessity of paying Zakat, 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 Allah

To pronounce the two sentences of the Confession of Faith (Shahada) ("There is no God but Allah-Mohammad 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. Read more

1. It is mentioned in a Hadith that generosity is a great attribute of Allah Ta'ala. In other words, Allah Ta'ala is extremely generous.

2. It is mentioned in a Hadith that the servant of Allah gives a small piece of bread as charity. In the sight of Allah Ta'ala that small piece increases to such an extent that it equals the size of Mt. Uhud. In other words, Allah Ta'ala increases the reward that one would have received for the small piece of bread to such an extent that he receives the reward equal to Mt. Uhud. We should therefore not concern ourselves with how much we give. Instead, we should give in charity whatever we are capable of giving. Read more