K.M. Zubair :
The Concept of charity assumes new dimension in the blessed month of Ramadan, especially because the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to be most generous during this month.
For Muslims the joy of giving in this Holy month knows no bound. And it is during this month that the obligatory charity, called Zakat, is distributed to the poor and needy. It enables them to spend the fasting month in peace and comfort.
Zakat, obligatory charity is laid down in the Holy Quran as great pillar on which the structure of Islam stands.
Spending out of whatever has been given to man stands for charity in a broad sense, i.e., for acts of benevolence to humanity in general. For what Allah has given to man is not only the wealth, which he possesses but all the faculties and power with which he has been gifted.
The most frequently recurring words for charity in the Holy Quran are ‘Infaq’, which means spending benevolently, ‘Ihsan’, which means the doing of good, Zakat which means growth or purification, and ‘Sadaqah’ which is derived from the root ‘Sidq’, meaning truth, and comes to signify a charitable deed.
The Holy Quran not only lays stress on such great deeds of charity as the emancipation of slaves, the feeding of the poor, taking care of orphans and doing good to humanity in general, but gives equal emphasis to smaller acts of benevolence. It is for this reason that the withholding of ‘ma’un’, which specially indicates small acts of kindness and charity, is stated to be against the spirit of prayer.
And in a similar strain, the speaking of kind words to parents is referred to as ‘Ihsan’, and generally the use of kind words is recommended as in itself a charitable deed in many places in the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran also speaks of extending charity not only to all human beings, including believers and non-believers, but also to the dumb creation.
Charity, in the sense of giving away one’s wealth, is of two kinds, voluntary and obligatory. Voluntary charity is generally mentioned in the Quran as ‘Infaq’ or ‘Ihsan’ or ‘Sadaqah’, and the Holy Book is full of injunctions on this subject, and hardly a leaf is turned which does not bring to mind the grand object of the service of humanity as the goal of life.
A charitable deed must be done as a duty which human being owes to others, so that it conveys no idea of the superiority of the giver or the inferiority of the receiver. Love of Allah should be the motive of all charitable deeds, so that every doing of them fosters the feeling that mankind is but a single family. Only good things and well-earned money should be given in charity.
Charity has value only if something good and valuable is given, which has been honourably earned or acquired by the giver or which is produced in nature and can be referred to as bounty of Allah.
These may include such things as are of use and value to others though they may be of less use to us or superfluous to us on account of our having acquired something more suitable for our station in life, for example discarded clothes, or an old horse or a used motor car. But if the horse is vicious, or the car engine is so far gone that it is dangerous to use, then the gift is worse than useless; it is positively harmful, and the giver is wrongdoer. It applies to fraudulent company promoters, who earn great credit by giving away in charity some of their ill-gotten gains, or to robbers (even if they call themselves by high sounding names) who ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’.
Charitable deeds may be done openly or secretly, although the latter form is better. Those who do not beg should be the first to receive charity.
Obligatory charity is generally mentioned under the name of Zakat. The word Zakat is derived from Zaka, which means it (a plant) grew. The word Zakat is also used in the sense of purity from sin.
Zakat is wealth which is taken from the rich and given to the poor, being so called because it makes the wealth grow, or because the giving away of wealth is a source of purification. In fact, both these reasons hold true.
The service of humanity and the amelioration of the condition of the poor have always been among the principal aims and objects of all Divine commandments. It is however, true that the same stress has not been laid on this principle in previous religions, and, moreover the institution of charity, like every other principle of religion, has been brought to perfection, along with the perfection of religion, in Islam.
