WAR BOOTY

Within a very short period, zakAt became secondary, and war spoils became the primary source of revenue of the Muslim treasury.  In fact, the distinction between the two was soon lost, and thus the �Book of ZakAt� imperceptibly becomes a book on war spoils.

Khums, the one-fifth portion of the spoils of war which goes to the treasury, has two aspects.  On the one hand, it is still war booty; but on the other, it is zakAt.  When it is acquired, it is war booty; when it is distributed among the ummah, it is zakAt.

Muhammad regards war booty as something especially his own.  �The spoils of war are for Allah and His Messenger�(QurAn 8:1).  They are put in his hands by Allah to be spent as he thinks best, whether as zakAt for the poor, or as gifts for his Companions, or as bribes to incline the polytheists to Islam, or on the �Path of Allah,� i.e., on preparations for armed raids and battles against the polytheists.

�Abd al-Muttalib and Fazl b. �AbbAs, two young men belonging to Muhammad�s family, wanted to become collectors of zakAt in order to secure means of marrying.  They went to Muhammad with their request, but he replied: �It does not become the family of Muhammad to accept Sadaqa for they are the impurities of the people.� But he arranged marriages for the two men and told his treasurer: �Pay so much Mahr [dowry] on behalf of both of them from the khums� (2347).

author : ram swarup

ZAKAT NOT FOR MUHAMMAD�S FAMILY

ZakAt was meant for the needy of the ummah, but it was not to be accepted by the family of Muhammad.  The family included �AlI, Ja�far, �AqIl, �AbbAs, and Haris b. �Abd al-Muttalib and their posterity.  �Sadaqa is not permissible for us,� said the Prophet (2340).  Charity was good enough for others but not for the proud descendants of Muhammad, who in any case needed it less and less as they became heirs to the growing Arab imperialism.

But though sadaqa was not permitted, gifts were welcome.  BarIra, Muhammad�s wife�s freed slave, presented Muhammad with a piece of meat that his own wife had given her as sadaqa.  He took it, saying: �That is Sadaqa for her and a gift for us� (2351).

CHARITY AND DISCRIMINATION

There is a hadIs which seems to teach that charity should be indiscriminate.  A man gives charity, with praise to Allah, first to an adulteress, then to a rich man, then to a thief.  Came the angel to him and said: �Your charity has been accepted.� For his charity might become the means whereby the adulteress �might restrain herself from fornication, the rich man might perhaps learn a lesson and spend from what Allah has given him, and the thief might thereby refrain from committing theft.� One may suppose that the man�s acts of charity had these wonderful results because they were accompanied by �praise to Allah� (2230).

author : ram swarup

THEFT, FORNICATION, PARADISE

Some of the material included in certain discussions in the various ahAdIs is not in fact relevant to the nominal topic of the discussion.  This is true, for instance, of ahAdIs 2174 and 2175, which both relate to zakAt but also treat matters that have nothing to do with charity, although in their own way they must be reassuring to believers.  For example, AbU Zarr reports that while he and Muhammad were once walking together, Muhammad left him to go some other place, telling him to stay where he was until he returned.  After a while Muhammad was out of sight but AbU Zarr heard some sounds.  Although he was apprehensive of some possible mishap to the Prophet, he remembered his command and remained where he was.  When Muhammad returned, AbU Zarr sought an explanation for the sounds.  Muhammad replied: �It was Gabriel, who came to me and said: He who dies among your Ummah without associating anything with Allah would enter Paradise. I said: Even if he committed fornication or theft?  He said: Even if he committed fornication or theft� (2174).

author : ram swarup

URGINGS AND PLEADINGS

Muhammad makes an eloquent plea for aims-giving.  Everyone should give charity even if it is only half a date.  AbU Mas�Ud reports: �We were commanded to give charity though we were coolies� (2223).

One hadIs tells us: �There is never a day wherein servants [of God] get up at mom, but are not visited by two angels.  One of them says: O Allah, give him more who spends, and the other says: O Allah, bring destruction to one who withholds� (2205).  Was not the first part enough?  Must a blessing always go along with a curse?

The Prophet warns believers to make their Sadaqa and be quick about it, for �there would come a time when a person would roam about with Sadaqa of gold but he would find no one to accept it from him.� He also adds that �a man would be seen followed by forty women seeking refuge with him on account of the scarcity of males and abundance of females� (2207).  What does this mean?  The translator finds the statement truly prophetic.  By citing the male and female population figures for postwar England and showing their disproportion, he proves �the truth of the Prophetic statement� (note 1366).

author : ram swarup