Required charity of a Muslim. Legal and compulsary, one of
the 5 pillars of Islam. Sadaqa is meritorious and
voluntary giving.
It is given by free Muslims (not slaves), who
have a certain amount of wealth. A person with less than this does not
need to give zakat. Generally, it is 1/10th of fruits and produce of the
soil, but 1/40th of money and merchandise. This is done before the beginning
of the month of Muharram, the first of new year.
Giving the Zakat is considered an act of worship
and is one of the five Pillars of Islam.
The Qur'an lists the people who are to receive zakat
(at-Taubah 9:60)
as : poor, needy, collectors, destitude, needy travellers, for
freeing captives, debtors, for Islam, and new converts
(YA:, RK:) / prospective converts (P:, S:, SA:).
Muhammad used to give money to new and prospective converts.
Regarding payment for prospective and new converts, we are told:
`AL MU'ALLA FATI QULUBU-HUM
The category comprises of `Those whose hearts are made to
include to truth' or `Those whose hearts are to be reconciled.'
The Prophet of Islam used to pay a portion of Zakat sometimes to
the new converts. New converts to any religion leave behind them a
whole society that displays active hostility against them. They
are in danger of losing their lives. They certainly in most case
lost business and get involved in hardships and discomforts of a
varied type. To such of the new converts, the Prophet of Islam as
a symbol of their entering a brotherhood which was alive to their
interests, used to dole out certain sums. Upon this modest
but much needed help depended the moral stamina and economic
rehabilitation of those who were thus cut off from old associates.
He used, sometimes, by payment of Zakat to win over the hearts of
leaders of clans and tribes and secure their goodwill for the
Musalmans and ward off their potential evil designs against the
Muslim society which was then only spring into existence. Payment
was again made under this head to the needy, who were expected
ultimately to understand and embrace Islam. When after the death
of the Prophet such people came to Hazrat Abu Bakr the first
Caliph, to receive their share of the payment, Hazrat Umar pointed
out to them as follows:
"The Messenger of Allah used to give you a share in order that
there may grow up in your hearts a love for Islam. Now, by the
grace of God, Islam has grown stronger and has been exalted.
If therefore, you are steadfast in your faith all well and
good. If you will it otherwise, the sword will be the only
judge between you and ourselves."
Hazrat Abu Bakr agree to this and their share was thus dropped.
This happened in the presence of all the companions of the
Prophet, therefore the cancellation of this share is deemed to
carry the unanimous approval of the companions of the Prophet
and hence all those who have written on this subject have treated
this category of beneficiaries as extinct. According to Al-Mawardi
Mu`alla fati qulubohum has four categories. (1) Those whose
assistance and support has to be enlisted for the Musalmans, (2)
Those who have to be desisted or dissuaded from inflicting harm on
the Muslims. (3) Those who are to be paid for inviting others to
Islam and (4) Those whose tribe or community displays an
inclination towards acceptance of Islam. Of these four categories,
those who are Muslims have to be paid out of the share set apart
for [Arabic here...] and those who are mushriks ought to be paid
out of the spoils of war, or Mal-i-Musalibat.
(Sheikh Ata Ullah, M.A., Revival of Zakat, Ripon Printing
Press, Lahore, pp. 77-78)
The modest amount can actually be very huge indeed.
As much as 100 camels were given.
(see Mohammad Ali Al-Sabooni, Mukhtasar Tasfeer Ibn Katheer
(ibn Katheer's Concise Quran Commentary), Vol. 2, p. 150)
According to Alshafi and his followers, Zakat cannot be disbursed
to an unbeliever in order to draw him to Islam. According to Imam
Malik, with the prosperity and ascendency and power which Islam
wields, it is not necessary to expend Zakat in winning the support
of the non-believers. The cause has terminated and the practice no
longer remains necessary. According to later malikites, the
disbursement of this share has not been abrogated and Zakat may
still be disbursed to unbelievers under this head, provided there
is adequate sense of certainty as to their embracing Islam.
(Sheikh Ata Ullah, M.A., Revival of Zakat, Ripon Printing
Press, Lahore, p. 80)
The need for winning the hearts and enlisting the sympathy of
others (non-Muslims), shall always remain, and with the
present-day position of the Musalmans, particularly in countries
where they live side by side with non-Muslims, a generous
treatment of neighbours, particularly the needy amongst them and
their leaders who can instill in them a better understanding of
Islam and dispel the effects of centuries of malicious propaganda
against Islam and the Muslims, is essential..... Even the vast
scope of drawing people to Islam has not been properly explored.
If Zakat can be spent on presenting Islam to the non-Muslims,
there are rich and unexplored fields awaiting that noble effort.
The object is to draw people to the fold of Islam, and it cannot
under all circumstances and for all times be achieved by paying
out doles in cash. The funds are there. The object has been
defined and the means so long as they are honest do not matter.
... If that has got to be done, as it surely must be, how can we
say that the object has ceased to exist?
[emphasis mine]
(Sheikh Ata Ullah, M.A., Revival of Zakat, Ripon Printing
Press, Lahore, p. 81)