Significance of zakat
The Quranic word 'zakat' not only has the meaning of charity, alms, official tax and voluntary contribution, but it also has a strong spiritual motive. The way the Holy Quran induces the well-off to give zakat is courteous yet firm. If they give the poor their due, Allah will pay back them many times over with blessings in this world and the next (57:11, and 73:23). That is why, alms giving is often represented in the Holy Quran as a transaction between man, who is temporary, and Allah, who is Permanent, the Generous -- Who has created everything. The Holy Quran says, "Who is it that will lend Allah a goodly loan so he multiplies it to him manifold? And Allah withholds and extends and to Him you shall return."
The pious Muslims give zakat from the best they have in order to avoid the slightest injury or humiliation to the feelings of the recipient. But unfortunately the way of giving zakat in our country is now just the opposite. Majority of the millionaires, Ministers, MPs and leaders do it for their social and political gain and every year many poor people lose their lives under extreme pressure of crowd. There is no doubt that in doing so those so-called zakat payers are loading their accounts with grave sin, instead of blessings. Our religious preachers working in mosques under those influential people approve this sort of practice to gain some advantages. Some religious scholars seen on different TV channels show their mastery in criticizing rival groups for trivial matters which are neither Farz no Wajib. But they hardly criticize the present tradition of giving zakat, probably for the fear that they will lose the favour they are enjoying. Following the Quranic instruction, we should take care to give from the best we have. Instead of giving zakat to hundreds of people, we can give it to a few persons in the form of capital goods, taxi or rickshaw etc. It is like teaching how to catch fish permanently instead of giving them fish once.
It is hoped that in future the poor people who will be benefited in this way will themselves be able to give zakat, if Allah wills.
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