ism

2003
100:8 - And violent is he in his love of wealth. 6248
6248 What an evil choice he makes in committing treason against his own Benefactor by going after the petty baubles of
this world's wealth of fleeting gains? (100.8)
102:1 - The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good things of this world) diverts you (from the more
serious things) 6257
6257 Acquisitiveness, that is, the passion for seeking an increase in wealth, position, the number of adherents or followers
or supporters, mass production and mass organisation, may affect an individual as such, or it may affect whole
societies or nations. Other people's example or rivalry in such things may aggravate the situation. Up to a certain point
it may be good and necessary. But when it becomes inordinate and monopolises attention, it leaves no time for higher
things in life, and a clear warning is here sounded from a moral point of view. Man may be engrossed in these things
till death approaches, and he looks back on a wasted life, as far as the higher things are concerned. (102.1)
104:2 - Who pileth up wealth and layeth it by
104:3 - Thinking that his wealth would make him last for ever!
104:4 - By no means! He will be sure to be thrown into that which breaks to pieces. 6267
6267 Hutama: that which smashes or breaks to pieces: an apt description of the three anti-social vices condemned. For
scandal-mongering and backbiting make any sort of cohesion or mutual confidence impossible; and the miser's
hoards up the channels of economic service and charity, and the circulation of good-will among men. (104.4)
111:2 - No profit to him from all his wealth and all his gains!
Fiqh-us-Sunnah
Fiqh 3.90b
Are There Other Claims on Wealth Besides Zakah?
Islam views wealth realistically--as an essential aspect of life and the main means of subsistence of individuals and groups.
Allah, the Exalted One, instructs: "Give not to those who are weak of understanding [what is in] your wealth which Allah has
made a means of support for you" [an-Nisa' 5]. This amounts to saying that wealth is to be distributed to meet the basic
needs of food, clothing, lodging, and other indispensables, and that no one is to be lost, forgotten, or left without support. The
best way to distribute wealth so that everyone's basic needs are met is through zakah. It does not place any burden on the
wealthy yet at the same time it meets the basic needs of the poor and relieves them of the hardships of life and the pain of
deprivation. Zakah is not a favor (minnah) that the wealthy bestow upon the poor; rather, it is a due (haqq) that Allah
entrusted in the hands of the rich to deliver to the poor and distribute among the deserving. Thus, the eminent truth about
wealth and property is established--that is, wealth is not exclusively for the rich but for both the rich and the poor. This
becomes obvious because of Allah's judgment concerning the distribution of booty (fay'). Allah warns: ". . . that it does not
become a commodity taken by turns among the rich of you" [al-Hashr 7]. This means it is an apportionment of wealth
between the rich and the poor, not something restricted to the wealthy. Zakah is an obligation due on the property of those
able to pay and is to be used to meet the basic needs of the poor and the needy so that they could be kept away from hunger
and they could be given a sense of security and general well-being. If the amount of zakah is not enough to alleviate the
conditions of the poor and the needy, then the rich can be subjected to further taxation. How much should be taken is not
specified. Its quantity will be determined by the needs of the poor.
In his interpretation of alBaqarah 177, al-Qurtubi says: "The saying of Allah, the Exalted One: 'And to spend of your wealth
out of love for Him' gives credence to those who maintain that there is a due on wealth other than zakah known as mal addir."
Others hold that the preceding 'ayah alludes to the obligatory zakah. According to ad-Daraqutni's report from Fatimah bint
Qais, the first view is more convincing. She relates: "Indeed, there is a due on one's holdings other than the prescribed
zakah." Then he recited the following Qur'anic verse: "It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East or to the
West, but it is to believe in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Messengers, and to spend of your wealth out of love
for Him on your kin, orphans, the needy, the wayfarer, or those who ask, and on the ransom of slaves..." [al-Baqarah 177].
Ibn Majah mentioned it in his Sunan and at-Tirmidhi in his Jami'. The latter says that Ibn Majah's has a different chain of
narrators than his. Besides, Abu Hamzah and Maymun al-'A'war consider Ibn Majah's chain of narrator not credible. This
hadith is related by Bayan and Isma'il ibn Salim from ash-Shu'bi, who said that it is sound.
The latter says: "If there is a question about its authenticity, it is rendered clear by the context of the 'ayah [al-Baqarah 177].
In this statement: '... to be steadfast in prayer, and to give zakah,' Allah mentions zakah with salah, which substantiates the
fact that 'to spend of your property out of love for Him' does not refer to obligatory zakah, for that would be redundant in the
'ayah--and Allah knows best."
The scholars agree that should a need arise, even when zakah has been paid, the Muslim community is bound to contribute
toward the alleviation of the problem.
Malik says: "It is obligatory for the people to ransom those taken as prisoners of war, even if doing so consumes all their
property. The consensus on this subject strengthens our view, and we seek success only through Allah." According to al-
Manar, the 'ayah "... and to spend your property out of love for Him . . ." [alBaqarah 177] means that one should give the
property for the sake of Allah or for the love of giving it.
Imam Muhammad 'Abduh's comments are: "The giving of property in excess of the due zakah is considered one of the basic
elements of piety (birr) and is enjoined like the prescribed zakah."
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2003