Kaleem Haideri After the departure of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), the first army sent by Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was against those Muslims who refused to send their zakat amount to the capital. In other words, like other pillars of Islam, the concept of collectivism is also present in zakat. Just as people are gathered in one place for congregational prayers, zakat is also ordered to be collected in one place, the Bait-ul-Mal. This wealth or amount was spent on the needy of the area in such a way that gradually they became worthy of giving zakat. There are examples in the early days of Islam that in many places there were people who gave zakat, but there was no one to receive it.
After the end of the caliphate or Islamic government, this central system also came to an end. Even today, Bait-ul-Mal is established, but its status is no longer central. Every person has become independent, giving to whomever they want and not giving to whomever they want. However, in both collective and individual cases, it should be clear who is the deserving person.
In Islam, there are seven uses of zakat: the poor, the needy, the collector, the slave, the debtor, the way of Allah, and the traveler. 1. The poor is a Muslim who has some wealth but is not a sahib-e-nisab (owner of a certain amount of wealth) or a Syed (descendant of the Prophet). 2. The needy is one who has nothing, to the extent that he is forced to ask people for food and clothing. 3. The collector is one who is appointed by the Islamic government to collect zakat, not a representative of a madrasa. 4. The slave refers to the emancipation of slaves, but now there are no slaves, and there is no need to spend this amount for this purpose. 5. The debtor refers to a person who has so much debt that after paying it off, he is not left with the nisab (a certain amount of wealth). 6. The way of Allah means spending in the way of Allah, which has several forms, such as a person who wants to go for jihad but does not have the means, can be given zakat. 7. The traveler refers to a person who is traveling and has run out of money, and can be given zakat.
It should be noted that a Syed or a person who claims to be from the family of the Prophet should not be given zakat or charity, otherwise people will not give to anyone else. It is also clear that giving zakat to one's parents, grandparents, children, and spouse is not permissible. If it were permissible, the entire amount would be distributed within the household. However, it is permissible to give zakat to other relatives, such as brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts, and their children, provided they are deserving.
Most of the zakat amount goes to madrasas today. If it is said that there are poor and needy children in madrasas, and their food and other expenses are managed from this amount, then it is justified. However, the ground reality is different. The representatives of good madrasas also collect 50% commission, and the collectors cut their commission before collecting the amount. There are reports in the newspapers that a certain person is not a representative of a madrasa, and the receipt they have is fake. It is not appropriate to spend this amount on all the expenses of the madrasa. The big houses of the owners of small madrasas also tell a different story.
On the other hand, the financial and economic system is being destroyed, which was supposed to make the financially and economically backward people of the society self-sufficient. The conscious and responsible people of the society should pay attention to this, hold discussions, talk to scholars, involve the press, and create an environment where a respectable person is not forced to beg for two rupees due to pickpocketing or theft. So that no one in our city commits suicide due to debt, and no widow in our neighborhood is left helpless due to hunger.
There are examples where people stood up, and an alternative system emerged. It is essential that we keep one thing in mind: zakat is neither alms nor charity.
