Q60 :Giving alms and charity and feeding the poor
is highly renetmended in the Qur’an and the Hadith. Does it not
encourage pauperism in the netmunity? As a result of this we frequently
see people who are physically and mentally fit and able to work but
they prefer to resort to pauperism as an easy way of making money.
There are always reports about beggars amassing a great wealth out of
what they get from other people. As you realize, pauperism has been
abolished by law in many civilized countries. Why then is the Islamic
world lagging behind in eradicating this awful social evil which
injures the human dignity to a great extent? Can we set certain
parameters to allow certain categories to live on charity on a
license?
A60 : Perhaps people have some justification in
thinking that an Islamic netmunity is one in which beggars go around in
the streets, able always to rely on Muslims’ unfailing charitable
sense. It is indeed this permanently alert sense of charity that leads
to the cases which you have mentioned of those who beg, pretending to
be very poor, yet amassing a great wealth. But is this truly the sort
of behavior Islam encourages or even approves? One thing is certain:
Islam finds poverty repugnant and does not allow its followers to
accept it as a matter of fact, but requires them to take positive
action to stamp it out. Islam has in fact put in place specific
legislation to netbat poverty and ensure its eradication. That
legislation is embodied in the provision governing zakah which is the
third pillar upon which the structure of Islam is built. Every Muslim
is liable to pay zakah provided that he is in possession of an amount
of money which exceeds the threshold of zakah. A specific percentage is
required to be put aside immediately once a person benetes liable to
pay zakah. It should be pointed out that zakah is not a favor granted
by the rich to the poor, nor is it a voluntary charity which makes the
poor keenly aware they need to receive favors from the rich. Zakah is
indeed an act of worship required of all Muslims provided that they
meet certain conditions. Some people may wonder how we can call the
payment of money an act of worship. Islam looks at worship in a much
wider perspective than the strict sense of devotion and rituals. In the
fulfillment of this religious duty of zakah, Islam treats the person
who pays zakah and the one who receives it as equal. Both seek to win
Allah’s pleasure. The payer by the fulfillment of his duty, setting
aside every year the amount of zakah he is required to pay and ensuring
its payment to those who deserve it, and the recipient by trying to
maintain the straight path of Islam as he goes about meeting the needs
of his family. When we look carefully at the zakah system, as outlined
in Islam, we can easily find out that zakah is not a handful of
pilasters, or halalahs, or a couple of Riyals given to a beggar, nor is
it some victuals to silence the pangs of hunger. Zakah is a netplete
self-financing system which aims to eradicate poverty and achieve a
fair distribution of wealth. The first thing about zakah is that it is
a duty defined by Allah who will eventually question people about its
fulfillment. When the Prophet was once asked by some people to give
them a portion of zakah money, the Prophet told them that ‘Allah has
not assigned the task of distributing zakah either to a Prophet given a
message, or an angel who occupies a high position. He Himself has ruled
over its distribution, dividing it among eight classes of people.’ The
Prophet then told those who requested to be paid some money from the
zakah fund that if they belonged to any of those classes, he would
willingly pay them, but he would not exceed that limit. He also stated
that “No share of zakah may be paid to a person who is self-sufficient
or to one who is physically strong.” He meant that the one who is
physically strong should find it easy to obtain a job and earn his
livelihood. The eight classes of beneficiaries of zakah are outlined
in verse 60 of surah 9 which may be given in translation as follows:
“Charitable alms may only be paid to the poor, and the needy, and those
who are employed (to conduct its collection and distribution), and
those whose hearts are to be won over, and for the freeing of slaves,
and relieving insolvent debtors, and for serving Allah’s cause, and to
help stranded wayfarers. It is a binding duty imposed by Allah, and
Allah is well knowing, wise.” When you look at those eight classes of
people, perhaps the first thing to draw your attention is that those
engaged in the collection and distribution of zakah are to be paid from
zakah funds. This is what we mean by the system being self-financing.
The system looks after those who are chronically attached to whom
reference is made in the first two beneficiaries, and it looks after
those whose need is accidental, such as stranded wayfarers and who have
incurred debts but cannot pay them back. In addition to payment for the
freeing of slaves (and slaves no longer exist in society), the system
also addressed certain tasks that serve the Muslim netmunity as a
whole. Islam does not like that a certain group in society continues
to depend on zakah. It wants poverty to be terminated. Hence, the poor
are given enough to meet their needs. Moreover, a poor person who is
able to work is helped to find employment. Scholars have discussed how
much a poor person is to be given of zakah. Many scholars are of the
view that he is to be given enough to satisfy his needs for the rest of
his life. That does not mean that his annual needs are calculated and
then multiplied by the number of years he is expected to live. Rather,
he is helped to have a job which generates for him enough innete to
meet his needs. This is a far cry from the picture you have painted of
paupers roaming the streets in a Muslim netmunity to be helped with a
Riyal here and half a Riyal there. Indeed, Islam does not approve of
begging. It makes it a sin that a person should beg when he has enough
to satisfy his immediate needs. All begging is forbidden in Islam
except in one of three situations, as outlined by the Prophet who says:
“Begging is not permissible except for one of three: a man who has
taken upon himself a large payment (for a good purpose such as
achieving peace between two warring tribes), he may ask others for help
until he can fulfill his pledge; a man who has suffered a disaster that
has left him without money, so he may ask other people’s help until he
can meet his needs by himself, and a man who has suffered a financial
loss to an extent that makes three wise people in his netmunity say
that he has suffered such a loss. He may ask other people’s help until
he can get his situation straightened.” (Related by Muslim) This is
clear that it is not permissible from the Islamic point of view to beg.
We on our part, must not encourage beggars unless we know that the
person who is asking for help belongs to one of the three types that
are allowed to seek other people’s help. We can say with all certainty
that if Islam is properly implemented in a netmunity, that netmunity
will steadily progress towards the eradication of poverty, until all
its people attain the standard of self-sufficiency.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )