Why has Zakat failed to

improve the lives of Muslims?

Despite being the third pillar of Islam and a directive from Allah (SWT), Zakat payment
is actually a way of purifying, growing, and blessing ones wealth. However, this
directive if not properly implementing continues to fail in meeting its objective
BY IDDI MUSYEMI
The New Dawn | July 28 - August 15, 2014.
10 SPECIAL REPORT
Muslims begging outside a mosque in Nairobi.
Hassan Kinyua Omari.
A
ctivities were recently brought
to a standstill in a Nairobi
mosque when two Muslims got
into an argument about Zakat.
One was shouting at the other about
misusing Zakat-ul-mal money given
previously and had returned to begging.
The accuser had hit the roof on realizing
that the charity given to the poor man
had not helped.
The accused was only grumbling
something under his breath to the efect
that the money was not that much after
all.
The exchange illustrated ignorance
by a section of Muslims towards Zakat as
the givers expect the poor to work magic
with the money they are given while the
receivers expect more from the givers.
Zakat-ul-mal (alms for the poor) is
the third pillar of Islam. It actually means
purifcation, growth and blessing of ones
wealth by paying what is owed to Allah
(SWT) as part of a Muslims belief in Him.
Allah states in the holy Quran: And
they were not commanded except to
worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him
in religion, inclining to truth, and to
establish prayer and to give zakah. And
that is the correct religion. Al-Bayyinaah
98:5.
Sheikh Issa Suleiman, the deputy
imam at Adams Mosque in Nairobi,
attributes this ignorance to Muslims
not paying their Zakat the way Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) taught.
Putting people in queues and then
giving them KShs200 is not Zakat but is
swadaqa, says sheikh Suleiman. If Zakat
was paid the way our Prophet taught us
we would be economically strong.
Islam draws its strength from unity.
If Muslims came together in Zakat as
they do in prayers and Hajj pillars the
little money each person gives would
make a big impact in the community but
unfortunately there is no Bait-ul-mal.
Business networking
Mosques, sheikh Suleiman suggests,
could sufce as Bait-ul-mal due to their
central nature in Muslim communities.
They can be used to collect money
and help beggars start and establish
businesses under their guidance while
at the same time promoting those
businesses to the ummah.
This would help the poor grow
their businesses and be in position to
give Zakat themselves while providing
a service to the Muslim community
through business networking, says
sheikh Suleiman.
According to sheikh Hassan Kinyua
Omari the problem is not just that few
people are giving Zakat wrongly but that
the majority of Muslims lack knowledge
on how money is calculated.
More than 90% of Muslims in Kenya
do not pay their Zakat, he reveals. He
is a lecturer at University of Nairobi
and a host of Uchumi na Uislamu a
programme that discusses issues of
economy and Islam on Iqra FM.
A mistaken belief has been that
only the rich are obligated to pay Zakat
with majority of Muslims excluding
themselves from this pillar of Islam
assuming they dont have enough money.
Zakat is obligatory when nisab
(the minimum amount) is reached or
exceeded on things that are payable for
Zakat, says sheikh Kinyua.
He continues: When a certain
amount of money is reached then Zakat
becomes obligatory. The nisab for money
is measured in gold. If the money one has
in his or her possession can buy 85 grams
of pure gold then he must pay 2.5% of
that money for Zakat.
The money must have been rounded
by one lunar year (355 days) for it to be
payable.
The current market price for 85
grams of gold is $1000 or KSh85,000 so
if you have saved that sum of a year you
will pay KSh2125 which is 2.5%.
The following people can receive
zakat the poor and for the needy and
for those employed to collect (zakah) and
for bringing hearts together (for Islam)
and for freeing captives (or slaves) and
for those in debt and for the cause of
Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an
obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah
is Knowing and Wise. Al-Taubah 9:60
Failure to pay Zakat means you are
holding on the rights of others and you
will be punished for that by Allah (SWT),
warns sheikh Suleiman.
Husband and wife pay individually
While either the husband or the wife
can pay Zakat-ul-ftr on behalf of the
family in the month of Ramadhan and
not after Idd-ul-ftr prayers, Zakat-ul-mal
is diferent as both the husband and wife
pay individually from what each one
owns.
Do fnancial institutions especially
Islamic banks and Saccos have a duty to
inform their clients when their accounts
reach the nisab?
That, says sheikh Kinyua, would be
the responsible thing to do but these
institutions have issues of confdentiality,
privacy and lack knowledge in
calculating Zakat.
Zakat is an individuals obligation
and responsibility, he elaborates. Just
like we personally do government tax
returns why cant we do the same for the
Allah the Judge of Judges?
Majority of Muslims pay their Zakat
in the month of Ramadhan due to many
blessings that come with the pillar of
Saum (fasting).
But there is a disadvantage with
this timing as the receivers assume the
money is Zakat-ul-ftr and use it for the
celebrations.
Come the end of Idd the poor have
nothing to their name, remarks Imam
Suleiman.
For Sheikh Kinyua the poor have their
priorities misplaced because instead of
investing and growing the little they get
they use it all for consumption.
Some have used the money to marry
second wives instead of investing in small
businesses.
If this cycle of poverty is to end
Muslim scholar will have to teach Zakat
together with Swala (prayers) next to
each other like they appear in the holy
Quran.
Putting people
in queues and
then giving
them KShs200 is
not Zakat but is
swadaqa...