'The poor is not the one who goes round the people and ask them for a mouthful or two of meals or a date or two but the poor is that who has not enough money to satisfy his needs and whose condition is not known to others, that others may give him something in charity, and who does not beg of people.'
For this cause the rich have to help the poor for the reason that Allah has made it a duty upon them. Allah says in the Quran:
'Establish Salat and give Zakah.'
They must pay Zakah, which is 2.5% of a Muslim's wealth paid once a year if they possess more than the nisab. The nisab is the minimum amount of wealth that a Muslim must possess in order to pay Zakah. Muslims can also pay Sadaqah (charity), which is a gift from a person's wealth that is given to another person. This is a very good and blessed thing to do. Allah rewards people very dearly for giving charity.
Countless people feel that the wealth they earn is theirs and they have a right to do with it what they wish. They do not understand that while they are eating three meals a day, there are people who don't eat for days and who have to walk miles in order to find water.
There are also people in the world who are rebellious because of other people's miserly manner and thinking. The idea that the rich should help the poor is not only supported by Islam, but is also supported by many other religions such as Christianity and Judaism. The Jews and Christians also believe that the rich should aid the poor. Although there is no responsibility upon them to help the poor such as Zakah, they can do so willingly by giving charity.
To bring to a close my introduction I believe that there can be rich people in the world even if there are poor people. The rich should help the poor even if the poor beg. This is because they may be begging for reasons unknown to other people.
What is poverty in Islam?
As we know there is evil suffering in this world, there are two types of evil & suffering, they are, Moral & Natural Evils.
Moral evils are satanic evils, in other words, evil suffering caused by humans.
Natural evil & suffering is natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and so on.
Moral evils are due to Satan putting evil thoughts in our minds for example to go and bomb a certain country for no reason what so ever.
Moreover, this life is test from Allah on how we spend our lives, do we spend our lives sinning or do we spend our lives remembering Allah and doing well?
It is stated in the Quran.
“Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits of your toil, but give glad tidings to those who patiently preserve-who say when afflicted with calamity, ‘To god we belong and to him is our return.”
This basically means that Allah is assuring you that you will be tested in many ways; you may lose some goods or some lives this will be a test of faith and obedience and after all we belong to Allah because he gave us life so to him we shall return
Some people are poor and some people are rich and therefore they are treated and rated differently. However, in Allah’s eyes they are the same.
When you are rich Allah gives you a test and wants to see how grateful you are and how you treat your wealth, when you are poor it is a test of patience, how grateful you can be for at least how much you have.
It is stated in the Quran
“Then on the day of judgement you will certainly be questioned about all the favours you enjoyed”
This basically means that on the day of judgement you will be asked on what you spent your wealth
What does Islam Say About Zakah & Charity?
Wealth is a gift from god and it shouldn’t be abused because it could be taken away and replaced by you being poor, that is why there are numerous ways to help poor people by giving part of your wealth to them to help them overcome some of their troubles, we can do this by donating money to charity companies such as Muslim Aid.
First of all as members of the Muslim ummah we have the duty to be responsible for each other. As a result, we should donate money to our Muslim brothers and sisters in need.
It was stated in the Prophet Muhammed’s (pbuh) last sermon
“All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over an non-Arab nor a non-Arab has a superiority over an Arab; also white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brother hood”
It is stated in the Quran,
“Those who in charity spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their lord.”
This basically means that the people who give charity in the way of Allah while not showing off shall be rewarded greatly by Allah.
It is also stated in Bukhari that,
“He who eats and drinks whilst his brother goes hungry is not one of us”
This Hadith basically means that the person who can eat or drink without trouble and does not help the people who can’t eat and drink with ease is not a Muslim. This basically means giving charity
Earning Money
There are numerous people in this world who have millions of pounds in their bank. People from time to time question how they earn such a huge amount of money over a period of time.
If a Muslim person works correctly in a job, the money which that person earns is Halal for him to use on his family himself etc. This means that he worked for the money well so he/she never gambled, took part in the lottery, stealing, took part in bets etc. As long they in no way done anything of the sort their money is 100% Halal to use.
However if a person took part in bets, was part of the lottery or their money was exchanged for stolen goods etc, their money is Haram because they never earn it in the correct way. They didn’t work for the money so basically it makes their wealth Haram for them to use.
For example Let say they used their forbidden money on food which they ate for themselves. They food will provides additional energy in the body - because the person used Haram money, this energy created in the body is Haram and whilst the person uses it, the person is getting sins. This shows the importance of earning your money correctly and using it in the right way.
What is Zakah?
Zakah is the fourth pillar of Islam and is compulsory upon any person who can earn money for them selves without struggle. Muslims pay Zakah annually on the basis of two and a half percent of their savings and is necessary on gold, silver, money and livestock
What is Zakah al-fitr?
Zakah-al-Fitr is a small amount that Muslims are obliged to pay as charity at the end of Ramadan. It is unanimously recognized by all schools of Islamic Law as a pious duty of every Muslim man or woman. The origin of the obligation can be dated to the month of Sha`ban in the second year of Hijrah. Ibn `Umar said: “Allah’s Messenger enjoined the payment of one Sa` of dates or one Sa` of barley as Zakah-al-Fitr on every Muslim slave or free, male or female, young or old, and he ordered that it be paid before the people went out to offer the ‘Eid prayer.’
The purpose of Zakah-al-fitr:
Every Muslim is required to pay Zakat-ul-Fitr at the conclusion of the month of Ramadan as a token of thankfulness to God for having enabled him to observe fasts. Its purpose is to purify those who fast from any indecent act or speech and to help the poor and needy. This view is based upon the Hadith which reads, “The Messenger of Allah, May peace is upon him, enjoined Zakat-ul-Fitr on those who fast to shield them from any indecent act or speech, and for the purpose of providing food for the needy. It is accepted as Zakah for the one who pays it before the Eid prayer, and it is Sadaqah for the one who pays it after the prayer.” Al-Qaradawi comments on this Hadith by saying that there are two purposes: one is related to the individual; for completion of his fast and compensation for any shortcomings in his acts or speech. The other is related to society; for the spreading of love and happiness among its members, particularly the poor and needy, during the day of Eid. It also purifies one’s soul from such shortcomings as the adoration of property, and from miserliness. Furthermore, it purifies one’s property from the stain of unlawful earnings. It is also a cure for ailments. The Prophet, peace and blessings are upon him, said, “It would be better that you treat your patients with charity.”
In addition, it provides for the needs of the poor and the indigent and relieves them from having to ask others for charity on the day of Eid. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Fulfil their need on this day” (The day of Eid)
What is Aqiqah?
Aqiqah is a ritual preformed by the Muslims when there is an addition to the family. The Prophet may peace be upon him did not give religious sanction to it. Therefore, it is not part of the Islamic Shari`ah. However, animal sacrifice to express one's gratitude on a new addition to one's family is a deed which pleases the Almighty just as the prayer at an instance of joy pleases Him.
What is Sadaqah?
Sadaqah and Sadaqah Jariyah is when you pay or spend in the way of Allah and can be given when ever you want, it could be in the form of money or clothes or something to help.
What is Lillah?
Lillah is when you can pay to help build a mosque or add something to a mosque for example, fans or carpet. When you can pay Lillah Allah is pleased with you and it is stated in the Quran that Allah builds a house for you in Jannah.
Other forms of Zakah/Charity:
There are other actions of charity which can be done by people who are for some reason unable to pay their Zakah/Charity. These actins could be things like giving a smile to another Muslim for the sake of Allah or remove a harmful object from street or road. These actions are also accepted as charities by Allah for people who are unable to pay Zakah.
Riba/Interest:
In Islam, Interest is Haram. Interest is when a person borrows a certain amount of money from a bank for example and obviously will pay it back. However, when interest is taken the bank will ask you to pay more back.
e.g.
A person borrows one hundred pounds from a bank and the bank will ask him to pay back one hundred and ten pounds in return. This is where a loss is made this is Haram.
It is stated in the Quran,
“And if ye do not then be warned of war (against you) from Allah and his messenger. And if ye repent, then ye have your principal (without interest). Wrong not and ye shall not be wronged.”
This basically means that the person who takes interest is making a war or struggle against himself even though he has been warned by Allah and his Messenger.
So I come to the conclusion that there are many ways to pay charity in Islam. These ways can affect the way rich and poor people live.
If the rich people fulfil there duties to pay charities they can then be able to get rid of their greed for more. This can also help them to be humble.
Furthermore, if the rich people can fulfil their duties then the poor people will also be able to benefit by receiving the charity paid by the rich people provided they keep their patience.
