The Philosophy of Zakāt — Page 1
1 Introduction Zak ā t is an important subject and we should, therefore, understand the underlying philosophy of this great injunction of the Holy Quran. The importance of this basic command in Islam could not be overstressed as it is one of the main sources of national pr ogress and rapid advancement. Before embarking on the subject proper, we would like to clear a couple of misunderstandings that are afloat in this connection The Ahmadis positively believe that Zak ā t is a very important command and to pay it regularly is their wont. The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Community had ascribed a great importance to it and had commanded that no member of his community should ever show any negligence in its payment. In the administration section of the Jama’at, there is a special branch for its collection. Every year a full statement of account, in this connection, is published and placed with the Annual Budget of the Jama’at. It is, therefore, not correct to say that the Ahmadis do not pay the Zak ā t. The Founder of the Community, Hazrat Ahmad, had said that he who falls short of even a single command from the seven hundred commands of the Holy Quran takes himself out of the pal e of my Community. How could this possibly be attributed to us that we do not believe in Zak ā t and do not pay it? It is very well known that a great number of newcomers enter the Community either from the non - Ahmadi section of the Muslims or from the other faiths. They cannot be quickly trained