Zakāh
Definition
Zakat is the third pillar of Islam — the obligatory annual levy on accumulated wealth above a minimum threshold, distributed to eight categories of recipients specified in the Quran. Al-Ghazali insists that zakat is not a compromise between Islam's spiritual ideals and economic reality but a spiritual act of the highest order: it is the submission of the hand to Allah after the tongue has submitted in prayer and the body has submitted in fasting. The person who gives zakat correctly — with correct calculation, correct recipients, correct intention — has performed an act of worship equivalent in its demand to the salah.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Zakāh.
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"Zakah is due only to a free Muslim who is neither from the Hashimi nor the Muttalibi families and possesses one of the characteristics from the eight categories mentioned in the Book of Allah Almighty. Zakah should not be given to a disbeliever, a slave, a Hashimi, or a Muttalibi. However, it is permissible to give zakah to a child or a madman if their guardian receives it on their behalf. Let us explore the qualities of the eight categories: The first category: The Poor."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 5: The Mysteries of Zakat
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"Explanation of the Reasons for Eligibility Zakah is due only to a free Muslim who is neither from the Hashimi nor the Muttalibi families and possesses one of the characteristics from the eight categories mentioned in the Book of Allah Almighty. Zakah should not be given to a disbeliever, a slave, a Hashimi, or a Muttalibi."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 5: The Mysteries of Zakat
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"signifies love for Yahya, suggesting it reflects Yahya's kindness towards people, especially his parents, encompassing love, compassion, and dutifulness towards them. Regarding Zakah, it refers to the purity of character, free from deficiencies and vices. Taqwa, on the other hand, is obedience to Allah by following his commands and avoiding prohibitions. Yahya was described as dutiful to his parents, obedient in both command and prohibition, and refrained from being undutiful in word and deed. As Allah says, And dutiful to his parents, and he was not a disobedient tyrant. Furthermore, Allah bestowed peace upon Yahya during"
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 2 — From the Israelite Prophets to Pre-Islamic Arabia
Appears in
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