Islam's Reformers .pdf

zakât official called ’âshir are taken and delivered to properpeople by Muslims’ ruler. Individuals or institutions or non-Muslim governments have no right to collect these kinds ofzakât or to deliver them. They cannot establish zakât banks orzakât ministry. The zakât given to them will not be acceptable.A Muslim who lives under the authority of a non-Muslimgovernment should pay any kind of zakât to one of the personsdescribed in the Qur’ân or to the person whom they haveappointed to be their proxy, either in person or by proxy. Weshould perform our worship suitably with the books of the Ahlas-Sunna scholars.He quoted the eighth âyat of the sûrat an-Nisâ’, “While theproperty of inheritance is divided, if any relatives, orphansand needy people [who are not inheritors] are present there,give them something [out of it],” and commented:“This âyat expresses clearly that the relatives, orphans andthe poor will get a share from the property of inheritance.Naturally, some changes and appropriations can be madeconcerning the property of inheritance. Some shares can beallotted in accordance with the state of the inheritors and thesociety. The âyat says, ‘If... present,’ which means ‘If everexists.’ ” (Page 305)Islamic scholars said about this ayat that it was an act notcommanded but recommended because it deserved thawâband blessings. Those scholars who said that it was a commandalso said that this âyat was abolished with the other âyats aboutinheritance that were revealed after it. It is written in Tafsîr-iHusainî, “This âyat is about those who are present there whilethe property of inheritance is distributed. It is good to give a littleshare to the onlooking orphans and poor people who arepresent there as alms.” Hadrat Sanâ’ullah ad-Dahlawî wrote inhis at-Tafsîr al-Mazharî, “While the property of inheritance isdivided and distributed, something is given to the relatives, tothe orphans and to the poor people present there as alms. Sa’îdibn Jubair and Dahhâk reported that this âyat was abolishedwhen the âyat “Yûsikumullah’ was revealed Some scholarssaid that it had not been abolished. Ibn ’Abbâs said that thoseinheritors who had reached the age of disretion and pubertywould give something little from the property of inheritance thatfell into their share. If the inheritors were small, their trustee orproxy would give it, or they would express regrets (for their- 233 -