Zakaat
The writer, Ayyad Dilawar Padhani is in Marketing at his family optical practice. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Marketing and related support services. He has been rendering community services from a very early age.
In the Qur’an, we are told on numerous occasions, ‘pray and give zakaat’, and we are also often reminded about returning to our Lord with what we have earned. To stitch together these two ideas, we can extract that among the successful in the hereafter will be those who give Zakaat (optional charity) to causes that will write (and keep writing) good deeds on their account. Recently, I was making a list of social and community good deeds (amalun salih) that we can either carry out ourselves or contribute to, and some of them are as below:
- Donating food, for food, is among the most basic needs. This can also extend to creating a soup kitchen.
- Donating to an orphanage, visiting such a facility, or even building one from scratch.
- Sharing knowledge for free that you may know due to your work, hobbies or interests (not limited to teaching at a community madrasah, can also include sport, academics, soft skills for job candidates and more).
- Building markets where small vendors such as farmers, can come to earn a dignified income.
- Building sadaqa jariyya sawab streams (like income streams but for the hereafter) – such as by building wells, schools in rural areas, perhaps even a technical college or university.
- Scholarships for students in higher studies, especially those really needed by their particular region such as health professionals in Tanzania.
- A charitable clinic in rural areas where they may not have facilities, or even a bigger hospital to cater to more needs of the community.
- Giving support through financial means, in kind, but most importantly with our time by volunteering in relief efforts such as eye camps, or flood reliefs, and increasingly climate affected villages/towns which will help us realise we have much to be grateful for.
- Investing in or giving a small loan for a relative, neighbour or friend to study, start a business, or even during an emergency.
- Finally and most importantly, raising awareness about Islam, sharing knowledge of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) and his Holy Progeny (AS), which will help people in this world and the next.
Wealth does not seem to be an ideal end goal, as is propagated in the media today. It is like the fuel in our car. We don’t drive simply to put fuel but rather to reach a certain destination. As muslims, we should set both small and big goals to help others out on a daily basis and on a long term basis as well. Furthermore, if we are well reminded of our finite time on this earth, then we can keep giving from what Allah (SWT) sends our way, because what we give away is what will remain forever in our book of deeds.
Imam Ja’far As Sadiq (AS), reflects this wisdom in al-Kafi:
‘Zakaat was prescribed to test the rich and to assist the poor. If it were paid properly, no one would remain in need’.
The most important idea I’ve come across in regard to time and wealth is the barakah that Allah (SWT) decides to place in it. Regardless of how much time we have for a certain task, for example contemporary writers take anywhere from 2- 4 years to write a book on average, however if we have barakah in our time, placed by Allah (SWT), then a similar task can potentially take us a lot less time than expected. Similarly for wealth, with a little one can manage his needs and complete his duties and responsibilities towards their family and community, whereas one with significantly more wealth may embark on a huge project and spend a lot toward it but without much success in this world, but perhaps even in how its recorded for the hereafter.
Finally, the dangers of hoarding wealth (70:18) and the idea that through Zakaat the recipient is secured with dignity as mentioned in the Qur’an ‘And in their wealth there is a known right, for the beggar and the deprived (70:24–25), this language quietly restores dignity. Zakaat is not an act of superiority, but an acknowledgment of shared belonging. Islam does not demand perfection, only sincerity and effort. Giving a part of what we generate is about alignment, bringing one’s resources, efforts and blessings into harmony with our faith to show gratitude for receiving them in the first place.
When philanthropy is understood in this light, it naturally becomes the foundation upon which strong communities are built. Charity does more than relieve individual hardship, they create a system of support that uplift an entire neighborhood or even a generation. A well, a clinic, a scholarship, a market space, or even a small loan does not only solve a temporary problem, it strengthens dignity, restores opportunity, and reduces cycles of dependency. On the face of it, such acts improve health, education, livelihood, and resilience. More importantly, spiritually, they soften our hearts, cultivate gratitude, reduce envy and resentment toward each other, and bind our communities together in mutual care. The giver grows in humility and trust in Allah (SWT), while the recipient feels remembered rather than forgotten. In this way, philanthropy becomes a means of collective purification, refining not only wealth, but relationships as well.
We pray that what we give up from that which we like for the sake of Allah (SWT)’s cause, to help others in need will be recorded and multiplied to make our scale of good deeds heavy on the DOJ, as well as expiate our sins and allow us to reach the highest level of paradise.
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