Does Zakat mean charity ?
-
Peace almarh0m.
You say, quote
I truly believe that salat and zakat are two of the foundations of Qur'an Islam as opposed to traditional Islam.According to my understanding, justice, honesty and good intentions are more important than salat and zakat.
Of course one would argue they are connected.
GOD bless you.
Peace.Peace @good logic
I am sure you know that all that you mentioned above is inherent in the salat and zakat or whoever is upholding his/her salat and doing their zakat
Peace
-
Wait, I am hearing a lot of different opinions.
Is anyone denying that we are obligated to spend our wealth in the cause of Allah?
Peace
No one is denying that, but they are covered under infaq and sadaqah. Here is 23 re "infaq".
2;3 "
Transliteration 3 Allatheena yuminoona bialghaybi wayuqeemoona alssalata wamimma razaqnahum yunfiqoonaYusuf Ali 3 Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them;
Mohsin Khan 3 Who believe in the Ghaib and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and spend out of what We have provided for them .
Saheeh 3 Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them".
There are other verses regarding sadaqah or charity as commonly known, however, I can't think of one right now -[
Peace
almarh0m -
Peace almarh0m,
You are studious and I like that, so take my scholarly advice if you will.You mention that
Perhaps, zakat has more to do with purifying our thought/mindset rather than giving away material things or charity and to grow our understanding with knowledge and wisdom.
No brother, zakah has exactly everything to do with charities and giving away material things. Have you ever seen the word zakah without the command GIVE? It is a different verb than establish (i.e. establish the prayer and GIVE the zakah)
Your abstract definition for zakah which steers away from the meaning of giving and charity would rend all the ayaats about giving zakah illogical. How do you give (purifying your thoughts/ and mindsets)?? It's gibberish( no offense)Try to replace your definition into any of the verses that call for giving zakah. It will make absolutely no sense.
Give zakah. Emphasis on give.
I was reading chapter 3 of The Qur'an and got to verse 164 and kept reading the same verse a few times because there is a word in that containing purification/purifying
3164
Laqad manna Allahu AAala almu/mineena ith baAAatha feehim rasoolan min anfusihim yatloo AAalayhim ayatihi wayuzakkeehim wayuAAallimuhumu alkitaba waalhikmata wa-in kanoo min qablu lafee dalalin mubeeninCertainly Allah bestowed a Favor upon the believers as He raised among them a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His Verses and purifying them, and teaching them the Book and the wisdom, although they were before (that) certainly in (the) error clear.
You need to think about this verse more objectively and think about all the other verses that are connected/related.
The prophet took the charities to purify the believers that is zakah.
Look at the following interconnected (in idea and topic) verses5812-13
Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo itha najaytumu alrrasoola faqaddimoo bayna yaday najwakum sadaqatan thalika khayrun lakum waatharu fa-in lam tajidoo fa-inna Allaha ghafoorun raheemun
Aashfaqtum an tuqaddimoo bayna yaday najwakum sadaqatin fa-ith lam tafAAaloo wataba Allahu AAalaykum faaqeemoo alssalata waatoo alzzakata waateeAAoo Allaha warasoolahu waAllahu khabeerun bima taAAmaloonaO you who believe! When you privately consult the Messenger, then offer before your private consultation, charity. That (is) better for you and purer. But if not you find, then indeed, Allah (is) Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Are you afraid to offer before your private consultation charities? Then when you do not and Allah has forgiven you, then establish the prayer and give the zakah, and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah (is) All-Aware of what you do.9103-104
Khuth min amwalihim sadaqatan tutahhiruhum watuzakkeehim biha wasalli AAalayhim inna salataka sakanun lahum waAllahu sameeAAun AAaleemun
Alam yaAAlamoo anna Allaha huwa yaqbalu alttawbata AAan AAibadihi waya/khuthu alssadaqati waanna Allaha huwa alttawwabu alrraheemuTake from their wealth a charity, purifying them and cause them increase by it, and bless them. Indeed, your blessings (are a) reassurance for them. And Allah (is) All-Hearer, All-Knower.
Do not they know that Allah (is) He (Who) accepts the repentance from His slaves and takes the charities, and that Allah, He (is) the Acceptor of repentance, the Most Merciful.Another thing you looked up the root and that is a good approach, but then you ignored some of the definitions.
,so I looked up the root of Zakat which is
Zay-Kaf-Waw = it increased/augmented, it throve/grew well/flourished/prospered and produced fruit, it was/became pure, purification, goodness/righteousness, lead/enjoy a plentiful/easy/soft/delicate life, put into a good/right state/condition, alms, poor-rate/due
Do not ignore these definitions. They are an essential aspect of zakah. Which is why I gave the metaphor of a plant.
It is only after the plant has turned the carbon dioxide, sunlight, water and minerals it received into oxygen, sugars and fruits, thereby giving off its due to the system, that it truly GROWS. -
To be clear my understanding for right now is that both zakat and sadaqat are charity.
The only difference is zakat is obligatory while sadaqat is voluntary/additional.It seems plausible to me also that both zakat and sadaqat are the same thing, one emphasizes purification and the other is general description of giving.
-
Peace almarh0m,
You are studious and I like that, so take my scholarly advice if you will.You mention that
No brother, zakah has exactly everything to do with charities and giving away material things. Have you ever seen the word zakah without the command GIVE? It is a different verb than establish (i.e. establish the prayer and GIVE the zakah)
Your abstract definition for zakah which steers away from the meaning of giving and charity would rend all the ayaats about giving zakah illogical. How do you give (purifying your thoughts/ and mindsets)?? It's gibberish( no offense)Try to replace your definition into any of the verses that call for giving zakah. It will make absolutely no sense.
Give zakah. Emphasis on give.
You need to think about this verse more objectively and think about all the other verses that are connected/related.
The prophet took the charities to purify the believers that is zakah.
Look at the following interconnected (in idea and topic) verses5812-13
Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo itha najaytumu alrrasoola faqaddimoo bayna yaday najwakum sadaqatan thalika khayrun lakum waatharu fa-in lam tajidoo fa-inna Allaha ghafoorun raheemun
Aashfaqtum an tuqaddimoo bayna yaday najwakum sadaqatin fa-ith lam tafAAaloo wataba Allahu AAalaykum faaqeemoo alssalata waatoo alzzakata waateeAAoo Allaha warasoolahu waAllahu khabeerun bima taAAmaloonaO you who believe! When you privately consult the Messenger, then offer before your private consultation, charity. That (is) better for you and purer. But if not you find, then indeed, Allah (is) Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Are you afraid to offer before your private consultation charities? Then when you do not and Allah has forgiven you, then establish the prayer and give the zakah, and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah (is) All-Aware of what you do.9103-104
Khuth min amwalihim sadaqatan tutahhiruhum watuzakkeehim biha wasalli AAalayhim inna salataka sakanun lahum waAllahu sameeAAun AAaleemun
Alam yaAAlamoo anna Allaha huwa yaqbalu alttawbata AAan AAibadihi waya/khuthu alssadaqati waanna Allaha huwa alttawwabu alrraheemuTake from their wealth a charity, purifying them and cause them increase by it, and bless them. Indeed, your blessings (are a) reassurance for them. And Allah (is) All-Hearer, All-Knower.
Do not they know that Allah (is) He (Who) accepts the repentance from His slaves and takes the charities, and that Allah, He (is) the Acceptor of repentance, the Most Merciful.Another thing you looked up the root and that is a good approach, but then you ignored some of the definitions.
Do not ignore these definitions. They are an essential aspect of zakah. Which is why I gave the metaphor of a plant.
It is only after the plant has turned the carbon dioxide, sunlight, water and minerals it received into oxygen, sugars and fruits, thereby giving off its due to the system, that it truly GROWS.Peace and thank you Brother HP-TECH.
I do take your scholarly advice as I do others. For your information, I joined this FM forum in order to learn and learn from anyone who participates in it. Other than that, I also like to share with others my personal understanding regarding any aspect of "Qur'an Islam" which I consider of much import to my own personal growth and hopefully benefit others who read them. I hope my contributions are positive enough to be of benefit to others in the forum. I am not here to win or lose arguments.
Now, you insist that zakat means charity and you have looked at the listed meanings of the root Zay-Kaf-Waw, let us look at 'zakat' in particular and forget about other meanings derive from the same root. Zakat (n) Purification; Purity; Poor Tax; Purifying Alms. Why is Zakat here is not primarily defined as charity? It appears that the meanings " poor tax and purifying alms were inserted to conform to the translators' pre-determined beliefs and objectives, why they did what they did, I have no clue.
We all (believers ) need to think about every ayat that we read, and not just look at the meanings superficially. You asked me to think about this verse 3/164 and other realted verses, so, let's look at verse again and see what it is all about?
Transliteration 164 Laqad manna Allahu AAala almumineena ith baAAatha feehim rasoolan min anfusihim yatloo AAalayhim ayatihi wayuzakkeehim wayuAAallimuhumu alkitaba waalhikmata wain kanoo min qablu lafee dalalin mubeenin
Yusuf Ali 164 Allah did confer a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a messenger from among themselves, rehearsing unto them the Signs of Allah, sanctifying them, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom, while, before that, they had been in manifest error.
Mohsin Khan 164 Indeed Allah conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad م from among themselves, reciting unto them His Verses (the Qur'an), and purifying them (from sins by their following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Qur'an) and Al-Hikmah , while before that they had been in manifest error.
Saheeh 164 Certainly did Allah confer favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error
The ayat/verse clearly, without any ambiguity is telling the believers about the favours/gifts that Allah conferred to us namely 1. Sending a messenger from among ourselves. 2. To recite His ayats/signs. 3. To purify us. and 4. To teach us the scripture and wisdom. Before all of the above mentioned favours, we were certainly lost or in manifest error. So where does "giving charity" fit the context of this verse?
If Allah says zakat, Allah means zakat and not sadaqah, and how does giving charity purify anyone? I have taken into account every listed meaning of the "Root" and took the best meaning that fit the context of the verse, not to force my understanding on anyone, it is never my intention.
I am sure that you would agree that Allah uses word precisely, i.e. if He says zakat then it is zakat and not sadaqah or infaq ( Root= Nun-Fa-Qaf ). And if Allah indeed meant to say zakat=charity, why does He fail to mention the amount or the percentage that we should give away? I would not dare to assume that this very important issue will be just left up to human to determine.
As for 5812-13, I think it is worth taking a second look at the verse overall regarding "The Messenger taking charity" for private consultations", we will not find in the entire Al Qur'an any prophet or messenger ever taking any any wages, rewards, or compensation for conveying the message from the creator. Ajr,ajrun, ajara from the root of Alif-Jim-Ra will confirm this.
You claimed and perhaps, still do, that zakat/charity with a set amount is compulsory? All ayats are interconnected and consistency is required in order to get a correct understanding of the context of the ayat under examination. The last time I looked at 2/256, "La Ikraha Fi Al Deen" is still there, that is there is no compulsion in The Deen", so who will compel the believers what amount or percentage of their income and wealth to give away? Remembering that not every believers have equal wealth and income, aspect of justice, aand fairness take the utmost consideration here, bear in mind that we all (believers) accept and acknowledge La Ilaha illa Allah as in 318.
My apology if any of my words cause you to take offence as none is ever intended Brother.
Peace
almarh0m
-
Dear brother Peace
I do take your scholarly advice as I do others. I joined this FM forum in order to learn and learn from anyone who participates in it.
You listened to me, but you did not hear me. Please this time if you truly care to learn listen and read carefully
Now, you insist that zakat means charity and you have looked at the listed meanings of the root Zay-Kaf-Waw, let us look at 'zakat' in particular and forget about other meanings derive from the same root. Zakat (n) Purification; Purity; Poor Tax; Purifying Alms. Why is Zakat here is not primarily defined as charity? It appears that the meanings " poor tax and purifying alms were inserted to conform to the translators' pre-determined beliefs and objectives, why they did what they did, I have no clue.
It is only your assumption that it was inserted to conform and you also lack a good reason why they would possibly do so.
We all (believers ) need to think about every ayat that we read, and not just look at the meanings superficially. You asked me to think about this verse 3/164 and other realted verses, so, let's look at verse again and see what it is all about?
So you did not look at it, very well. Did you try to replace zakat with your abstract defintition? Did it make sense?
The ayat/verse clearly, without any ambiguity is telling the believers about the favours/gifts that Allah conferred to us namely 1. Sending a messenger from among ourselves. 2. To recite His ayats/signs. 3. To purify us. and 4. To teach us the scripture and wisdom. Before all of the above mentioned favours, we were certainly lost or in manifest error. So where does "giving charity" fit the context of this verse?
You are not yet thinking objectively. How do you suppose the messenger purifies people? Is he bathing them? Scorging them with fire?
If Allah says zakat, Allah means zakat and not sadaqah, and how does giving charity purify anyone?
Dude are you reading at all?
5812 Take from their wealth a charity, purifying them and cause them increase by it, and bless them. Indeed, your blessings (are a) reassurance for them. And Allah (is) All-Hearer, All-Knower.
Do not they know that Allah (is) He (Who) accepts the repentance from His slaves and takes the charities, and that Allah, He (is) the Acceptor of repentance, the Most Merciful.I am sure that you would agree that Allah uses word precisely, i.e. if He says zakat then it is zakat and not sadaqah or infaq ( Root= Nun-Fa-Qaf ). And if Allah indeed meant to say zakat=charity, why does He fail to mention the amount or the percentage that we should give away? I would not dare to assume that this very important issue will be just left up to human to determine.
First, Allah does not fail in anything. It is you brother who has failed to read. I already addressed in post#2 where Allah indicates that amount, go back and read it.
As for 5812-13, I think it is worth taking a second look at the verse overall regarding "The Messenger taking charity" for private consultations", we will not find in the entire Al Qur'an any prophet or messenger ever taking any any wages, rewards, or compensation for conveying the message from the creator. Ajr,ajrun, ajara from the root of Alif-Jim-Ra will confirm this.
You know very well what you are arguing makes no sense. The charities are collected by the Messenger to give and distribute to the needy -__- Stop and think for a second. I am not your opponent I am to you an advisor sincere so take my advice if you will.
You claimed and perhaps, still do, that zakat/charity with a set amount is compulsory? All ayats are interconnected and consistency is required in order to get a correct understanding of the context of the ayat under examination. The last time I looked at 2/256, "La Ikraha Fi Al Deen" is still there, that is there is no compulsion in The Deen", so who will compel the believers what amount or percentage of their income and wealth to give away? Remembering that not every believers have equal wealth and income, aspect of justice, aand fairness take the utmost consideration here, bear in mind that we all (believers) accept and acknowledge La Ilaha illa Allah as in 318.
What? It is not "my claim", it is Allah's commandment GIVE the zakah. Are you telling me that giving zakah is optional now?
You are not thinking in a logical manner. And do not get into the habit of taking ayaats out of context to make your case 2256 refers to the deen, meaning there is no need to force someone to adhere to the System, when in fact the truth is apparent/distinctive.
Zakah is obligatory for the believers plain and simple. No need to try and pull another verse to try to refute this well-accepted, well-established, common sense concept.God says to give the excess, He repeatedly commands us to spend out of that which He has provided us. Are you denying this?
I hope not. Now, if you are arguing exclusively about the amount that is futile.We know we have to give zakah, that is not my claim, it is Allah's commandment
We know we have to spend out of what He has provided us
We are told to spend after each harvest(earning/paycheck/salary)
We are told to give the excess
The excess is deducted from your obligatory expensesYour argument is futile because we know we have to spend our excess this is clear in Quran. If you did not know, now you know.
If you don't trust me use corpus.quran.com or google.Now if we have to spend our excess this means either of 2 things
1)After deducting necessary expenses from harvest, we spend the whole excess to the cause of Allah ( making no savings)
2) After deducting necessary expenses from harvest, we spend a portion out of the excess in the cause of Allah( allowing us to save, and leave inheritance and etc.)If you go back to post#2 it will make more sense
Regards
-
It is a good assumption too. A multitude of definitions were falsely added to create the cult Islam.
-
let me start with Almar
I was reading chapter 3 of The Qur'an and got to verse 164 and kept reading the same verse a few times because there is a word in that containing purification/purifying, so I looked up the root of Zakat which is
you read Verse 3.164 many times and you look at the roots for the word
- which is imperfect third person male singular verb
And you decide that zakah means purification ...lol
now, let us take HP_T claim
No brother, zakah has exactly everything to do with charities and giving away material things. Have you ever seen the word zakah without the command GIVE? It is a different verb than establish (i.e. establish the prayer and GIVE the zakah)
Of course he is correct . Zakah as noun coupled with salah never came without "give"except in two verse
Verse 19.31
And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakah as long as I remain alive
Verse 19.55
And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakah as long as I remain aliveAnd it make no difference in the meaning because here prophets are telling about what are enjoined upon them
The question is how can anybody translate a noun !
It is something like translating the meaning of ALLAH subhanavatala
and of course HP_T is correct when he told
Your abstract definition for zakah which steers away from the meaning of giving and charity would rend all the ayaats about giving zakah illogical. How do you give (purifying your thoughts/ and mindsets)?? It's gibberish( no offense)
And that was the reason almost all the modern day translators retain the word ZAKAH in their ayahs
Now, you insist that zakat means charity and you have looked at the listed meanings of the root Zay-Kaf-Waw, let us look at 'zakat' in particular and forget about other meanings derive from the same root. Zakat (n) Purification; Purity; Poor Tax; Purifying Alms. Why is Zakat here is not primarily defined as charity? It appears that the meanings " poor tax and purifying alms were inserted to conform to the translators' pre-determined beliefs and objectives, why they did what they did, I have no clue.
I agree with you about the meaning of zakah provided it is not meant as the compulsory ibada "zakah"
note that he is giving the meaning of Zakah as noun but the verse in context to prove his point is 3.1643.164
Mohsin Khan 164 Indeed Allah conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad م from among themselves, reciting unto them His Verses (the Qur'an), and purifying them (from sins by their following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Qur'an) and Al-Hikmah , while before that they had been in manifest error.
here zakah
iswhich is a verb and says even mohsin khan has used the meaning of zakah
what is the idea ,Almar
can you give a single verse from shaeeh intl or mohsin khan in which they have not retained the word "zakah" when is comes to obligatory zakahI am sure that you would agree that Allah uses word precisely, i.e. if He says zakat then it is zakat and not sadaqah or infaq ( Root= Nun-Fa-Qaf ). And if Allah indeed meant to say zakat=charity, why does He fail to mention the amount or the percentage that we should give away? I would not dare to assume that this very important issue will be just left up to human to determine.
Lets check the relation between zakah and sadaqah
Verse 9.103
Take, , from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase, and invoke upon them. Indeed, your invocations are reassurance for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.same root word used here and it says charity purifies
and the sadaqah here is the obligatory sadaqa that is zakah
and it purifies
and this informed by the one who informs everything .do you have any doubt Almar