النص المفهرس

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and Muslims, that they should not allow themselves to ,صلى الله عليه وسلم
be affected by things like that said by the hypocrites and that they
must always keep reality as it is before them. The words of the Holy
Qur'an are : ◌َقُلُ لَّن ◌ُصِيبَنَا إِلَّ مَاكَتَبَ اللّهُ لَنَا هُوَ مَؤُلُنا وَ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَّكَّلِ الْمُؤُّمِنُّون (Say, "Nothing
can ever reach us except what Allah has written for us. He is our Mas-
ter. And in Allah alone the believers must place their trust"). In other
words, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is being asked that he should tell
those, who worship material causes such as these, that they were in a
serious deception. These material causes were no more than a curtain.
The power that moves inside them belongs to none but Allah. Whatev-
er happens to us is exactly whatever Allah has written for us - and He
is our Master, Guardian and Helper. And Muslims must place their
real trust in Him alone. Consequently, they must see material causes
as no more than effective agents and signs while never taking them to
be the real dispensers of any good or evil.
Belief in Destiny includes Management of affairs: Giving
Inaction or Mismanagement the name of Trust is Wrong
This verse (51) brings into sharp focus the essential reality of the re-
ligious issue of Taqdir (destiny) and Tawakkul (trust). The outcome of
believing in Taqdir and Tawakkul should never be that one goes home,
sits tight, does nothing and says what will be will be. This is no belief
in destiny and this is no practice of trust. Instead, the thing to do is
that one should devote full personal energy and courage to put togeth-
er whatever lawful material means one can arrange for - within the
range of what lies in control. After this has been done, the matter
should be resigned to destiny and trust. However, the caveat is that
one has to keep his or her sight trained toward Allah alone - for it is
He who has the ultimate outcome of everything one does under His ab-
solute power and control.
Speaking generally, people around the world are found in great
confusion about the religious problem of Taqdir and Tawakkul. Some
of them are plain irreligious. They just do not recognize the very possi-
bility that something like that exists. They are content with material
means as the deity they are comfortable with. Then, there are other
people who lack proper awareness. They have turned destiny and trust
into a pretext for their sloth and inertia. The Prophet of Islam, may
the blessing of Allah and peace be upon him, made full preparation for

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Jihad, after which, the revelation of this verse put an end to this cycle
of excess and deficiency and showed the right way - as put in the live-
ly Persian saying: بر توكل زانى اشتربه بند (With Tawakkul [trust], do tie the
knees of the camel). To sum up, means which you have the option to
utilize, are nothing but blessings given by Allah Ta'ala. Not taking ad-
vantage of these means is ingratitude, even stupidity. Of course, do
not give means the status they do not have and believe that results
and outcomes are not subservient to these means - instead of all that,
they obey the command of Allah Almighty.
The tenth verse (52), while mentioning the charming demeanor of
the man of true faith, has given an answer to hypocrites delighted over
the discomfort of Muslims. According to the man of true faith, the
thing that hypocrites take as suffering for Muslims and which makes
them happy is really no suffering for them. In fact, it is another form
of comfort and success. The reason is that a man of true faith becomes
deserving of eternal returns and rewards even after having failed in
his strong resolve, something that is the real objective of all his suc-
cesses. Therefore, he succeeds, even in failure and gains, even in loss.
The first sentence of the verse : ◌ِهَلْ تَرَبَّكُونَ بِنَّا إِلَّ إِحْدَى الْنَبَيْن (Say, "Is it not
that you are expecting for us but one of the two good things
[martyrdom and victory]"?) means exactly this. However, along with it,
it was also said that the fate of the disbelievers was quite contrary for
they will find no respite from suffering or punishment under any con-
dition. Either, they would be punished at the hands of Muslims right
here in this world, in which case, they will taste the punishment in the
mortal and the eternal world both. And, in case, they somehow es-
caped unscathed in the mortal world, there is no possibility of deliver-
ance from the punishment of the Hereafter.
Verses 53 - 59
قُلْ آَنْفِقُوْا طَرْعًا أَوْكَرْهًا ◌َنْ يُتَقَبَّلَ مِنْكُمْءُ إِنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ قَوْمًا
فُسِقِيْنَ ﴿٥٣﴾ وَمَا مَنَعَهُمْ أَنْ تُقْبَلَ مِنْهُمْ نَفَقْتُهُمْ إِلَّ اأَنَّهُمْ
كَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ وَبِرَسُولِهِ وَلَا يَأْتُوْنَ الصَّلَوةَ إِلَّ وَهُمْ كُسَالَى وَلَا
◌ُنْفِقُونَ إِلَّوَهُمْ كُرِهُونَ ﴿٤﴾ فَلَا تُعْجِبْكَ آمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَ

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أَوْلاَدُهُمْء ◌ِنَّا يُرِيدُ اللّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ بِهَا فِى الْحَيُوةِ الدُّنْيَا
وَتَزْهَقَ آَنْفُسُهُمْ وَهُمُّ كُفِرُونَ ﴿٥٥﴾ وَ يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُمْ
◌ِنْكُمْ، وَمَاهُمْ قِنْكُمْ وَلكِنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ يَّفْرَقُوْنَ ﴿٥٦) لَوْيَجِدُوْنَ
مَلْجًا آَوْ مَغْرَتٍ أَوْ مُتَّخَلًا لَّوَلّؤْا إِلَيْهِ وَهُمْ يَجْمَحُونَ ﴿٥٧)
وَمِنْهُمْ مَنُ بَّلْمِزُكَ فِىِ الصَّدَقْتِ، فَإِنْ أُعْطُؤْا مِنْهَا رَضُوْا وَإِنْ
◌َّمْ يُعْطَوْا مِنْهَا إِذَاهُمْ يَسْخَطُونَ ﴿٥٨﴾ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمُ رَضُوا مَّا
أَشْهُمُ اللهُ وَرَسُوُلُهُ « وَقَالُوا حَسْنَا اللَّهُ سَبُؤْتِيْنَا اللَّهُ مِنْ
فَضْلِهِ وَرَسُوْلُةٌ * إِنََّ إِلَى اللّهِ رَغِبُونَ ﴿٥٩)
Say, "Spend, willingly or unwillingly, it will never be
accepted from you. You have been a sinning people."
[53]
And nothing has prevented their spending(s) from
being accepted from them but that they have
disbelieved in Allah and in His Messenger, and they do
not come to the Salah but lazily, and do not spend but
unwillingly. [54]
So, their wealth and their children should not attract
you. In fact, Allah wants to punish them with these in
this lowly life and that their souls should depart while
they are disbelievers. [55]
And they swear by Allah that they are from among you,
whereas they are not from among you, but they are a
people in fear. [56]
If they find a place of refuge or caves or any place to
enter, they will turn towards it running unbridled. [57]
And among them there are those who find fault with
you in the matter of Sadaqat (alms). So, if they are
given some of it, they are quite happy, and if they
are given nothing from it, suddenly they become
unhappy. [58]
Only if they were happy with what Allah and His Mes-
senger had given to them, and had said, "Allah is all-
sufficient for us. Allah shall give us (more) of His grace,
and His Messenger as well. Indeed, we crave for Allah
alone." [59]

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Commentary
Mentioned in the previous verses were bad morals and bad deeds
of the hypocrites. The same subject continues in the verses quoted
above. As for the statement in verse 55 -- where it has been declared
that the wealth and children of hypocrites should not be taken as a
blessing for them as these are, in fact, a form of punishment from Al-
lah -- it has a reason. Is it not that love for and engrossment in worldly
life becomes a punishment right here in this world? One starts with
desires to acquire worldly wealth, then goes through a series of hard
work to establish the necessary channels, day in and day out, sacrific-
ing sleep, comfort and family life. After that, if one succeeds, come the
concerns of increasing and retaining it - a round the clock punishment
indeed. A serious loss or sickness could become unwelcome cans of
worries, and if one happens to get everything one wants, the vicious
circle continues either through apprehensions of decreasing wealth or
cravings of increasing it further. There is just no respite anytime.
Finally, these things go out of one's hands. This may happen at the
time of death, or much earlier. Whenever it does, despair takes over.
What is this, if not punishment? Man surrounds himself with articles
of comfort and calls it comfort. Real comfort, the peace and comfort of
the heart is something man has yet to find. But, in the meantime, man
has to rely on material means and things for satisfaction, not realizing
that these agents will keep snatching away his share of peace in this
world and will also become the prelude to the punishment in the world
to come.
Can Sadaqah be given to a disbeliever?
The last two verses show that the hypocrites used to receive a
share from properties available as Sadaqat (plural of Sadaqah, mean-
ing a donation through which one seeks reward with Allah Ta'ala, usu-
ally referred to as alms or charity). But, when they did not get these as
they wished, they became angry and started accusing and cursing. If,
at this place, Sadaqat are taken in their general sense - which in-
cludes all Sadaqat, necessary (wajib) and voluntary (nafl) - then, there
is no problem, because non-Muslims can be given out of the voluntary
Sadaqat. This is permissible on the basis of the consensus of Muslim
Ummah and stands proved from Sunnah. However, even if Sadaqat at
this place mean what is obligatory, like Zakah and 'Ushr, then, we

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 60
should remember that the hypocrites were given a share from it on the
basis that they claimed to be Muslims. Since they claimed to believe in
all the necessary articles of faith and their kufr was hidden in their
hearts, with no conclusive proof in their apparent claims they were
treated as Muslims to the extent of this worldly life and Allah Ta'ala
had, in His wisdom, given the orders that the hypocrites should be
treated as Muslims. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
Signs of Hypocrites and Warning for Muslims
In verse 54, two signs of hypocrites have been given: (1) they come
to the Salah lazily and listlessly, and (2) that they spend in the way of
Allah unwillingly.
Muslims have been warned here that sloth in Salah and being sour
at heart while spending in the way of Allah, that is, Zakah and Sada-
qah, are signs of nifaq (hypocrisy). All Muslims should make conscious
effort to stay safe from these signs.
Verse 60
إِنَّاَ الصَّدَقْتُ لِلْفُقَرَآءِ وَالْمُسَكِيْنِ وَالْعُمِلِيْنَ عَلَيْهَا وَ الْمُؤْلَّفَةِ
قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِى الِقَابِ وَالْغْرِمِيْنَ وَفِىْ سَبِيْلِ اللَّهِ وَابْنِ
السَّبِيْلِ ؛ فَرِيْضَةً مِنَ اللَّهِ ، وَاللَّهُ عَلِيُمْ حَكِيْمٌ ﴿٦﴾
The Sadaqat (prescribed alms) are only for the poor, the
needy, those employed to collect these, those whose
hearts are to be won, in (freeing) slaves, in (releasing)
those in debt, in the way of Allah and for a wayfarer -
this being prescribed by Allah. And Allah is Knowing,
Wise. [60]
Commentary
Recipients of Sadaqat
Objection raised by some hypocrites against the Holy Prophet
and the answer to that, was given in verses previous to this. It will be
صلى الله عليه وسلم recalled that the hypocrites had blamed the Holy Prophet
that he (God forbid) does not observe justice while disbursing Sadaqat
and gives whatever he wishes to whomsoever he chooses.
In the present verse, by listing the recipients of Sadaqat category-
wise, Allah Ta'ala has removed their misunderstanding and told them

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that He has himself determined as to who should receive Sadaqat. The
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم only complies with the Divine decree while
disbursing Sadaqat - doing nothing on his own or with his personal
opinion.
This is also confirmed by the Hadith reported in Abu Dawud and
Darqutni as based on a narration by Sayyidna Ziyad ibn Harith al-
Suda'i who says: I visited the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم where I no-
ticed that he was sending Muslim forces against my people. I said to
him: 'Ya Rasulallah, you do not have to send any troops. I guarantee
that all of them will submit before you with pleasure.' Then I wrote a
letter to my people and all of them embraced Islam. Thereupon, he
said : ◌ٍيَا آخَاصُدَاء الْمُطَاعِ فِى قَوْمِه (which was like a title saying that this person
was the beloved one of his people who followed him!). I submitted: 'I
deserve no credit for that. Allah, in His grace, guided them right and
they embraced Islam.' I was still present in the sitting, says the narra-
tor, when a person came in asking for something. The answer he gave
to him was:
"Allah Ta'ala has never handed over the distribution of Sada-
qat to any prophet, even to anyone other than a prophet. In-
stead of that, He has Himself determined eight categories for
it. If you are included under one of those eight, I can let you
have it. (Tafsir al-Qurțubi, p. 168, v. 8)
This was the background in which this verse was revealed. Now,
before going to its explanation in full, please understand that Allah
Jalla Thana'uh has promised sustenance for the entire creation. Says
the Qur'an:وَمَا مِنْ دَآبَّةٍ فِى الْأَرْضِ إِلَّ عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْنُهَا (And there is no creature on
earth but that upon Allah is its provision - 11:6). However, in His infi-
nite wisdom, he has not done something like making all of them equal
in the matter of provision or sustenance - or rizq as the Qur'an says.
This would have done away with the difference of rich and poor. This
is a vast field of inquiry full of hundreds of wise insights into the mo-
ral grooming of human beings and into the proper ordering of the uni-
versal system they live under - something that cannot be taken up in
details at this place. So, it was in His wisdom that He made someone
rich and someone else poor and then fixed a share for the poor and
وَفٌِ أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَّعُلُهُمْ لِّلِسَّائِلِ وَالْحُرُوُم : needy in the riches of the rich. It was said
(And, in their wealth, there is a share fixed for the asking and the de-
prived - 70:24) which was theirs as a matter of right.

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First of all, this tells us that the command to take out Sadaqah
from the wealth of the wealthy is no favor from them. In fact, this is a
right of the needy the fulfillment of which is their duty. Then, it also
tells us that this right is fixed in the sight of Allah Ta'ala - not that
someone decreases or increases it at will, anytime. Pursuant to that,
the duty of making the amount of this fixed right widely known was
assigned to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Therefore, he acted with
marked diligence and elan in this matter. He could have informed his
Companions about it orally. But, he did not consider it to be sufficient.
Instead, he had detailed executive orders written and placed in the
custody of Sayyidna 'Umar and Sayyidna 'Amr ibn Hazam Lar dll »,.
This clearly proves that the nisab (threshold) of Zakah, and the
amount of Zakah in each nişab, have been fixed by Allah Ta'ala and
promulgated through His Messenger to remain valid forever. No one,
at any time and in any country, has any right to decrease, increase,
change or alter what has been prescribed.
It is correct to say that the obligation of Sadaqah and Zakah was
already decreed by revelation during the early stage of Islam in Mak-
kah al-Mukarramah. Tafsir authority, Ibn Kathir has cited the verse of
Surah Al-Muzzammil: ◌َفَاقِيمُوا الصَّلاةَ وَاتُوا الزَّكْوَة (So, establish Salah and give
Zakah - 73:20) in proof because this Surah is among those that belong
to the initial period of revelation and, along with Salah, it carries the
injunction of Zakah. However, the narratives of Hadith seem to indi-
cate that, during the initial period of Islam, any particular nisab for
Zakah, or a particular amount, was not fixed. In its absence, whatever
was left behind after having served the needs of a Muslim was spent
in the way of Allah. The fixation of nisab and the declaration of the
amount of Zakah came after Hijrah in Madinah al-Țaiyyibah. After
that, the firmly established system of the receipts of Zakah and Sada-
qat was something that came into existence only after the conquest of
Makkah.
This verse - with the consensus of the Şahabah and the Tabi'in -
describes the disbursement of the same obligatory (wajib) Sadaqah
which is obligatory on Muslims like Salah, because the heads of dis-
bursement fixed in this verse are the heads of the obligatory Sadaqat.
As for the voluntary (Nafl) Sadaqat, given the clear statements of Ha-
dith narratives, their range is quite vast. To be precise, they are not

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restricted to these eight heads of expenditure.
Though, in the verse appearing above, the general word: Suite
(Sadaqat) has been used - which apparently may include the obligato-
ry and the voluntary both - but, there is a consensus of the Muslim
Ummah, on the point that this verse refers only to the obligatory
(wajib) Sadaqat. It appears in Tafsir al-Qurtubi that the word: Je
(Sadaqah) whenever used in an absolute sense anywhere in the Qur'an
- while there is no textual evidence to prove that it is voluntary Sada-
qah - it invariably means obligatory Sadaqah at that place.
This verse has been initiated with the word: Ul (innama) which is
used for restriction (haşr and inhisar). Thereby, the very first word in
the beginning of the statement speaks for itself that the recipients of
Sadaqat being enumerated next are obligatory Sadaqat and must,
therefore, be spent on them. In fact, obligatory Sadaqat cannot be
spent on any good cause other than them, such as, the preparation for
Jihad or making masjids and religious schools or other institutions of
public welfare. Though, all these projects are necessary and there is
great reward for investing in them, but obligatory Sadaqat the quan-
tum of which stands fixed cannot be applied to such projects.
The second word: out. (Sadaqat) appearing in the verse is the plu-
ral form of Sadaqah. Lexically, it denotes a portion of the wealth or
property that is spent for the sake of Allah (Qamus). In Mufradat al-
Qur'an, Imam Raghib al-Isfahani has said that Sadaqah is called Sada-
qah because it is derived from the root of 'Sidq' which means 'truth'
and the one who gives something in Sadaqah purports that he is true
in his word and deed, he has no worldly motives and is spending for
the pleasure of Allah only. Therefore, a Sadaqah mixed up with a de-
sire to earn a fair name or to project one's personality or any other
worldly motive conceivable has been declared to be null and void by
the Holy Qur'an.
As stated earlier too, the word: J. (Sadaqah) is general in terms of
its real meaning. It is used for voluntary Sadaqah as well as for obliga-
tory Zakah. Its use for nafl (voluntary or supererogatory charity) is al-
ready very common. However, it has also been used for fard (obligatory
or prescribed alms) at several places in the Qur'an, for example: 36
tu Ali (Take out of their wealth a Sadaqah [obligatory alms] - 9:103)
and the verse: ¿ hart (The Sadaqat [prescribed alms] are only for ... )

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under discussion right now. In fact, according to the verification of
commentator Al-Qurtubi, when the Qur'an mentions the word: site
(Sadaqah) in an absolute sense, it invariably means the fard
(obligatory) Sadaqah.
In Hadith narratives, the word: J. (Sadaqah) has also been used
for every good deed, for instance, says the Hadith: 'Meeting a Muslim
with a smile is also a Sadaqah.' Or, 'helping the bearer of a burden car-
ry it is also a Sadaqah.' Or, 'to share the water drawn from a well for
personal use with someone else is also a Sadaqah.' In these Hadith ref-
erences, the word: Ja. (Sadaqah) has been used in its general sense
with a figurative touch.
The third word after that begins with: . band (li' l-fuqara'). It will be
noted that the letter lam appears in the very beginning, a letter used
to carry the sense of particularization. Therefore, the sentence would
mean that all Sadaqat rightfully belong only to those who have been
mentioned later.
Now, we can go to a detailed description of the eight recipients
mentioned after that:
Out of these, the first category of recipients is that of al-fuqara'
(the poor) followed by the second which is that of al-masak in (the
needy or indigent). There is, though, difference of opinion about the
real meaning of 'faqir' and 'miskin.' A 'faqir' is one who has nothing
while a 'miskin' is one who has less than the nisab. But, they remain
the same under the injunction of Zakah. No difference exists there.
The outcome is that a person who does not own wealth or property to
the value of nisab in excess of his or her basic needs shall be a person
to whom Zakah can be given and for that person too this taking of Za-
kah is permissible. As for 'basic needs,' included therein is everything
like the residential house, utensils in use, clothes and furniture etc.
Anyone who has the nisab, that is, 7 1/2 tolas 2 gold, or 52 1/2 tolas3 of
silver, or its equivalent in cash - and is not in debt - then, it is not
permissible for such a person to receive Zakah nor is it permissible for
1. The minimum quantity or amount, or threshold of wealth or property
liable to payment of obligatory Zakah (prescribed alms or poor-due)
2. = 87.48 grams.
3. = 612.36 grams.
2 & 3 as determined by Hadrat Maulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi de Julio
. أوزان شرعيه in his

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anyone to give it to him. Similarly, a person who has some silver or
cash and some gold and the combined market price equals the price of
52 1/2 tolas (612.36 grams) of silver, then, this person too is deemed to
have the nişab. It is not permissible for him to take Zakah nor is it per-
missible for anyone to give it to him. But, a person who is not a man of
nisab, however, is strong and healthy to earn his livelihood, and has
enough for a day, then, giving Zakah to him is, no doubt, permissible
but what is not permissible is that he goes about asking people to help
him out. Many such people ignore this restriction not realizing that
stretching their hands before others is Haram (unlawful). Whatever
such a person acquires by soliciting has been equated by the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with an ember from Hell. (Abu Dawud, on the authori-
ty of a report from Sayyidna 'Alī, Qurțubi)
So, the outcome is that there is no difference in a 'faqir' and a
'miskin' as far as Zakah is concerned. But, it does make a difference in
the injunction of Wasiyyah (will). If a will is made for the 'masak in,'
what kind of people will be eligible to receive the bequeathed amount?
And if the will is made for 'fugara' what kind of people will be its recip-
ients? There is no need to describe its details at this place. In brief,
the common thing between the two categories - the 'faqir' and the
'miskin' - is that whoever of the two receives from the property of Za-
kah should be a Muslim and should not be the owner of property which
is more than his basic needs, or the standard of nisab.
Common Sadaqat can, however, be given to non-Muslims as well.
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said: تَصَدَّقُوا عَلى اَهُلِ الْآَدُيَانِ كُلِّهَا (Give Sada-
qah to people of all religions). But, about the Sadaqah of Zakah, the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, while sending Sayyidna Mu'adh ibn Jabal
Le Ul b) to Yaman, had instructed him that Zakah should be taken
from the rich among Muslims and be spent over their poor. Therefore,
Zakah can be spent only among Muslim fuqara' (the poor) and masak in
(the needy). However, with the exception of Zakah, it is permissible to
give other Sadaqat - even the Sadaqatu 'l-Fitr - to a non-Muslim 'faqir.'
(Hidayah)
Incidentally, the second condition that a person should not be the
owner of nisab mentioned a little earlier becomes self-evident from the
very meaning of a 'faqir' and a 'misk in' - because, either he would have
nothing or, at the least, would have less than the fixed amount of nis-

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 60
ab holdings. Therefore, a 'faqir' and a 'miskin' are common in the sense
that they both do not possess property matching the standard value of
nisab. After having mentioned these two categories of recipients, the
text describes six more. Out of these, the the first (which is the third in
the aggregate list) is that of the collectors of Sadaqah which has been
described in the text as: QuelCh (and those employed to collect
them). This refers to those who are appointed by the Islamic govern-
ment to collect the Sadaqat of Zakah and 'Ushr etc. from the people and
deposit it in the Baytulmal (the state treasury). Since these appointees
spend all their time in carrying out this service, therefore, taking care
of their needs is a responsibility that falls on the Islamic government.
This verse of the Qur'an has, by allotting a share to them in the dis-
bursement of Zakah, has categorically determined that the payment
for the services rendered by them shall be made from the head of Za-
kah.
Actually, Allah Ta'ala has entrusted the duty of taking Zakah and
Sadaqat from Muslims directly with the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, as
said in the verse: LaWei& & (Take out of their wealth a Sadaqah
[obligatory alms] - 9:103) which appears later on in this very Surah.
Detailed comments about it will be taken up there. However, it is suf-
ficient to mention here that, in the light of this verse, the duty of tak-
ing Zakah and Sadaqat has been placed on the shoulders of the Amir of
Muslims. It is obvious that the Amir cannot carry out this duty all by
himself throughout the country without functional executives and as-
sistants. It is these executives and assistants who have been men-
tioned in the words: Q 216; (and those employed to collect them).
It was to implement the command given in these verses that the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had sent many Companions as functional
executives responsible for collecting Zakah and Sadaqat to many re-
gions of the Islamic state. The payment he had made for the services
rendered by them was, as instructed in the verse, from the very
amount collected as Zakah. Included among such people were Şahabah
who were rich. In Hadith, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: sadaqah
is not halal for anyone rich (al-ghaniyy: owner of mal, that is, wealth
and property) except five persons: (1) One who has set out for Jihad
where he does not have necessary financial support with him -
though, he may be rich back home. (2) The 'Amil of Sadaqah (the collec-

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 60
tor) employed to carry out this duty. (3) One who, though, owns wealth
and property, but is in debt for more than the worth of what he has.
(4) One who buys Sadaqah property from a 'miskin' (needy person)
against cash. (5) One who has been given a gift of property acquired as
Sadaqah by some poor person ('faqir').
As for the problem of determining the proportion of the amount of
money to be paid to those employed to collect Sadaqat, the answer lies
in the rule that it will be paid in accordance with the status of their
working hours and performance. (Jaşsas, Ahkam al-Qur'an and Qurțubī)
Of course, it will be necessary that the salaries of the employees do
not go higher than a half of the total Zakah. If the collection of Zakah
is low, so low that, after the disbursement of salaries to employees, not
even that half remains available, then, salaries would have to be re-
duced. More than half shall not be spent. (Tafsir Mazharī, Zahiriyyah)
What has been said above shows that the amount of money given
to those employed to collect Sadaqah from the head of Zakah is not giv-
en to them as Sadaqah, instead of which, it is a payment in return for
their service. Therefore, they deserve to get this amount despite being
rich - and it is permissible to give this amount to them from the Zakah
funds. Out of the eight heads of Zakah disbursement, this is the only
head in which the amount of Zakah is given as payment in return for
services rendered. Otherwise, Zakah is the very name of the gift given
to the poor without being a return for any services - and if a poor per-
son was given something from Zakah funds against some service ren-
dered, Zakah remained unpaid.
For this reason, two questions arise here - firstly, how was Zakah
property given in return for services rendered, and secondly, how
could this Zakah property become halal (lawful) for the rich person?
Both these questions have the same answer - that we should under-
stand the real status of those employed to collect Sadaqah. The status
of these employees is that of the authorized representatives of al-
fuqara,' the poor ones, and everyone knows that the taking of posses-
sion by an authorized representative is regarded to be as good as the
possession taken by the principal himself. If a person makes someone
his representative authorized to recover his debt and the other person
in debt hands over the amount of debt to this authorized representa-
tive, then, soon after the possession taken by the representative, the li-
.

404
Surah Al-Taubah : 9: 60
ability of the debtor stands discharged. So, when the amount of Zakah
has been recovered by those employed to collect it in their capacity as
the authorized representatives of the poor, i.e. the fuqara', then, the
amount of Zakah received from people stands duly paid. Now, this
whole amount lies under the ownership of the fuqara' on whose behalf
the 'amilin have received it in the capacity of their authorized repre-
sentative. Hence, the amount given to them in return for their services
is in fact given to them by the 'fuqara" as a compensation of services
they have rendered for them, because once zak ah is received by a faqir
or his agent, he may give it to anyone against his services.
Now remains the question: The fugara' never made these people
their authorized representatives. How, then, did they become their
agents in fact? The answer is that the head of a Muslim State (the
'Amir) has been appointed by Allah Ta'ala as a representative of all the
poor to collect and disburse zak ah on their behalf. The logical conse-
quence of this arrangement is that the persons appointed by an 'Amir,
being his deputies, are also taken to be the representatives of the poor.
To sum up, that which was given to those employed to collect Sada-
qat (prescribed alms) was really no Zakah as such. Instead of that, it
was given to them as compensation in return for the service rendered
by them on behalf of the poor recipients of Zakah. It is like a poor per-
son making someone an attorney for his case and paying for his servic-
es from what he has received from Zakah funds. In this situation, the
payment of attorney's fee cannot be termed as the payment of Zakah.
Special Note
Details given above also tell us that those who collect Sadaqat and
Zakah for Islamic religious schools and organizations (without being
appointed by an Islamic state for that purpose) are not included in
"amilin' (collectors of zakah) as contemplated in the Holy Qur'an.
The reason is that neither the individual poor persons have author-
ized them to receive zakah on their behalf, nor the head of an Islamic
state has appointed them as such. Their correct position is that the za-
kah - payers have made them their agent to disburse zakah among the
deserving people. Therefore, they can neither draw their salaries from
zakah, nor can the obligation of a zakah-payer be discharged by their
possession, unless they pay it to a person entitled to receive zakah.

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 60
Generally, serious negligence is shown in this matter. Many insti-
tutions collect Zakah funds and keep it for years. Zakah payers think
that their Zakah stands paid - although, their Zakah will stand paid
only when the amount given by them has been disbursed in favor of its
recipients.
Similarly, there are many others who would unknowingly take
such people to be included under the Qur'anic injunction about the col-
lectors of Sadaqah and go on to pay their salaries from the funds of Za-
kah itself. This is non-permissible, for the givers and the takers both.
Another Question: Payment for 'Ibadah
Another question should be clarified here. It is inferred from some
Qur'anic indicators and narrations of Hadith that taking wages and
compensation on 'Ibadah is haram (unlawful, forbidden). The Musnad
of Ahmad reports a Hadith from Sayyidna 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Shibl
:has said صلى الله عليه وسلم according to which the Holy Prophet رضى الله عنه
+ Để Vý; shải Lig! (Recite the Qur'an but do not eat by means of it). In
some other reports, the compensation taken on the Qur'an has been
called a piece of Hell. It is on this basis that many jurists of Muslim
Ummah have held that the taking of wages or compensation for any
act of 'Ibadah (worship) is not permissible. Then, it is also evident that
the function of collecting prescribed alms is a religious mission and an
act of ibadah. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has called it a kind of Ji-
had. According to this principle it should not have been lawful to re-
ceive any remuneration for collecting zakah. But, this verse of the Holy
Qur'an has clearly declared it to be permissible and has included it as
one of the eight heads under which Zakah can be disbursed.
Imam al-Qurtubi has taken up this question in his Commentary.
He has said that taking compensation for 'Ibadat (acts of worship) that
are obligatory (fard) or compulsory individually (wajib al-'ain) is abso-
lutely haram (unlawful). But, taking any compensation for duties
called fard al-kifayah is permissible in accordance with this very verse.
Fard al-Kifayah means that a duty has been imposed on the entire
Muslim community or on a whole city as a collective obligation. But, it
is not the duty of every individual to do it. If some of the people there
fulfill the duty, the rest stand absolved. Yes - if no one does it - every-
one becomes a sinner.
Imam al-Qurtubi has also said that this very verse proves that

406
Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 60
taking a compensation for leading congregational prayers (Imamah)
and delivering sermons (Khitabah) is also permissible - because, they
too are wajib al-Kifayah (compulsory in the degree of sufficiency) and
not wajib-al-'ain (compulsory individually). Similarly, the areas of
teaching Qur'an, Hadith and other religious sciences are no different.
These are duties that must be carried out. The entire Muslim Ummah
is responsible for it. This is Fard al-Kifayah on the community. If some
people fulfill this obligation, others stand absolved. Therefore, if some
compensation or salary is taken for it, that too will be permissible.
The fourth among the eight categories of recipients of Zakah is that
مؤلفة القلوب :of 'people whose hearts are to be won.' The Qur'an calls them
These were people who were given Sadaqat so that their attitude to-
wards Islam could be mollified. The general impression about this cat-
egory is that it included both Muslims and non-Muslims. The object
was to persuade non-Muslims in favor of Islam and neo-Muslims to be-
come more firm. Those who were already staunch Muslims were
helped to guide their people right through such measures. Then, there
were people among non-Muslims whose evil had to be avoided through
a policy of appeasement. And there were people who would listen to no
sermon or sword. The only language they understood was the lan-
guage of favor and generosity. They too came closer to reconciliation
through this policy. At that time, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did
whatever was legally possible to bring people from the darkness of dis-
belief into the light of faith. However, after the passing away of the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, Islam had become politically strong and the
initial plans to avoid the threat of disbelievers or to provide support to
neo-Muslims did not remain valid anymore. What was expedient then
had lost its expediency. So, that share also came to an end. Some Mus-
lim jurists have taken the position that it has been 'abrogated.' This
position is attributed to Sayyidna 'Umar e di »,, Hasan al-Basri, Abu
Hanifah and Malik ibn Anas, may the mercy of Allah be upon them.
However, many others hold that the share of this category has not
been abrogated. That it was allowed to lapse during the period of
Sayyidna Abu Bakr and 'Umar . Ally+, means that it was allowed to
lapse because there was no need for it. However, if such a need does
come up at some later time, it could be given again. This is the juristic
view of Imam Zuhri, Qadi 'Abd al-Wahhab, ibn al-'Arabi, Imams Shafii

407
Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 60
and Ahmad. But, the most authentic position is that non-Muslims
were never given a share from Sadaqat at any time whatsoever, nor
are they included under the category of mu'allafah al-quloob as con-
templated in the present verse 60.
In his Tafsir, Imam al-Qurtubi has given a detailed list of people to
whom the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had given a share from the head
of Sadaqat. The purpose was to win their hearts through persuasion.
وَيِالْلَةِ فَكُلَّهُمْ تُزُمِنٌ وَلَمْ يَكُنُ فِيهِمُ : At the end of his list, Al-Qurtubi has this to say
AS It means: 'To sum it up, it can be said that all recipients under this
category were Muslims and there was no kafir included therein.'
لَمْ يُعْبَتُ أَنَّ التَّبِيَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَعُطى :Similarly, it appears in Tafsir Mazhari
It means: 'There is no report to prove that the آحَدًا مِّنَ الْكَفَّارِ لِلْإِيْلَافِ شَيْئًا مِّنَ الزَّكْوةِ
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has ever given a share to a kafir
(disbeliever) from Zakah property in order to persuade him favorably.'
This is supported by what is said in Tafsir al-Kashshaf: 'The details of
the recipients of Sadaqat have been given here to refute the allegations
of disbelievers and hypocrites who used to raise objections against the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that he did not give them their share from
the Sadaqat. The purpose of giving these details in this verse is to tell
them that disbelievers had no right in Sadaqah properties. If the dis-
believers were also included under the category of mu'allafah al-
quloob, there was no need for this answer in refutation.
Tafsir Mazhari has also clarified the error into which some people
have fallen because of some Hadith narratives which seem to prove
that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has given gifts to some non-
Muslims. For example, there is a report in the Şahin of Muslim and
Tirmidhi which says that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gave some
gifts to Safwan ibn Umayyah when he was a kafir. About it, quoting
Imam al-Nawawi, the author of the Tafsir says that these gifts were
not from Zakah. Rather, they were given from the khums (one- fifth) of
the spoils of the battle of Hunain deposited in the Baitu'l-Mal - and it
is obvious that spending from this head of the Baitu'l-Mal both on
Muslims or non-Muslims is permissible under the consensus of Mus-
lim jurists. Then, he says: Imam al-Baihaqi, Ibn Sayyid al-Nas, Imam
Ibn Kathir and others have concurred that this gift was not given from
Zakah, but was given from the one-fifth of spoils.

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 60
A useful supplementary note
From here we also come to know that wealth and property belong-
ing to Sadaqat were, though, deposited in the Baitu'l-Mal during the
blessed period of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself, but they were
kept under a totally separate account. Similarly, other heads of the
Baitu'l-Mal, such as, the Khums of Ghanimah (one-fifth of spoils) or the
Khums of Ma'adin (one-fifth of mines and quarries) etc., had their own
separate accounts and modes of disbursement. Muslim jurists have
given details in this connection. According to them there should be
four heads of accounts in the Baitu'l-Mal separate from, each other.
The main instruction given is that keeping the accounts separate is
not enough, instead of that, each head should have a separate Baitu'l-
Mal so that each one of them exercises full control when spending it on
approved recipients and categories. Of course, if a particular head fac-
es shortage of funds, these can be borrowed from another head of ac-
counts and spent as necessary. These heads of the Baitu'l-Mal are as
follows:
1. Khums al-Ghanaim: The One-Fifth of Spoils: This is property
acquired from disbelievers as an outcome of war. Out of its five shares,
four are distributed among Mujahidin while the fifth share is the right
of the Baitu'l-Mal. Then, there is the one-fifth of mines (Khums al-
Ma'adin). A one-fifth of whatever is mined from different kinds of
quarries is the right of the Baitu'l-Mal. Then, there is the one-fifth of
buried treasures. This is known as the Khums of Rikaz. It refers to
any old treasure dug out of the ground. A one-fifth of this too is the
right of the Baitu'l-Mal. All these three kinds of Khums (one-fifth) are
included in one single head of the Baitu'l-Mal.
2. Sadaqat: This includes Zakah, Sadaqatu 'l-Fitr, and 'Ushr of
their lands paid by Muslims.
3. Kharaj and Fai' Property which includes tax collected from
lands owned by non-Muslims, Jizyah paid by them, taxes on commer-
cial enterprises run by them (al-kharaj) and it included all properties
acquired from non-Muslims with their consent and agreement (al-fai').
4. Dawa'i' (Lost properties) which included what lost or remained
unclaimed as well as property left by a person having no heir.

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 60
Though, expenditures under these four heads are separate, but the
right of the poor and the needy has been set aside in all four of these
heads. This shows the particular care taken to empower the weaker
section of the society - a certain hallmark of the Muslim state indeed.
Otherwise, elite classes keep getting the opportunities to grow among
usual social systems of the world at the expense of the poor ones. The
poor never see their day. What came up as a reaction of this situation
in the form of socialism and communism was far from being natural.
In fact, it was like running from the rain and resting under the drain
pipe, not to say much about its harmful effects for human morals.
To sum up, an Islamic government has four Baitu'l-Mals for four
different heads with the right of the poor and needy secured in all
four. The expenditures of the first three among these have been fixed
and explained clearly by the Holy Qur'an as follows. The description of
the expenditures of the first head, that is, of the one-fifth of spoils
(Khums al-Ghanaim) appears at the beginning of the tenth part in Su-
rah Al-Anfal (verse 41). The description of the expenditures of the sec-
ond head, that is, of Sadaqat has been taken up in verse 60 of Surah Al-
Taubah that is under study right now. The third head, technically
known as the property of al-fai', finds a detailed mention in Surah Al-
Hashr. Many expenditures of the Islamic government, such as, those
on the military, and on the salaries of civil servants, are disbursed
from this head. The fourth head of al-Dawa'i' covered lost or unclaimed
property or property having no inheritor. It was set aside for the dis-
abled, the handicapped, destitute men and women and abandoned
children, following the practice and teachings of the Holy Prophet L.
de Al to which the rightly guided Caliphs of Islam, faithfully ad-
hered. (Shami, Kitabu'z-Zakah)
Incidentally, the saying of Muslim jurists, that the four heads of
the Baitu'l-Mal should be kept separate and that the expenditures
therein should be incurred as approved, has its proof in the Qur'an,
the practice of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the adherence of the
rightly guided Caliphs to that practice.
After this supplementary note, we can now revert to the original is-
sue of mu'allafah al-quloob. It is already established that no zakah was
paid to a non-Muslim under this category. Therefore, they stand ex-
cluded from the recipients of zakah. Now, left there are the new Mus-

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9 : 60
lims who can fall under this head. All the Muslim jurists are unani-
mous on the point that the poor new Muslims are eligible to get their
share under this category. However, there is a difference of opinion
about the rich ones. Imam Shafi'i and Imam Ahmad are of the view
that all the Muslim converts who need a sympathetic attitude to make
them firm on Islamic beliefs can receive zakah under the category of
'mu'allafah-al-quloob' even though they are not poor in the sense that
they own the nisab. The basic principle according to them is that
poverty is not a condition for the eligibility for zakah under each head
from the eight categories mentioned in the verse. On the contrary,
Imam Abu Hanifah and Imam Malik are of the view that Muslim
'mu'allafah-al-quloob' can be given zak ah only if they are poor and do
not own the nisab. If they own the nisab, they cannot receive zak ah
even under this category. Both these Imams hold that poverty is the
basic condition for all the eight categories mentioned in the verse, with
the sole exception of 'amilin' as explained earlier. The debtors, the
wayfarers and the slaves as well can receive zakah only if they are
poor in their given state of affairs, even though may have wealth
otherwise.
This explanation shows that despite their difference of opinion in
this particular aspect, all of them agree on the point that 'mu'allafah
al-qulub' as a category of the recepients of zakah still holds good and
has never been repealed or abrogated.
Up to this point, four out of the eight recipients of Sadaqat have
been identified. The right of these four has been introduced with the
addition of the letter lam as in: stais . Tuy (li'l-fugara' wa'l-masak in: for
the poor and for the needy). The form has been changed while men-
tioning the next four recipients where the initial letter lam has been
replaced with the letter fi as in : ◌َوَفِى الرّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِين (and in [freeing] slaves
and in [releasing] those in debt). Al-Zamakhshari has given a reason
for this nuance of language in his Tafsir al-Kashshaf. According to
him, this is a device employed to indicate that the last four recipients
are more deserving as compared to the first four, because the letter fi
is used to denote attending circumstances or conditions which yields
the meaning that Sadaqat should be placed 'in' or within these people.
Then, the reason for their being more deserving is their being more in
need - because, a slave owned by someone suffers more as compared to

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Surah Al-Taubah : 9: 60
poor people in general. Similarly, a person in debt hounded by his
lenders is in deeper trouble as compared to common poor and needy
for he has the additional worry as to how he is going to pay off his debt
which is certainly more disturbing than the rest of his usual needs.
Out of the remaining four categories of recipients, the first one
mentioned here is that of yuml ; (wa fi 'r-riqab: and in [freeing]
slaves). Riqab is the plural form of raqabah. Actually, it means the
neck. But, in recognized usage, it is also used to allude to a person
whose neck is shackled in the chains of slavery.
What is the meaning of ar-riqab in this verse? Interpretations of
jurists differ. The majority of jurists and Hadith experts agree that it
refers to slaves who enter into a deal with their masters that they
would earn the amount specified by them, give it to them as they earn,
and once the agreed amount is paid off, they shall be free. In the ter-
minology of the Qur'an and Sunnah, such a slave is known as muka-
tab."The master of such a slave allows him to earn through business or
employment and give the income to the master. In the present verse, fi
'r-riqab means that this person should be helped to secure his freedom
from his master who should be given a share from Zakah funds to
write off the amount due against the slave.
There is a consensus of commentators and jurists that this kind of
slaves is the intended sense of the expression: Ugly (wa fi r'riqab:
and in [freeing] slaves) which requires that they should be helped to
become free by paying the amount due from Zakah funds. In cases oth-
er than this, such as, buying other slaves and setting them free, or en-
tering into a deal with their masters that they would set them free
against an agreed amount of Zakah, there is a difference of opinion
among major Muslim jurists. The majority of the Imams of Islamic ju-
risprudence - Abu Hanifah, Shafi'i, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and others, may
the mercy of Allah be on all of them - do not take this to be permissi-
ble. Imam Malik agrees with the majority in one version (riwayah)
only when he declares the sense of fi r'riqab as restricted to mukatab
slaves (on freedom-against-money deal with master). In another ver-
sion (riwayah), it has also been reported from Imam Malik that he in-
cluded common slaves under the definition of fi 'r-riqab as well as gave
the permission to buy slaves from Zakah amounts and free them.
(Ahkam al-Qur'an ibn al-'Arabi al-Maliki)