The Philosophy of Zakāt — Page 39
THE PH ILOSOPHY OF ZAKAT 39 Zak ā t on things which have the quality of increasing. Islam has laid the condition to pay the Zak ā t once after every year so that one could take the best advantage of his possessions. The companions of the Holy Prophet, peace be on them, were fully aware o f this point and engaged themselves in trade and business. During his Caliphate, Hazrat Umar had given special instructions to those who held in trust the property and wealth of the orphans, always to make investments so that their inherited wealth may not be eaten up by Zak ā t by the time they became of age and took over their properties. It has, therefore, become quite evident that Zak ā t gives an incentive to work hard and produce more wealth. Expert economists have often said that nations which do not employ themselves in business and trade and produce more wealth are bound to become bank rupt if their capital lies stagnant and unused. But the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, had given this warning some fourteen hundred years ago in the following words of the Holy Quran: ‘And those who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah - give to them tidings of a painful punishment. ’ ( 9:34 ) In this verse ‘painful punishment’ does not only mean punishment in the world to come. Nay, along with that punishment, withholding wealth and capital from circulation and hoarding money is bound to lead the nation to a certain economic disaster. Therefore , all those who hoard money and keep the national wealth idle, are guilty of bringing down their