Zakat in Quran Hadiths and wisdom behind it.

Zakat in Quran Hadiths and wisdom behind it.

Allah (Subhanuhu Wa-Ta'ala) has obligated Zakah upon every Muslim who possesses a minimum amount of wealth, according to some conditions.

Allah (Subhanuhu Wa-Ta'ala) made Zakah obligatory in His Book by His statement;Take from their wealth Sadaqah in order to purify them and sanctify them with it.
[Glorious Quran, 9:103]

And His statement: O you who believe! Spend from the good things which you have (legally) earned, and of that which We have produced from the earth for you.
( Glorious Quran, 2:267)

And His statement: And establish the prayer (Salah) and pay the obligatory charity (Zakah).
(Glorious Quran, 73:20)

"Those who establish prayers and spend from that which we have bestowed upon them, these are the true believers. They will have [lofty] grades of honor with their Lord, and forgiveness, and a generous provision."
[Glorious Quran8:3-4]

Zakah was also made obligatory by the statement of the Messenger (sall'Allahu alaihi wa sallam):

It is narrated on the authority of ('Abdullah) son of Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Holy Prophet (may peace of Allah be upon him) said: (The superstructure of) al-Islam is raised on five (pillars), i. e. the oneness of Allah, the establishment of prayer, payment of Zakat, the, fast of Ramadan, Pilgrimage (to Mecca). A person said (to 'Abdullah b. Umar the narrator): Which of the two precedes the other-Pilgrimage or the fasts of Rarnadan? Upon this he (the narrator) replied: No (it is not the Pilgrimage first) but the fasts of Ramadan precede the Pilgrimage.
(Sahih Muslim, Book #001, Hadith #0018)
Also reported in
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book #2, Hadith#7)

And in other Hadith:
It has been narrated on the authority of Abdullah b. 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to Fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and they establish prayer, and pay Zakat and if they do it, their blood and property are guaranteed protection on my behalf except when justified by law, and their affairs rest with Allah.
(Sahih Muslim, Book#001, Hadith #0033)

Prophet Advised Mu'adh (RA):

It is narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sent Mu'adh towards Yemen (as governor) he said to him: Verily you would reach a community of the people of the Book, the very first thing to which you should call them is the worship of Allah, may His Glory be Magnificent, and when they become fully aware of Allah, instruct them that He has enjoined five prayers on them during the day and the night, and when the begin observing it, then instruct them that verily Allah has made Zakat obligatory for them which would be collected from the wealthy amongst them and distributed to their needy ones, and when they submit to it, then collect it from them and avoid (the temptation) of selecting the best (items) of their riches.
(Sahih Muslim, Book #001, Hadith #0028)

Wisdom behind Islamic Zakat:

The following are some of the points derived from the wisdom of legislating Zakah:

Purification of the human soul from the vices of stinginess, greed, covetousness and lustfulness. Comforting the poor and fulfilling the needs of the needy, distraught and deprived people. Establishing comprehensive benefits that the life of the Muslim community (Ummah) and its happiness depend upon.
Limiting the inflation of wealth among the wealthy, and at the hands of the businessmen and merchants. This is so that the wealth will not be restricted solely to one limited group of people, nor controlled by only the wealthy.

When is Zakat Due ? (Taken from Islam City webcite)

1. Passage of One Lunar Year:
Zakat is obligatory after a time span of one lunar year passes with the money in the control of it's owner. Then the owner needs to pay 2.5% (or 1/40) of the money as Zakat. (A lunar year is approximately 355 days).

2. Deduction of Debts:
The owner should deduct any amount of money he or she borrowed from others; then check if the rest reaches the necessary nisab, then pays Zakat for it.

If the owner had enough money to satisfy the nisab at the beginning of the year, then the money increased (in profits, salaries, inheritance, grants...etc.), the owner needs to add the increase to the nisab amount owned at the beginning of the year; then pay Zakat, 2.5%, of the total at the end of the lunar year. (there are small differences in the fiqh schools here)

Each Muslim calculates his or her own Zakat individually. For most purposes this involves the payment each year of two and a half percent of one's capital.

A pious person may also give as much as he or she pleases as sadaqa, and does so preferably in secret. Although this word can be translated as 'voluntary charity' it has a wider meaning. The Prophet said 'even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is charity.'

Zakat Calculator is located here on Islam City webcite:
http://www.islamicity.com/mosq…/zakat/Zakat_calculator.shtml