Modern zakat origins
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Peace be upon you,
Zakaat refers to purification of the nafs...which is the goal of salaat (programming/conditioning). So no need to worry yourself about calculations in regards to zakaat.
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Salaam,
There are many small differences among the shia's and sunii's (including the 4 schools of fiqh) concerning the "zakat". All agree to pay once a year 2.5% over all your property. The differences are mostly on when exactly, how to calculate it, which things you can neglect, etc.
The Quranists consider Zakah as the purification of the Soul, and the Sadaqa as the obligatory tax (which traditionalists consider as recommanded)
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Actually modern zakat of 2.5% and the rest of the percentages (like 10%) are more closely linked to Jewish tradition.
I have asked the same question to a Rabbi on Facebook, who is knowledgable in Jewish-muslim relations (Rabbi Ben Abrahamson)
Q. Question about Zakat? Is there any connection between the tithe, and the Islamic 2.5% zakat? Is there ever mention of 2.5% in Judaic tradition? I only came across the tithe in the Torah?.
A. The word Zakat probably derives from Zedakah. Today Zedakah in Hebrew means Charity, but during the Second Temple times it was a tax. There were several taxes, the 2% (1/50) or 2.5% (1/40) tax was called Terumah.
The Mishnah, Tosefta, and Gemara, include a tract entitled Terumot ("Offerings", which deals with the laws regulating raised offerings. According to Jewish Law, the "great offering" (terumah gedolah) could only be separated from the non-tithed produce (tevel), and "tithe offering" (terumat maaser) only be separated from "first tithe" (maaser rishon), by its owner, or an authorized, legally permissible agent; minors, deaf-mutes, the mentally ill and non-Jews were not obligated to perform such separation (Terumot 11). However, while non-Jews could not act as agents for Jews to separate terumah, the terumah owned by and separated by non-Jews was considered valid and had the status and sanctity of terumah (Terumot 39). Based in part on the measures described by the prophet Ezekiel, Jewish Law set the minimum amounts of the "great offering" at 1/60 of the finished produce for a poor person, 1/50 for the average person, and 1/40 for the generous. The "tithe offering" (terumat maaser) was always 10% of the "first tithe" (maaser rishon).
The Talmud opens with a discussion of when the Shema Yisrael ("Hear O Israel" prayer should be recited. The Mishnah states that it should be recited when priests who were "unclean" (tamei, ritually impure) are able to enter the Temple to eat their terumah raised-offering (Brachot 2a). This passage is one many which intimately connect the daily rituals of Orthodox Judaism with details of the rhythm of the life of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Also 5 salat also seems to resemble jewish prayers.
http//www.alsadiqin.org/history/Prayer%20Positions.pdf -
Some possible insight found at http//www.tolueislam.org/Bazm/Mansoor/MA_zakah_i.htm
To which the author, Dr. Mansoor Alam, places the origins with the Abbasids.
'In regard to the prevailing system in many so-called Muslim countries, strangely enough, zakah is based on the way it was set up by the Imams under the direction of the Abbasid kings. Since the Quran does not recognize the existence of kings and priests, they had no authority to develop a Shari?ah for the Muslim masses. Yet, today, we do have a Shari?ah in our hands, which we accept unquestioningly. How was this done? In the first place, the Shari?ah of the Abbasid kings and priests was sanctified by attributing it to the Prophet (pbuh). Secondly, any critics of the time were silenced by the proverbial carrot and stick. This method was just as effective then, as it is now. Those who refused to bow to any form of pressure would be labeled as infidels and put to death; their writings would be destroyed. In this way, the kings and the priests established their version of the Shari?ah as the truth, to the extent that today, many religious Muslims find the following statements very strange only the Quran is sufficient for us; we can implement true Islam based solely on the Quran; the prophet (pbuh) left only the written Quran to the Ummah; the Prophet told Muslims to follow only the Quran; the Prophet gradually abolished slavery; the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) were true Mumins who did not deviate from the Quran and the true faith. Well-meaning religious Muslims will quickly quote Shari?ah to refute the above statements, which are perfectly true and found in the Quran. How ironic that the Quran has been made to appear strange and the man-made Shari?ah made to look like the truth.'
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Salaam,
There are many small differences among the shia's and sunii's (including the 4 schools of fiqh) concerning the "zakat". All agree to pay once a year 2.5% over all your property. The differences are mostly on when exactly, how to calculate it, which things you can neglect, etc.
The Quranists consider Zakah as the purification of the Soul, and the Sadaqa as the obligatory tax (which traditionalists consider as recommanded)
In regards to Shia/Sunni differences, something interesting I found in he article I posted above was that the Jafari School (not sure about other Shia schools) does not recognize zakat to be paid on paper currency. I did some more research on this and found a Shia website that stated the same thing.
http//www.revivingalislam.com/2011/10/zakat-in-shia-islam.html
As you will see many times various companions of the A?immah ( ) wanted to pay al-Zakh on other than these nine things, but our A?immah ) ( vehemently said that the Messenger of Allh )
( has ?forgiven what is apart from that? ( ). This means that al-Zakh is only obligatory on these nine things and nothing else. We cannot do Qiys (analogous reasoning) and make al-Zakh obligatory upon paper currency or upon anything else.In this document I will bring only the adth that are considered authentic by our scholars...
From Jaml said, I heard Ab
Abd Allh ) ( say about the amount for al-zakh. So he ) ( said ?It is established on nine things, the Messenger of Allh ) ( has forgiven what is apart from that. Al-Tayyr1 said ?We have a grain, it is called rice So AbAbd Allh ) ( said to him, ?We have many grains also. So he (al-Tayyr) said to him ) ( ?And (is there zakat) upon it? He ) ( said ?Did I not tell you, the Messenger of Allh ) ( has forgiven what is apart from that? From it is ?Gold and Silver. Three from the animals, ?Camels, Sheep and Cows, and from the vegetation of the earth are ?Wheat, Barley, Raisins and DatesFrom
Abd Allh bin Sinn said, AbAbd Allh said ?When the verse of al-Zakh was revealed ?Take from their wealth a charity, so you would purify and cleanse them with it? (9103). It was revealed in the Month of Raman, and the Messenger of Allh ( ) commanded a caller to call to the people that Allh has made zakat far (obligatory) upon, just like he has made salat obligatory upon them, so Allh ) ( has obligatory upon them from the Gold and Silver, and has made obligatory charity from the camels, cows, sheep, and from wheat, barley, dates and raisins. And he called for them in that in the Month of Ramam and has forgiven them what is apart from that?Just interesting that there is such a difference in opinion.
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Salam Youssef
Actually modern zakat of 2.5% and the rest of the percentages (like 10%) are more closely linked to Jewish tradition.
I have asked the same question to a Rabbi on Facebook, who is knowledgable in Jewish-muslim relations (Rabbi Ben Abrahamson)
Q. Question about Zakat? Is there any connection between the tithe, and the Islamic 2.5% zakat? Is there ever mention of 2.5% in Judaic tradition? I only came across the tithe in the Torah?.
A. The word Zakat probably derives from Zedakah. Today Zedakah in Hebrew means Charity, but during the Second Temple times it was a tax. There were several taxes, the 2% (1/50) or 2.5% (1/40) tax was called Terumah.
The Mishnah, Tosefta, and Gemara, include a tract entitled Terumot ("Offerings", which deals with the laws regulating raised offerings. According to Jewish Law, the "great offering" (terumah gedolah) could only be separated from the non-tithed produce (tevel), and "tithe offering" (terumat maaser) only be separated from "first tithe" (maaser rishon), by its owner, or an authorized, legally permissible agent; minors, deaf-mutes, the mentally ill and non-Jews were not obligated to perform such separation (Terumot 11). However, while non-Jews could not act as agents for Jews to separate terumah, the terumah owned by and separated by non-Jews was considered valid and had the status and sanctity of terumah (Terumot 39). Based in part on the measures described by the prophet Ezekiel, Jewish Law set the minimum amounts of the "great offering" at 1/60 of the finished produce for a poor person, 1/50 for the average person, and 1/40 for the generous. The "tithe offering" (terumat maaser) was always 10% of the "first tithe" (maaser rishon).
The Talmud opens with a discussion of when the Shema Yisrael ("Hear O Israel" prayer should be recited. The Mishnah states that it should be recited when priests who were "unclean" (tamei, ritually impure) are able to enter the Temple to eat their terumah raised-offering (Brachot 2a). This passage is one many which intimately connect the daily rituals of Orthodox Judaism with details of the rhythm of the life of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Also 5 salat also seems to resemble jewish prayers.
http//www.alsadiqin.org/history/Prayer%20Positions.pdfi make research on this point and came to the same conclusion- there are many Ahadiths mentions 10% agriculture levies and naturals and others speak from 2,5% - all this claims we can found in the Talmud.
The big work will be now to separate the real order in the torah from falsehood- for this reason we have the Quran- but the Quran is quite in this question- so what we should do? Until now, i don't know.
peace -
According to one article in http//books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Development_Of_Islamic_Ritual.html?id=oCvf76uT3wMC
Initially "zakat" was simple giving to the poor/traveller/etc not set %, and only made obligatory when they migrated to Medina, some say it was after the conquest of Mecca. There is variance on the amount, thus seems to have been fixed sometime after.
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peace,
Salam Wakas
i can't buy the book. can you give me a short summary of its content?? the most important points only-please?
Thank you very much
peaceOn the link I gave, click "view sample", you can read some of it online, e.g. contents page. Two of its articles can be found online.
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Peace be upon you,
Zakaat refers to purification of the nafs...which is the goal of salaat (programming/conditioning). So no need to worry yourself about calculations in regards to zakaat.
That would be nice and easy )