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Zakat
in the UK
Zakat
is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is a cardinal obligation
which is unanimously agreed by all because this is proven
from the noble Quran, the blessed Sunnah and from consensus
(ijma').
According
to the blessed Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) and the practice of his companions,
Zakat should be distributed among the deserving people in
the region or country where it is collected. Ordinarily transferring
Zakat to other places is not correct and generally ill-advised
(makruh).
Muslims
need to take care of their needy brothers and sisters wherever
they are through extending generous charitable donations.
There is an acute need for such help in our time. However,
Zakat is of a special category and must be used in such a
way that justice is done to local needs and our duty here
in our own country is not neglected. Zakat cannot be a substitute
for general charity (sadaqah) towards the many Muslims
who are suffering from poverty, deprivation, homelessness
and starvation around the world so badly need.
In
the hadith that talks about the Messenger's instructions
to his companion Muadh when he was sent to Yemen we are told
that he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "O
Muadh! You are going to a community who are of the People
of the Book. So, first invite them to bear witness that there
is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is
the Messenger of Allah. If they accept this, then inform them
that Allah makes five prayers in a day and night obligatory
for them. If they accept this, then inform them that Allah
makes charity (i.e., Zakat) obligatory for them. (It is) to
be taken from their rich and given to their poor." [Bukhari]
Based
on the last part of this hadith, all the four schools
of jurisprudence (madhabs) establish that as a rule
Zakat should be distributed locally and not transferred elsewhere.
- According
to the Hanbali School, "It is preferred to distribute all
of the Zakat to the poor of his area. It is not permitted
to reassign it to (a location) where prayer is to be shortened
(if one travelled to it) - though if one does so it suffices
- unless there are not any poor people in the land, in which
case he distributes it in the land closest to him." [Al-Hajjawi
in Zad al-Mustaqni']
- According
to the Shafi School, "If the (eight) categories are found
in the place where Zakat is collected, it is forbidden and
invalid to transfer the Zakat elsewhere - except if it is
being distributed by the ruler, in which case he may shift
it to another place." [Ibn Naqib in Umdat
as-Salik]
- According
to the Maliki School, transferring Zakat is not permissible
unless there is a pressing need to do so. [Al-Bassam
in Tawdih al-Ahkam min Bulugh al-Maram]
- According
to the Hanafi School, "It is disapproved to transfer the
Zakat of one land to another; unless he distributes it to
his poor relatives or to a people needier than his own."
[Al-Zayla'i in Nasab al-Rayah Takhrij Ahadith
al-Hidayah] This is also the opinion preferred by
Ibn Taymiyyah.
In
the UK, collection and distribution of Zakat needs to be undertaken
by honest, reliable and competent organisations that are trusted
both by Muslims and the British government, registered as
a UK Charity, and who are above board with their accounts
being vetted by a leading independent firm of chartered accountants.
Such organisations must be soundly Islamic, broadly visible
and reputable, and have wide contact with the community. Moreover,
such organisations must have relevant experience in social
issues and charitable work, civic engagement and working through
various statutory bodies. JIMAS is just such an organisation.
There
are five issues connected to Zakat.
1.
The person on whom it is obligatory
It
is obligatory on every adult Muslim who completely owns a
certain minimum amount (nisab) of wealth.
Three
of the great scholars of Islam of the Schools of Jurisprudence
have held that Zakat is also obligatory for minors too.
The
nature of Zakat can be seen either like an act of worship
such as prayer or fasting, or it can be seen as an obligatory
right of the poor over the rich.
Those
who prefer the first view exclude minors and the insane from
its obligation because acts of worship become compulsory only
after the person reaches a certain age of maturity (bulugh).
Those who preferred the latter view did not take into account
the age or sanity of the person on whose behalf Zakat was
paid if they were wealthy enough. The schools of Malik, Shafi
and Ahmed all follow the latter.
The
jurists also differed about a person who is in debt. They
took into account such things as the type of debt, amount
owed compared to what one possesses and the type of wealth.
Their opinion was again in light of the two ways of understanding
the nature of Zakat mentioned earlier. It seems that for a
person who has an ongoing serviceable debt, such as a mortgage
on a property whose repayment is kept up, Zakat is obligatory.
2.
The kinds of wealth subject to Zakat
Zakat
must be paid on money, gold and silver.
The
jurists differed about Zakat on gold and silver depending
on how they are used. They can be used in transaction, as
some form of currency or as a medium of monetary exchange,
or they can be used as personal jewellery. According to their
understandings of the hadiths available, Abu Hanifah
gave the verdict that Zakat is compulsory on personal jewellery
whereas Malik and Shafi thought not.
3.
The nisab and the rates of Zakat
An
ounce of silver costs around six pounds in the UK. All four
Schools of Thought agree that Zakat should be levied on 40
ounces or above of silver. This gives a nisab of around
£240. Zakat is 2.5% on wealth which meets the nisab or more
than that.
4.
The time for payment of Zakat
The
wealth has to be there for a complete year (hawl) before
paying Zakat on it becomes an obligation.
The
time chosen should not be exclusively set aside for Ramadan.
It needs to be at different times throughout the year from
different people in order to maintain cash flow and effective
utilisation of the Zakat funds. It is a common yet mistaken
belief that paying Zakat in Ramadan carries extra reward.
Perhaps the obligatory pillar of Zakat is confused with general
charity known as Sadaqah. Sadaqah was given
by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) more in Ramadan. All good deeds carry extra reward
in this blessed month. However, there is nothing that makes
payment of Zakat in Ramadan a special virtue.
As
to whether Zakat can be paid before the year is out or not,
then again depending on which of the two understandings is
accepted by the jurist about the nature of Zakat, they have
differed. Those who understand that it is a specific act of
worship require waiting for the period to elapse whereas those
who understand that it is a right of the poor over the better
off permits giving it earlier. Malik did not allow giving
it before the period was up (hawl) whereas both Abu
Hanifah and Shafi allowed it.
5.
The persons to whom Zakat is given
There
are eight categories of people who deserve Zakat. It is the
responsibility of the relevant organisation in the UK to fairly
identify, select and then manage distribution of Zakat funds
to those people, through independent liaison, and co-operation
with local and governmental bodies where appropriate.
Alms
are for the poor, and the needy,
and those employed to administer the (funds);
for those whose hearts need to be reconciled;
for those in bondage, and in debt;
in the cause of Allah;
and for the wayfarer:
(thus is it) ordained by Allah,
and Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.
[Surah at-Tawbah(9): Ayah 60]
These
categories are: the poor, the needy, workers in Zakat administration,
people whose hearts need to be reconciled (mu'allafat qulooobuhum),
captives, debtors, in the cause of Allah and wayfarers.
Mu'allafat
quloobuhum: This is a general right. According to Abu
Hanifah and Shafi who these people are needs to be carefully
considered by those who are in a position to judge such matters.
An ideal example of such a person who can judge would be a
Home Secretary of a land. In the UK they are the Muslims who
are in a position of leadership through practical work, research,
analysis and consultation, and have a good grasp of the condition
of the population, the politics of the country and the challenges
faced by Islam and the Muslims. Many types of people, both
Muslims and non-Muslims fall into this category. In this category,
individuals or groups who are close to becoming Muslims deserve
Zakat. Another group of people are those who have recently
embraced Islam. They may be alienated from their family and
friends besides coming into the Ummah shackled by heavy
debts. Yet another group who may be given Zakat are those
whose harm towards Muslims is averted by doing so.
JIMAS
has been spearheading pioneering work in collection and distribution
of Zakat in the UK for a number of years. By the grace of
Allah we are breaking new grounds through co-operation with
local government bodies, charities and independent yet personal
liaison. To illustrate some examples, we bring relief to struggling
single parent families, Muslims who are at the point of eviction
or repossession, breadwinners who have lost their means of
income, mothers who are in crushing debts, Muslim asylum seekers
and refugees facing a harsh life of severe restrictions of
work and varying measures of hostility, end to end difficulties
of homelessness, and economic hardships of being a foreign
student. Our work extends to the society at large through
classes, exhibitions, seminars in state schools, town halls,
museums, churches and discussion forums on various faith based
or political platforms. We attend to all this without turning
a blind eye to the needs of various Muslim organisations providing
vital supporting services, whether a help line or a hostel
to Muslims, and provide assistance to them in turn.
Make
JIMAS your Charity Organisation of Choice to carry out the
obligatory duty of Zakat collection and distribution in the
UK on your behalf. Help us to consolidate and progress this
work that is already done for the sake of Allah and bring
greater justice to this aspect of our life as a collective
responsibility.
- We
collect and distribute Zakah with zero overheads
- We
are focused on those who deserve Zakat in the UK strictly
according to the Shariah
- We
are experienced, have a continuing long history of engagement
in da'wah, richly involved in British civic society and
recognised for our non-partisanship, honesty and even-handedness
- Giving
Zakat to us is safe, legal and avoids all suspicions that
arise in the current political climate
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