The Biography of Uthman Ibn Affan R Dhun Noorayn

Financial and Iudiciarv Institutions at the time of 'UthmSn & 179
livestock that Abu Bakr fought them. There is no report to
suggest that the Prophet @$ or those who came after him
forced the people to pay zakiih on invisible kinds of
wealth, unless they brought it without being forced.
Rather it was a trust that they paid, because it was in their
possession and they were entrusted with it. But with
regard to livestock, that is a nding to which they were
subject, and rulings among people were to include visible
wealth, but between them and Allsh, they were re uired
to pay zak& on both visible and invisible wealth. %
His opinion on zak2h on a debt owed to a creditor
It was narrated from alS2ib ibn Yazeed that 'Uthmh L& used
to say: Zakgh should be paid on a debt which, if you wanted, you
could get it back from the borrower, and he is able to pay it off,
but you do not ask for it out of shyness or as a favour; then zak%
is due on it."'
And it was narrated that 'Uthmh said: Pay zakiih on it - i.e., a
debt - if it is with someone who is able to pay it off.13]
From these two statements of 'UMn it is clear that zaksh is
due on the debt owed to the creditor if the debtor is able to pay it
back and the creditor is able to get the money back from the
debtor, but he feels too shy to remind the debtor of it, or if the
creditor leaves it with the debtor as favour; favour here means
keeping quiet and not asking for the debt, in return for some
favour that he may receive from the debtor.14]
Borrowing money from the zakih fund and spending it on
the public interest
'Uthmh & took money from the zak% funds and spent it on
the war effort and on other kinds of public expenditure. He spent
'I1 ibid.
al-Muntakhab min as-Sunnnh, 6/301
as-Siycisah al-.Wliyyah li 'Uthmin ibn 'Affin, p. 79
['I asSiycisah al-Mliyyah li 'Uthdn, p. 80