Importance of Paying Zakat
Islam regards all wealth as belonging to God and thus a trust (amanat) from Allah. We will have to account for the wealth that Allah has given to us in the hereafter. One may collect as much wealth as one pleases, as long as it does not violate the law of morality. Wealth-gathering is a legal activity as long as it does not cause theft, cheating, cruelty, usury (riba), or harming of others. Indeed, the search of wealth is one of man’s primitive concerns and demands for survival (consisting of food, shelter and clothing).
One of the tenets of Islam is that wealth, ought to be shared with others in some proportion. This is the requirement of charity and it is as old as humanity and is always regarded as a high moral value. Some purposes of Zakat are:
- To hold back jealousy and uneasiness among the poor and needy towards the rich. As a tradition had mentioned: “Once you have settled the Zakat upon your property, then you had put away the evil that might have risen from it.”
- To assure the needy that their fellow brothers will not passively see them suffer misfortune.
posted by Mohsen Feizian @ 12:31 PM
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