"zakat" poll
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Peace,
I believe it should be individually determined for regular charity, and 20 % as determined by state from the "windfall" earnings, or amount earned without any effort (ghanimtum), such as inheritance, large gifts etc. as per 841
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Peace be upon you,
My understanding of zakaat is purification..particularly of the subconcious from false beliefs allowing the God's attributes to come forth. As is state in this reading(quran), those who purify the nafs(subconcious) succeed and those that dont fail.
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peace
i thought the quran specifies that the amount to give is one fifth why isnt that a choice of the poll?
Amanda
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Peace sis "Amanda",
peace
i thought the quran specifies that the amount to give is one fifth why isnt that a choice of the poll?
Amanda
JK- Because tht verse is not in connection with zakat in many ppls understanding. If you think it is please quote the verse and explain how. GOD Bless!
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Peace be upon you Amanda,
i thought the quran specifies that the amount to give is one fifth why isnt that a choice of the poll?
You are confusing "zakaat" with "sadaqa"(charity)...and even with charity, we are told to give the EXCESS, not 1/5.
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You are confusing "zakaat" with "sadaqa"(charity)...and even with charity, we are told to give the EXCESS, not 1/5.
Peace Idolfree,
I believe its 1/5th the excess(gain) that we are suppose to give.
841 You should know "Of anything you gain, that one-fifth shall go to God and the messenger, and the relatives, and the orphans, and the poor, and the wayfarer." You will do this if you believe in God and in what We revealed to Our servant on the day of the Criterion, the day the two armies clashed. God is able to do all things.
Peace
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I believe 841 is talking about the shares of spoils of war not how much to give away as charity.
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I believe 841 is talking about the shares of spoils of war not how much to give away as charity.
Peace,
First let me say, profit and gain equate to a surplus generated over expenses, which is just another way of saying "Excess"
Now, my postion is that Verse 841 is specifically referring to the context of "gain"/"profit", beit through the spoils of war, of luck, of talent, of occupation, etc..
And it is my position that in verse 841 The God explains/details verse 2219, and in particular, the concept of, "The Excess"
Verse 2219 They ask you about intoxicants and gambling say, "In them there is a gross sin, and some benefits for the people. But their sinfulness far outweighs their benefit." They also ask you what to give to (sadaqa) charity say, "The excess." The GOD thus clarifies the revelations for you, that you may reflect,.
If verse 2219 was taken literally by itself we would have no alternative but to conclude that any excess gained must be ALL given to charity, since the verse bascially commands it.
However, when verse 841 is considered we are then able to conclude that only 1/5th of the excess(profit/gain) is suppose to be given to charity, which actually, makes alot of sense(no pun intended).
Peace brother
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Peace all,
The problem is that we are misled by the English translation which might not express the same shade of meaning as the original Arabic word in the verse, according to the context of its usage in al-qur'aan.
The Arabic word in 841 in question is "ghanimtum".
841 WaiAAlamoo annama GHANIMTUM min shay-in faanna lillahi khumusahu walilrrasooli walithee alqurba waalyatama waalmasakeeni waibni alssabeeli in kuntum amantum biAllahi wama anzalna AAala AAabdina yawma alfurqani yawma iltaqa aljamAAani waAllahu AAala kulli shay-in qadeerun
According to Dictionary of The Holy Qur'aan by Abdul Mannan Omar
GHANIMA To obtain good things without difficulty, acquire or winning a victory, earn a thing without trouble, get a thing as a free gift, succeed without trouble.
GHANIMATUN Earning or a gain obtained without trouble; Spoil of war
According to Lane Lexicon, it means "something acquired without any difficulty or trouble or inconvenience".
The meanings seem to imply that "ghanima" is something obtained WITHOUT TROUBLE OR DIFFICULTY. Spoils of war don't come easy or without trouble or difficulty. The context of 841 seems to imply that it is referring to spoils of war but don't spoils of war come only after great fighting and difficulty and putting one's life at risk ? 81 tells us that "al-anfaal" is "spoils of war" and ALL of it goes to The God and His Messenger. Thus "ghanimtum" in 841 could only be referring to the spoils of war that other believers get for free, the one's not actually fighting the war.
Let's consider 869, where the same word "ghanimtum" is used
869 So consume what you have gained (ghanimtum), lawful and good, and be aware of God. God is Forgiving, Merciful.
This reinforces the meaning of "ghanimtum" as something earned/obtained as free gift, or without trouble/difficulty, and shows that it is different from "al-anfaal" as mentioned in 81, ALL of which is for The God and His messenger, but as per 869 "ghanimtum" can be consumed by other than The God and His messenger too, and as per 841 the relatives, orphans, poor, and wayfarer have a share in that too, in addition to The God and His Messenger.
Now does the surplus savings from our incomes fall under that category ? For our income we have to work hard, sometimes 36 hours at a stretch without sleeping in case of a doctor on call, or laboring 16 hours a day in case of a laborer in a third world country. Even a 9 to 5 job five days a week is not something that generates income without any difficulty or trouble or inconvenience. That can hardly be classified under "ghanimtum"/something acquired without difficulty.
In my understanding, "ghanimtum" would be for example a free gift, windfall inheritance or a certain category of spoils of war which were acquired without any difficulty of fighting, for example if the enemy surrenders without a fight, or the spoils of war that other believers get for free, the one's not actually fighting the war. The term used in al-qur'aan for spoils of war is "al-anfaal", and "ghanimtum" in the context of 841 could be a sub category of "al-anfaal" which is obtained without any difficulty, for example by the non-combatants.
Thus the 20 % to be given out of "ghanimtum" is not 20 % of the surplus savings out of one's income, but 20 % of any money acquired without difficulty. Hence it would be different from "sadaqaat" or "infaaq" and thus 2219 is not qualified by 841 but by 1729
1729 And do not make your hand stingy by holding it to your neck, nor shall you lay it fully open so you become in despair and regret.
This makes it clear that it is left up to us how much to give out of the excess (surplus savings from our income) as charity, provided we are neither too frugal nor too excessive as to incur hardship upon ourselves.
I understand that the context is war but "ghanimtum min shay-in" in 841 could be referring to ANY material gain earned/obtained by us in form of FREE GIFT, or earned/obtained WITHOUT TROUBLE OR DIFFICULTY. For example, cash gifts, inheritance etc., from which we will have to give 20% to the government, relatives, orphans, poor, wayfarer.
The 20 % is only from the "free gifts acquired easily without trouble or difficulty", and therefore would not be a burden IF it is excess to the needs of an individual. I think that 20 % of "ghanimtum" would be applicable ONLY if the "ghanimtum" is IN EXCESS of the needs/expenses of the individual receiving it. The EXCESS RULE of 2219 supersedes all other rules pertaining to what to give.
This is what my current understanding of "ghanimtum" is. For a discussion on this issue in the past that helped form my understanding, please see the followng link
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=11892.0
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Zakat == Tax.
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Peace AOK, all,
Zakat == Tax.
This is unsupported from al-qur'aan.
According to usage in al-qur'aan,
ZAKAT = PURIFICATION, BETTERMENT
and
CHARITY + SALAT ---------> ZAKAT
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Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem
Many places in the Quran, are about establishing the practise of Islam, and paying a fee, that will enable this.
It is the same as how tax, supports modern society, except this society is better, taking metaphysical reality into consideration.Best Regards / Salam-o-aleikum
Arif. -
Salamun alaika Arif,
Many places in the Quran, are about establishing the practise of Islam, and paying a free, that will enable this.
It is the same as how tax, supports modern society, except this society is better, taking metaphysical reality into consideration.Please give references for the "many" places in al-qur'aan about paying a "fee/tax" to enable practice of islam.
Perhaps you are talking about "jizya" for the disbelievers
929 Fight those who do not believe in God or the Last Day, and they do not forbid what God and His messenger have forbidden, and they do not uphold the system of truth; from among the people who have been given the Scripture; until they pay the fine (jizya), willingly or unwillingly.
If you are referring to "zakat", it means "purification/betterment" according to the qur'aanic context and usage. Different ways for "zakat"/purification/betterment are charity/sadaqat/infaaq and also upholding salat. The islamic state can only "tax" 20% of the "ghanimtum" (something earned/obtained without difficulty/trouble) as explained in my previous post http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=13273.msg112604#msg112604
There is only one other place that I have found so far in al-qur'aan where the government is authorized to take charity from one's monies in order to purify and better them, and that is when one commits a sin and then acknowledges it and repents sincerely
9102 And others who have acknowledged their sins, they have mixed good work with bad. Perhaps God will pardon them. God is Forgiving, Merciful.
9103 Take from their money a charity to purify them and develop them with it, and recite over them; for your recitals are a tranquility for them; and God is Hearer, Knowledgeable.
9104 Did they not know that it is God who accepts repentance from His servants, and He takes the charities, and that God is the Pardoner, Merciful.Regular charity/sadaqat/infaaq is out of the excess of one's surplus savings, and is left up to us how much to give out of the excess savings provided we neither get too stingy nor too excessive
2219 ........... And they ask you how much are they to give, Say "The excess." It is thus that God clarifies for you the revelations that you may think.
1729 And do not make your hand stingy by holding it to your neck, nor shall you lay it fully open so you become in despair and regret.
The charity is obligatory in the islamic system, and has been referred to as "due"/haq of the needy
1726 And give the relative his due, and the poor, and the wayfarer; and do not waste excessively.
3038 So give the relative his due, and the poor, and the wayfarer. That is best for those who seek God's presence, and they are the successful ones.
