Poverty and Islam

POVERTY AND ISLAM by Shahirah Elaiza Hassan Interfaith Dialogue 26 July 2010  Prophet Muhamma Muhammad d (peace be upon him): "Wealth never decreases because of charity." (Hadith Muslim No. 2588) .

During last year’s Interfaith Dialogue I was sitting somewhere at the back of the hall and I overheard 2 people behind me speaking. One of them said, “Oh look this should be interesting.” Then the other said, “Yeahh… but I don’t know. Even the word religion makes me go ughh.” God and faith are commonly perceived as irrelevant in people’s lives these days and I wish that they weren’t. I wish people would just realise that faith has a lot to do with why we’re here today. In fact, in Islam we believe it has everything to do with our purpose in life. As a Muslim, I believe my purpose on Earth is to worship and please my Creator and there are many ways of doing that. The 5 pillars of Islam – the fundamentals of our faith – states the main acts worship that are required of Muslims. 1. Testifying that none is worthy of worship except the one and only Allah (God in Arabic) and Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him is His Messenger. 2. Esta Establ blis ishi hing ng pra praye yers rs.. 3. Alms giving or giving charity. This is called the Zakat. 4. Fastin Fasting g in the month month of of Ramad Ramadhan han 5. Performing the Hajj pilgrimage (if one is able) Do you know what this means? Muslims actually have the privilege of helping others as an act of worship. Allah Almighty says: "We have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of  the world, and raised some of them above others in rank that some of them may take labor from others." (Holy Qur’an, 43:32) See when Allah swt created the Universe He had a plan for everything, for each and every one of us and how amazing is it that part of that plan is for those who are fortunate to help the ones who are less fortunate. So this is where faith and Islam comes into the picture in regards to alleviating poverty. The act of giving charity and alms giving known as ‘zakat’ is what Islam prescribes in effort to help those who are in need.

In Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah swt says: “O you who believe! Give from the good things which you have earned (honourably) and of the fruits of the Earth which We have produced for you.”

(Holy Qur’an, 2:266) “Truly those who believe and do righteous deeds and establish regular prayers and regular charity they will have the reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear and they shall not grieve” (Holy Qur’an, 2:276)

So what is ‘Zakat’? It is a combination of charity and tax which is collected and distributed amongst the poor in the community. When a Muslim pays Zakat he or she is giving 2.5 % of what he or she has saved in a year. It is not only in the form of monetary wealth as there are rules on how to pay Zakat on each type of possessions, such as gold, animals, crops, shares and so on. Note that the Zakat is taken taken from the excess wealth of a person - wealth that has accumulated and has been in their possession for  over a year. It is not paid on income. Therefore, people who haven’t been able to save anything after covering their expenses with their income do not pay Zakat, and in fact may be eligible to receive it. The Zakat is to be distributed amongst people of 8 categories: 1) The Destitute: Those who don't have material material possessions possessions or means of

livelihood.

2) The Poor: Those with insufficient means of livelihood to meet basic needs. 3) The Indebted: Those who are in debt and have difficulty repaying it. 4) Stranded Traveller: The traveller who does not have enough money to complete their   journey. 5) Slaves: Zakat money is to be used to purchase slaves and free them. 6) New Muslims: Those who are new to Islam and require help to integrate themselves into the Muslim community. 7) Anyone or anything who works In the Path of God: Zakat money can also be spent in the path of God. This can include many things, basically any project that helps Muslims or Islamic causes. 8) Zakat Workers: Those whose job it is to collect and re-distribute Zakat money get their  salary from the Zakat money. (Sourced from http://www.al-islami.com/islam/islam_solves_poverty.php http://www.al-islami.com/islam/islam_solves_poverty.php))

The world is looking for a solution to reduce poverty and it’s staring us right in our faces. If everyone who had the means were to give away 2.5% of their savings every year that would mean almost USD $700 billion would go towards helping the poor annually. That’s less than the amount former US President George W. Bush spent on the Iraq War. Now isn’t that something to think about? I’ve mentioned the material benefits of giving charity and paying the Zakat. What about its spiritual benefits? Spiritually, the beauty of the Zakat system is that it not only helps those who are on receiving end but also those who are giving. In the Arabic language, the meaning of the word Zakat is two-fold – it means to purify and to grow, therefore Islam teaches us that when we give and help sincerely, God will reward us by purifying our souls and our lives and helping us to grow as a person. That’s what we really want… to grow and develop throughout life and to be cleansed off our sins so we can attain Paradise. In other words, it’s a win – win situation. Islam not only encourages us to help others and but to help ourselves. So he who gives in charity and fears (Allah), and in all sincerity accepts and follows the best, We will Indeed make smooth for him the path to happiness.

(Holy Qur’an, 92: 5-10) In conclusion, charity is not only limited to giving away money or material wealth. The Prophet peace be upon him used to say: "On every bone of the fingers charity is incumbent every day: One assists a man in riding his beast or in lifting his provisions to the back of the animal, this is charity; and a good word and every step which one takes in walking over to prayer  is charity; and showing the way (to another) is charity." (Hadith Bukhari 56:72)

Therefore any effort to help others is a form of charity. Even a smile is an act of charity. Islam doesn’t only address people’s financial difficulties as it recognises that there are social and psychological consequences that are part and parcel of being poor – consequences such as illiteracy, starvation and frustration. Therefore, Allah swt rewards those who help people in whatever way they can. Charity is not meant to be a burden but rather a means of uniting people together  towards a good cause. It’s about pleasing our Creator but also preserving humanity at the same time. More details on the Zakat alms-giving system can be found on: http://www.hidaya.org/publications/zakat-information/16.0-how-is-zakat-to-bedistributed.html Visit this website for some interesting facts about poverty: http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats