Zakat :The bridge of Islam
Salat is considered as the mast of Islam and along with it zakat is called “the bridge of Islam”.
According to a hadith in Bukhari, Prophet Muhammad(saw) warned messengers whom are sent to invite people to Islam as firstly they should inform people about tahweed of Allah(j.j), then the reality about his prophethood, then they should know about obligation of salat, and then they should be notified that every rich Muslim is in duty to help every poor Muslim.,
Zakah is mentioned about in Holy Quran in almost 40 verses and almost always along with salat.
After Al-Fatiha, the key of Holy Quran, the first sura is Al-Baqara and it is opened with the description of a Muslim;
Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them;
And who believe in the Revelation sent to thee, and sent before thy time, and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter.
They are on (true) guidance, from their Lord, and it is these who will prosper. (Al-Baqara 2/3-5)
Unfortunately, today’s Muslim do not give enough importance to Zakat.
Unfortunately, today’s Islam’s adversaries do their best not to talk about, not mention about, overshadow as much as they can about zakat, so that ignorant masses would not learn about such great and sound solution Islam provides to “all” socio-economical problems of mankind.
Depiction of Islam in every possible media with the exclusion zakat fits the purpose of portraying Islam as backward-medieval-tribal-cultural ideology.
However, verses about Zakat and hadith about Zakat would highlight the very “humane” core-fundamentals related to Islam, something Islam’s adversaries try to sweep under the rug since it wouldn’t fit their quest to unleash islamophobia to the entire world.
No, Islam has very simple yet effective solution that “colossal” Marxist theorists could never imagine to the socio-economic problems that we face today since almost all of humanity is crushed under the monster of capitalism.
Zakat is not like “governmental tax” and we believe we should dedicate a separate article for this issue since we observe many Muslims who want to get away from the obligation of zakat by simply trying to convince themselves since they are all “tax-payers”.
Islamic fiqh and history is full of extensive studies about every possible condition and detailed procedures of zakat and we hope to cover them. Before hand, it is really important to clean the information channels about zakat and open the way for non-Muslim who are researching about Islam.
Zakat can save a society from corruption and anarchy and sets a very balanced order within different layers of society without oscillating into unrealistic, utopist and unnatural mirages like “communism”, at the same time, zakat is the best, perhaps the only way to fight the perils of capitalism without preventing the development of a society’s spirit of entrepreneurship and economic growth.
Baris Tarimcioglu/islamoformation.com
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Absolutely! Zakat is a bridge of Islam. Without it our Islam is incomplete, and that is why this is compulsory on every muslim if he / she can afford.