Having covered the general Islamic State system of Zakat as outlined in a guide written by the group's Diwan al-Zakat wa al-Sadaqat and reviewed by the Office of Research and Studies, I turn to a pamphlet on Zakat, which, like the guide to the system of Zakat, was published by the al-Himma Library. This pamphlet was published in Muharram 1436 AH (October-November 2014 CE). It contains a general exhortation for the Muslim populace to give Zakat by understanding the benefits conferred on those who give Zakat as well as the torments suffered by those who prevent it. The pamphlet also reminds the reader of the obligation of paying the Zakat to the authority's delegated collectors and warns against concealing the extent of one's wealth in determining the obligatory Zakat on it, even if the Zakat collector takes more than what is necessary to pay the Zakat.
Below is the original text of the pamphlet with my translation.
Al-Himma Library
The Islamic Sttae
Zakat, Zakat, Oh Muslims
Muharram 1436 AH
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Praise be to God who has made Zakat one of the pillars of Islam, and promised the one who brings it out in completeness and sincerity the quick promise in this world and the established bounty in the Abode of Peace, and has threatened the one who prevents it with the punishment of this world and the painful torment in the Abode of Pains, and prayers and peace be upon the best of mankind, and on his noble family and companions. As for what follows:
This is a short message on Zakat and the encouragement to fulfil it and the threat of terror against preventing it and some of the rulings of on it:
The encouragement to fulfil Zakat
God Almighty has informed in His Noble Book that giving Zakat is a reason for attainment and success. The Exalted has said: 'Alif-lam-mim, that is the Book in which there is no doubt, guidance for the pious who believe in the unseen and establishment of prayer and spend from what We have provided them, and who believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you, and concerning the Hereafter they are certain. Those people are on guidance from their Lord and those people are the ones of success'- (al-Baqara 1-5).
Also the One whose majesty is exalted has promise those who fulfil Zakat that He will have mercy on them and enter them into His wide mercy. For the Almighty has said: 'And My mercy has encompassed everything, so I will write it for those who are pious and give Zakat and who believe in Our verses'- (al-A'raf 156).
And the Almighty and Exalted has arranged great multiplying rewards for the one who brings out the Zakat of his wealth in seeking to His contentment. For the Almighty has said: 'What you have brought from loans to accumulate interest among the wealth of the people, does not bring interest in God's eyes, and what you have brought from Zakat as you seek God's face, for the people who do that are the ones whose reward will be multiplied'- (al-Rum 39).
Then our Exalted Lord has made clear that the one who fulfils the Zakat of his wealth, He will save him from the torment of the Hellfire on the Day of Judgment. For the Almighty has said: 'So I have warned you of a raging fire in which only the most wretched will burn, who has deemed the signs to be false and turned away, and the pious will avoid it, who gives his wealth in purification of himself'- (al-Layl 14-17).
And He described His believing servants with many qualities, among them that they fulfil Zakat. For the Almighty has said: 'Successful have been the believers who are humble in their prayers, and turn away from idle talk, and who fulfil the Zakat'- (al-Mu'minun 1-4).
And for the greatness of the matter of Zakat and its importance, the Exalted Truth imposed it on the prior nations and commanded the prophets and messengers to perform it. For the Almighty has said: 'And remember in the book Ismail. Indeed he was true to his promise and he was a prophetic messenger, and he used to command his people to pray and give Zakat and he was pleasing to his Lord'- (Maryam 54-55). And the Almighty has said: 'He said: Indeed I am the servant of God. He has brought me the book and made me a prophet, and he has made me blessed wherever I have been and He has commanded me to perform prayer and Zakat so long as I am alive'- (Maryam 30-31).
And likewise the Messenger of God (SAWS) encourage the fulfilment of Zakat and gave encouragement through its reward in many hadiths, among them what the two sheikhs narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira (may God be pleased with him): that the Messenger of God (SAWS) said: 'God Almighty has said: oh son of Adam, spend and I will spend upon you.' And among them what al-Tirmidhi narrated on the authority of Abu Kabsha al-Anmari (may God be pleased with him): that the Prophet (SAWS) said: 'The wealth of a man has not been diminished by charity.' And it is a sound authentic hadith. And among them also what Imam Ahmad narrated on authentic chain of narration on the authority of Uqba bin Aamer (may God be pleased with him): that the Prophet (SAWS) said: 'Every man is in the shade of his charity on the Day of Judgement until he should be judged among the people.'
So regards to the one whom God has granted success and who has fulfilled the Zakat of his wealth out of his own will. For whoso does that, let him be given glad tidings of great good and blessing from God. The Almighty has said: 'And what you have spent from something, He will recompense for it, and He is the best of the providers'- (Saba': 39). And the Almighty has said: 'The likes of those who spend their wealth in the path of God is like a grain that has grown seven spikes: in each spike is 100 grains. And God doubles for the one He wills, and God is encompassing, knowing'- (al-Baqara 261).
The threat of terror against preventing Zakat
And for this are many lines of evidence from the Qur'an and Sunna, for just as God (Almighty and Exalted is He) prepared those great graces for the one who fulfils Zakat out of his own will, the One whose greatness is exalted has threatened the preventers of Zakat with the great threat. For the Almighty has said: 'And woe to the idolaters who do not give Zakat and they are disbelievers in the Hereafter'- (Fussilat 6-7).
And the Blessed and Almighty has made clear that the hatred of bringing out Zakat is among the signs of hypocrisy. The Almighty has said about the hypocrites: 'And they do not come to prayer except in sluggishness and they do not spend except hating to do so'- (al-Tawba 54).
And it is one of the qualities of the people of Hellfire about whom God Almighty said: 'What has cast you into Hell? They have said: we were not among those who prayer, and we did not feed the maskeen'- (al-Mudatthir- 42-44).
Also those who prevent the Zakat are among the people most harshly tormented on the Day of Judgement. The Almighty has said: 'And those who store up gold and silver and do not spend these things in the path of God, give them tidings of a painful torment, on a day when these things will be heated in the Hellfire so by it their brows, sides and backs will be branded. This is what you have stored for yourselves so taste what you have been storing'- (al-Tawba 35).
And the Prophet (SAWS) said in explaining this verse- in the hadith narrated by Muslim: 'The owner of gold or silver who does not pay from them the right due upon them will have sheets prepared for him by fire on the Day of Judgement so they will be heated in the Hellfire and so by them his side, brow and back will be branded. Whenever they grow cold, they will be returned to him on a day whose extent is 50,000 years'- and the right due upon them is Zakat.
And in al-Bukhari's collection from a hadith of Abu Huraira (may God be pleased with him): that the Messenger of God (SAWS) said: 'The one to whom God brings wealth but he does not pay its Zakat, it will be represented for him as a bald serpent on the Day of Judgement and it will have two dots. It will surround him on the Day of Judgement and seize his two lahzimas- that is, his jaws- saying: 'I am your possession, I am your treasure.' Then it will recite the Almighty's words: 'And those who are miserly in what God has given them from His grace should not reckon it as being good for them, but rather evil for them, as they will be surrounded by what they have been miserly with on the Day of Judgement and God is the inheritor of the Heavens and the Earth and God is well aware of what you do'- (Al Imran 18).
And al-Tabarani narrated on the authority of Ibn Mas'ud (may God be pleased with him) as commenting: 'A man who hoards will not be such that the dirham touches a dirham, or the dinar a dinar. His skin will be broadened such that each dinar and dirham can be placed individually.' And al-Mundhari said: its chain of narration is authentic.
Important issue
Paying the wealth of Zakat to the collectors of the Imam of the Muslims (Bayt Mal al-Zakat), and discharge of the duty of the one who pays it to them, and the impermissibility of concealing the extent of the Zakat.
Al-Shawkani said in Nil al-Awtar Sharh Muntaqa al-Akhbar: (chapter on discharge of duty by the owner in paying to the authority with justice and tyranny): then he brought the hadith of Anas (may God be pleased with him): that a man asked the Messenger of God (SAWS): 'If I pay the Zakat to your emissary, have I discharged my duty from it to God and His Messenger?' So the Messenger of God (SAWS) said: 'Yes, if you pay it to my emissary you have discharged your duty from it, so you have its reward and the sin of it is on the one who alters it'- narrated by Ahmad on an authentic chain of narration. He (may God have mercy on him) also brought the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud (may God be pleased with him) that the Messenger of God (SAWS) said: 'There will be after me a trace and matters you will condemn.' They said: 'So what do you order us to do oh Messenger of God?' He said: 'You pay the right that is upon you and ask God for what is for you'- agreed upon.
And al-Mubarakfouri said in Tahfa al-Ahwadi bi-Sharh Jami' al-Tirmidhi in summary of the chapter on the transgressor against charity being like the one who prevents it:
'Transgression is exceeding the limit, so it is likely that the intention in this is the giver of Zakat who transgresses by giving the Zakat to those who do not deserve it and not as it should be. So upon the transgressor in charity is the same sin as upon the preventer. So it is not permitted to the owner of wealth to conceal the wealth even if the emissary transgresses against him.[i] And this is supported by the hadith of Bashir bin al-Khasasiya- narrated by Abu Dawud- who said: we said: 'Oh Messenger of God: a group of the collectors of charity transgress against us, so are we to conceal from our wealth to the extent that that they transgress against us?' So the Messenger of God (SAWS) said: 'No."
The benefits of bringing out Zakat
Know, oh Muslim brother, that Zakat has great benefits, among them:
1. Zakat is one of the great pillars and buildings of Islam, so whoso undertakes it has established one of the pillars of the religion. For in the two authentic collections: that the Messenger of God (SAWS) said: 'Islam has been built on five things: testifying that there is no deity but God, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God, the establishment of prayer, the giving of Zakat, Hajj to the Holy House, and fasting in Ramadan.'
2. It purifies the wealth and purifies the soul. The Almighty has said: 'Take from their wealth a charity by which you may purify them and cleanse them and pray for them: indeed your prayer is reassurance for them. And God is hearing, knowing'- (al-Tawba 103).
3. It expiates sins. For on the authority of Mu'adh (may God be pleased with him): he said: the Messenger of God (SAWS) said: 'Am I not to show you the gates of goodness? Fasting is a protection, and charity extinguishes the error just as water extinguishes fire...'- brought out by al-Tirmidhi and others besides him. And he said: a sound authentic hadith.
4. It makes the one who does it among those who do good and beloved to the Lord of the Worlds. The Almighty has said: 'And spend in the path of God, and do not plunge with your hands into perdition. And do good. Indeed God loves those who do good'- (al-Baqara 159).
5. It is a reason for the growth of wealth and coming of blessing. The Almighty has said: 'And what you have spent from something, He will recompense for it, and He is the best of the providers'- (Saba': 39).
6. It is an indication of the honesty of the faith of the one who gives Zakat. Therefore it is called sadaqa,[ii] for it indicates the honesty of the one who does it in seeking the contentment of God Almighty.
Oh God, purify our wealth in Zakat, and purify our souls. You are the best one who purifies us.
Oh God, we seek refuge in You from miserliness and stinginess and we ask You for love of the masakeen.
And oh God, grant blessings and peace on our Prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions.
[i] [Translator's note]: i.e. the collector takes more than what is due in Zakat.
[ii] [Translator's note]: the Arabic word for 'charity.' Its root is صدق, which indicates honesty, truthfulness etc.