Continuation of the explanation of the statement of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "."
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The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows:
We have previously discussed what was feasible of the rulings of zakah, derived from the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) concerning the story of Jibril coming to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and asking about Islam, faith, and excellence in worship. We mentioned that zakah is not obligatory on all wealth, but only on specific, designated types of wealth. We mentioned among them gold, silver, livestock, produce from the earth, and trade goods. Trade goods are not limited to a specific type of wealth; anything you prepare for earning, meaning for trading, buying, and selling, is considered trade goods. They are called "trade goods" (a'rad) because they are not fixed; they appear and disappear. Anything that appears and disappears is called a "trade good," as Allah the Exalted said: Commercial wealth is like this among merchants: a person buys a commodity not wanting the item itself, but wanting the profit behind it. That is why you find him buying it in the morning and selling it at the end of the day for profit. Therefore, trade goods are everything a person prepares for trade, and zakah is due on them.
The method for this is that when the time for zakah arrives on your wealth, you appraise all the trade goods you have and pay out one-quarter of one-tenth of their value, even if you only bought them recently. For example, if a person's zakah becomes due in the month of Rajab, and he bought a commodity in the month of Rabi', we tell him: when the month of Rajab arrives, appraise its value at what it is worth and pay its zakah. If he says it has not been with him for a year, we say: the lunar year is not considered for trade goods. Trade goods are based on value, and the value has a year with you. You appraise it at what it is worth at the time the obligation becomes due, whether it is more than what you bought it for or less. If you bought it for ten thousand riyals and it was worth eight thousand riyals when zakah became due, the zakah is on the eight thousand. If you bought it for eight thousand and it was worth ten thousand when zakah became due, the zakah is on the ten thousand. And if you do not know whether you will make a profit or not, consider the capital; consider the capital.
Another issue remains: to whom is zakah distributed? The answer to this is that it is distributed to the categories designated by Allah (Mighty and Majestic) by His wisdom. He the Exalted said:[At-Tawbah 9:60] It is an obligation that zakah must be given to these categories: [An-Nisa 4:26] The poor and the needy are those who do not find enough for themselves and their families for a year, for a year. For example, a man who is an employee with a monthly salary of four thousand riyals, but he has a family and spends six thousand riyals. Is this man poor or not poor?
The student: Poor.
The Shaykh : His salary is four thousand riyals and he spends six thousand riyals; he is poor.
The student: Poor.
The Shaykh : He is poor because he does not find what suffices him. So we give him, we give him twelve thousand, correct?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : how much
The student: Twenty-four.
The Shaykh : Twenty-four thousand. We give him twenty-four thousand from the zakah in order to complete his expenses. And another man whose salary is six thousand per month, but he has a large family and expenses are heavy; twelve thousand is not enough for him. We give him, we give him how much? Twenty-four thousand?
The student: Forty-eight thousand.
The Shaykh : How much is his salary?
The student: Six.
The Shaykh : Six thousand, and he needs twelve thousand. Multiply six by twelve; how much does it amount to?
The student: Seventy-two.
The Shaykh : Seventy-two. In any case, the scholars say we give him what suffices him for a year and do not give him more than that, because throughout the year, new zakah comes in to meet his need. Therefore, the scholars limited it to a year.
If a person asks which is in greater need, the poor or the needy, the scholars say that one starts with the most important, and the most important is the poor, for Allah the Exalted started with the poor. So the poor is in greater need than the needy.
The third category is those employed to collect it, meaning those whom the head of state has appointed to collect zakah from its owners and distribute it to its rightful recipients. These are the ones employed to collect it. The head of state gives them the amount of their wages, even if they are rich, because they deserve it by their work, not by their need. If it happens that those employed to collect it are rich, we say yes, we give them, even if they are rich, because they deserve it by their work, not by their need. If, for example, the ruler says that each of them, if he works for a month, his salary is one thousand riyals, we give them from the zakah based on one thousand riyals, because they handle the zakah for the benefit of the zakah, so they are given from it. But if the ruler wishes to give them from the public treasury of the Muslims, the general funds, to save the zakah for its rightful recipients, there is no harm. Those whose hearts are to be reconciled, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, are those who are reconciled to Islam. It may be a man who has recently believed, meaning he just came to faith, and he needs his faith to be strengthened. So we give him from the zakah in order to reconcile him to Islam, so he loves the Muslims, becomes strong, and knows that Islam is a religion of connection and a religion of bond.
Second, among the types of reconciliation is giving to a person to avert his harm. It may be a person whose harm is feared for the Muslims, so we give him from the zakah in order to avert the harm, so that the hatred and enmity in his heart toward the Muslims is removed.
The scholars differed on whether it is a condition for those whose hearts are to be reconciled that they have authority and honor in their people, or not. The correct view is that it is not a condition. Even if you give to an individual from the people to reconcile him to Islam, that is sufficient. But if you give to an individual from the people in order to avert his harm, this is not permissible, because one individual from the people is elevated to the rulers, to the princes, who take his right from him.
And in slaves, regarding slaves, the scholars mentioned that it includes three types:
The first type is that you buy a slave and then free him.
The second type is that you help a mukatab in his manumission contract. And who is a mukatab? A mukatab is a slave who bought himself from his master.
The third is that you use it to free a Muslim prisoner, a prisoner among the disbelievers, a Muslim, or among others. Even if a Muslim person is kidnapped by unjust people and they do not release him except for a ransom from the zakah, there is no harm. So slaves include three types: a slave who is bought and then freed, a mukatab who is helped in his manumission, and a Muslim prisoner who is ransomed with money. And success is from Allah.
We have previously discussed what was feasible of the rulings of zakah, derived from the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
and give zakah
وتؤتي الزكاةseeking the show of this world
تبتغون عرض الدنياThe method for this is that when the time for zakah arrives on your wealth, you appraise all the trade goods you have and pay out one-quarter of one-tenth of their value, even if you only bought them recently. For example, if a person's zakah becomes due in the month of Rajab, and he bought a commodity in the month of Rabi', we tell him: when the month of Rajab arrives, appraise its value at what it is worth and pay its zakah. If he says it has not been with him for a year, we say: the lunar year is not considered for trade goods. Trade goods are based on value, and the value has a year with you. You appraise it at what it is worth at the time the obligation becomes due, whether it is more than what you bought it for or less. If you bought it for ten thousand riyals and it was worth eight thousand riyals when zakah became due, the zakah is on the eight thousand. If you bought it for eight thousand and it was worth ten thousand when zakah became due, the zakah is on the ten thousand. And if you do not know whether you will make a profit or not, consider the capital; consider the capital.
Another issue remains: to whom is zakah distributed? The answer to this is that it is distributed to the categories designated by Allah (Mighty and Majestic) by His wisdom. He the Exalted said:
Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah
إنما الصدقات للفقراء والمساكين والعاملين عليها والمؤلفة قلوبهم وفي الرقاب والغارمين وفي سبيل الله وابن السبيل فريضة من اللهAnd Allah is Knowing and Wise.
والله عليم حكيمThe student: Poor.
The Shaykh : His salary is four thousand riyals and he spends six thousand riyals; he is poor.
The student: Poor.
The Shaykh : He is poor because he does not find what suffices him. So we give him, we give him twelve thousand, correct?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : how much
The student: Twenty-four.
The Shaykh : Twenty-four thousand. We give him twenty-four thousand from the zakah in order to complete his expenses. And another man whose salary is six thousand per month, but he has a large family and expenses are heavy; twelve thousand is not enough for him. We give him, we give him how much? Twenty-four thousand?
The student: Forty-eight thousand.
The Shaykh : How much is his salary?
The student: Six.
The Shaykh : Six thousand, and he needs twelve thousand. Multiply six by twelve; how much does it amount to?
The student: Seventy-two.
The Shaykh : Seventy-two. In any case, the scholars say we give him what suffices him for a year and do not give him more than that, because throughout the year, new zakah comes in to meet his need. Therefore, the scholars limited it to a year.
If a person asks which is in greater need, the poor or the needy, the scholars say that one starts with the most important, and the most important is the poor, for Allah the Exalted started with the poor. So the poor is in greater need than the needy.
The third category is those employed to collect it, meaning those whom the head of state has appointed to collect zakah from its owners and distribute it to its rightful recipients. These are the ones employed to collect it. The head of state gives them the amount of their wages, even if they are rich, because they deserve it by their work, not by their need. If it happens that those employed to collect it are rich, we say yes, we give them, even if they are rich, because they deserve it by their work, not by their need. If, for example, the ruler says that each of them, if he works for a month, his salary is one thousand riyals, we give them from the zakah based on one thousand riyals, because they handle the zakah for the benefit of the zakah, so they are given from it. But if the ruler wishes to give them from the public treasury of the Muslims, the general funds, to save the zakah for its rightful recipients, there is no harm. Those whose hearts are to be reconciled, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, are those who are reconciled to Islam. It may be a man who has recently believed, meaning he just came to faith, and he needs his faith to be strengthened. So we give him from the zakah in order to reconcile him to Islam, so he loves the Muslims, becomes strong, and knows that Islam is a religion of connection and a religion of bond.
Second, among the types of reconciliation is giving to a person to avert his harm. It may be a person whose harm is feared for the Muslims, so we give him from the zakah in order to avert the harm, so that the hatred and enmity in his heart toward the Muslims is removed.
The scholars differed on whether it is a condition for those whose hearts are to be reconciled that they have authority and honor in their people, or not. The correct view is that it is not a condition. Even if you give to an individual from the people to reconcile him to Islam, that is sufficient. But if you give to an individual from the people in order to avert his harm, this is not permissible, because one individual from the people is elevated to the rulers, to the princes, who take his right from him.
And in slaves, regarding slaves, the scholars mentioned that it includes three types:
The first type is that you buy a slave and then free him.
The second type is that you help a mukatab in his manumission contract. And who is a mukatab? A mukatab is a slave who bought himself from his master.
The third is that you use it to free a Muslim prisoner, a prisoner among the disbelievers, a Muslim, or among others. Even if a Muslim person is kidnapped by unjust people and they do not release him except for a ransom from the zakah, there is no harm. So slaves include three types: a slave who is bought and then freed, a mukatab who is helped in his manumission, and a Muslim prisoner who is ransomed with money. And success is from Allah.