The Economic System of Islam — Page 66
66 must not return to the rich, but instead be used for uplifting the less privileged sections of society. The share allotted in this verse to Allah and His Apostle is, in fact, also a share intended for the poor. The names of God and His Prophet sa are used because at times the state is called upon to build places of worship, schools, and hospitals. If the rights of only the poor had been mentioned, some might have objected to govern- ment spending on places of worship, hospitals, roads or schools. By specifically mentioning the names of God and his Prophet sa , any grounds for misunderstanding have been removed. It goes without saying that Allah’s share in reality is also for the poor since God does not need any money and similarly Prophet’s share belongs to the poor as the Prophet sa is a mortal who would one day leave this world. Mention of the Prophet sa by name here implies that the ref- erence is to the system he put in place. The expression dhil-qurb a [near of kin] occurring in these verses is sometimes incorrectly held to imply that the family of the Holy Prophet sa have a right in government revenue. However, the Holy Prophet sa has categorically declared that his descendants are not permitted to accept charity or a share of the zakat. Thus, the Quranic expression does not refer to blood relatives of the Holy Prophet sa , but signifies those people who are exclusively engaged day and night in the devotion and worship of God and thus become part of the family of Allah and His Prophet. The expression dhil- qurb a is intended to imply that those devoted to the service of relig- ion should not be considered worthless people, for by striving for the nearness of Allah and by facilitating the attainment of His nearness for others, they are entitled to the resources from public funds.