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#12424
Salaams

I was very much intrigued by some articles in the recent issue of Federation Samachar on the topic of Zakaat. The feel I got from these articles (although the point was not crystal clear) was that the authors were suggesting that zakaat of 2.5% is waajib on savings of cash or bank deposits.

Personally, I think charity is a solution to a lot of the major problems in the world. However, the point that got me thinking was why claim that Zakaat is wajib on such cash savings?

Perhaps I missed a point or points from previous issues where the topic was discussed. Anyone care to enlighten me please?
#12454
Perhaps the following Q&A's from http://sistani.org/local.php?modules=nav&nid=5&cid=638 will help shed some light on the subject

1
Question: If I save an amount of money throughout the whole year I know that I have to pay Khums from it. What about Zakat? Should I give Zakat from the amount also?
Answer: Zakat is not obligatory in that. Zakat should be given from the following items: Wheat, Barley, Dates, Raisins, Coined Gold & Silver, Camel, Cow, Sheep (including goat)

2
Question: Is it permissible for a "Sayyid" to have Sadaqa for their needs? If it is permissible, then please specify the condition.
Answer: It is permissible for a Hashimi to give his sadaqa to another Hashimi or to a non-Hashimi. This includes both Zakat of property and zakat of Fitra. But it is not permissible for a non-Hashimi to give his Sadaqa to a Hashimi. If a Hashimi receives Zakat of property or fitra from a non-Hashimi, it would be forbidden for him to use it, and he who gives it (zakat), his "Zimma" (obligation) would not be discharged. In cases other than those mentioned above it is permissible for a non-Hashimi to give his Sadaqa, atonement, or Fidya of fast ( kaffara) or any desirable charity to a Hashimi. Yes, if charity given to a Hashimi is too little an amount of property and it is given with the intention of repulsing calamity and evil, there is Ishkaal (objection) in its being permissible.

3
Question: What is the difference between Khums and Zakat?
Answer: Both are obligatory, but Khums is on gains after exception of expenses of the year and Zakat is on cattle, crops, gold and silver.

4
Question: Why there is no zakat on bank accounts and monetary bills?
Answer: There are certain specific things which have obligatory Zakat. As for Mustahab Zakat, it includes everything. Money deposited in bank does not have obligatory zakat. Rather, khums is payable on it, if it is not spent for expenses in a complete lunar year.

5
Question: How can Zakat be paid?
Answer: Zakat can be just paid in properties specified by divine law.
#12495
Cash, land and buildings were all present in the time of the Prophet (saw) and he said nothing about khums on them being compulsory. I don't see how it would apply now. The only thing present now that wasn't there then would be stocks and shares, I guess...
#12800
In the current issue of Federation Samachar, some readers (via letters to the editor) and a writer via an article have chosen to further attack the institution of ulema.

The more I see the trend in the last few issues of the federation the more I feel compelled to believe that this is an organized campaign against the marjaiyat.

How else could a sane man, who believes in one God, and who knows that our Maraje (may Allah grant them a long healthy life) despite having access to millions of dollars of khums every year, lead a life similar to those of our Holy Imams, accuse the ulema of not declaring what is wajib because they have greed for money!!!

They eat the most simple of foods (yogurt, bread) and live in such modest accommodations that we would not be able to bear. Open your eyes and your ears. Look, see, perceive. Let not the worldly distractions take you away from the path of Allah.

I have been shocked by the silence from the community! Has no one else realized what has been printed? No one?
#12807
Alhamdulilah, I came across some email correspondence from members of the community who had recognized the bias and ill-intent of such articles and ideas.

I copy below the contents of the email communication:
To
Dear Respected Elders of the
community,

Salaamun 'alaykum

My following correspondence
with the editorial
board of Africa Federation Samachar is being sent to
you for your
perusal.

With Salaams and duas

Mehboob J. Somji
11 July 2009

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem


The Editor, 9th.
July 2009 / 16th Rajab 1430 AH
Federation
Samachar,
Dar Es Salaam .

Dear Brother,

Salaamun
'alaykum

After having read the
arbitrary article written on Zakat
- Federation Samachar issue no 8 Jan. 09 by Mr Inayat
Manji, and the editorial
prepared by yourself on the subject, I and my collegues
wrote a letter to you
expecting its print to appear in the issue no 9. This did
not happen. Instead 5
more letters on Zakat appeared in issue no 9 all depicting
Zakat as "obligatory"
in defiance to the clear injunctions of our learned Shia
Jurists of high repute
known as "Maraje".

These arbitrary statements
(with outrageous contents) in
the form of articles or letters to the editor have easily
found a 'launching
pad' in Federation Samachar. Your editorial (issue no '8)
unfortunately condones
such articles or letters in the "spirit of freedom of
expression" as expressed
in the 3rd para of your editorial of issue no 8.
In support of these
articles and letters, the editorial also queries a healthy
mind ingrained with
Taqwa to ask itself why Zakat is not paid as a
due to the poor. Both the editorial
and the article talk about the 27 verses in the holy
Qur'an where Zakat appears
with obligatory Salat.

Incidentally, (in the
articles and the letters to the
editor), the 27 verses are
orchestrated as a kingpin in their discourse throughout;
apparently indicating
that the Shia Islam Jurists - the Maraje - have either
ignored these verses or
overlooked them outright!

While it becomes pertinent
to query the depth of these
gentlemen's knowledge of the holy Qur'an or their
Islamic religious competence,
with profound sorrow, we observe that in the process of
their campaign, abuses
have been hurled at our pious Shia Jurists (who happen to
be also the
representatives of our holy Imams) indicating that in this
regard, these Shia
Jurists have misled the Shia masses for generations!

Being full time in the field
of Tabligh activities, with
a lot of caution and restraint following letter was
prepared by myself and my
businessmen collegues hoping that the print would appear in
the Federation
Samachar issue no 9.

Quote..

29th January, 2009

Salaamun
'alaykum,

With
reference to the debate on Zakat and its application
in Federation Samachar Issue no 8.

It must be
stressed that while discussion on Furu e Din
between brothers and sisters to enhance their knowledge is
desirable, it should
not run out of context by any schism or comments which
would invite ill feelings
or animosity. Satan is ever so vigilant in capitalizing on
our
weaknesses.

Rulings by
the expert Shia Islam Jurists on Zakat or
other obligations are well defined for everyone to
follow.

To uphold
the credibility of Federation Samachar, the
challenge for the Editorial Board in entertaining such
debates will be to (apart
from remaining neutral - by way of its editorial or
otherwise) to exercise
extreme restraint and caution in ensuring that no article
or letter is approved
for printing without deciphering its contents.

With
prayers.

Concerned
Brother in Faith

Unquote..

The phrase "freedom of
expression" as expressed by you in
your editorial of Federation Samachar issue no 8 para 3, as a yard stick
to print such material
is like turning a blind eye to the ethical codes in
question. Or even like
turning a blind eye to the educational (religious or
academic) competence or the
source from where (the material intended for print)
originates.

The abuse and schism
within the articles and the letters
on Zakat is reminiscent of dissent. Also, in the absence of
the very premise
that these letters and articles are based, brothers and
sisters in question can
be advised to seek counsel with the religious (Scholars) to
get over with their
misconceptions.

The Federation Samachar is
under the auspices of Africa
Federation.

The deafening silence of all
concerned on the backdrop of
such material within Federation Samachar is simply heart
breaking. One may ask
'where are we headed?"

With concern to the
importance that this issue (as
explained) deserves and which
has appeared in the Federation Samachar repeatedly, this
letter is being
emailed to our main institutions and to few
elders and prominent
religious scholars.

With Salaams and
Duas

Mehboob J. Somji
9th July 2009
#12825
Alhamdulilah, the friday before last I was pleasantly greeted at Juma prayers by a young boy who handed me a booklet.

Upon closer examination I saw the title 'ZAKÃT IN SHÍ‘A FIQH' by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi

I was elated!

This small booklet (8 pages in PDF) is now available online. You can download it here.

It sheds light on Zakaat and addresses the outrageous claims made in Federation Samachar articles and Letters to the Editor.

Here I quote a part of the booklet
C. ZAKÃT ON CURRENCY
The Sunni schools of Islamic law believe that zakãt is wãjib on any kind of gold and
silver, whereas the Shí‘a school believes that zakãt is wãjib on gold and silver only if
they are in form of coins.

As for currencies, three of the four Sunni schools say that it is wãjib to pay zakãt on
currencies provided they reaches to the minimum value (equivalent to 4.8 grams of gold)
and provided they were under one’s continuous possession for a year.

The fourth Sunni school (Hanbali) believes that it is not wãjib to pay zakãt on
currencies unless one converts them into gold or silver. This position is closest to the
Shí‘a position that believes that zakãt on currencies will become wãjib only when one
converts them into gold or silver coins.

The Shí‘a school believes that it is not wãjib to pay zakãt on currencies. There is a
very logical explanation for why zakãt is not wãjib in currencies:

1. If a person says that “the currencies or bank notes represent the gold or silver
coins that are in the government’s treasury,” we would still say that zakãt is not wãjib
on them. Why? Because a person who possesses the currencies does not possess the gold
or silver coins, he just possesses the right to ask the government for gold or silver coins.
For zakãt to become wãjib, one must possess the actual coins for a whole year.

2. If a person says, “the currencies or bank notes represent the gold or silver ingots
that are in the government’s treasury,” we would still say that zakãt is not wãjib on
them. Why? Zakãt becomes wãjib on silver and gold only in form of coins.

3. If a person says that “the currencies or bank notes are like promissory notes that
prove the indebtedness of the government to that person for certain number of gold
or silver coins that are in its treasury,” we would still say that zakãt is not wãjib on
them. Why? What a person has given to someone else as loan is not deemed to be in his
possession and therefore it is not liable for zakãt.

Moreover, there was a time when the value of US dollar, the main paper currency of
our time, was fixed to an ounce of gold based on the gold reserves in the US Federal
Reserve. But the costly Vietnam War drained US gold reserves and so, in August 1971,
Nixon broke the Bretton Woods agreement, and refused to redeem dollars for gold since
he had not enough gold to give. The US dollar is now fixed only to the printing press of
the Treasury and Federal Reserve.

I hope this clarifies the issue of zakãt in the Qur’ãn and the way the Shí‘as have
believed in it.
The entire booklet can be downloaded from here
#14060
Dear Al Haj Mehboob-bhai Somji,

Salaamun Alaykum:

Refer to your letter of 29th January followed by the one of 9 July, 2009 that was forwarded by email by an editorial board member Akber Khatau on 2/08/09.
I regret to point that I am not aware of these letters having received by me as you have suggested.

Surprisingly, I find it did not answer the issue raised in the articles and also the editorial which had appeared earlier in the Samachar.

The issue was and still is: In view of the deepening poverty in the community, which is not denied, what other alternative obligatory solution is there, if Zakaat is not the one for the community? And why not Zakaat? indeed in view of the Qur'anic verses and compelling Ahaadith quoted as it being for the poor.

These questions arise only because the rulings on Zakaat are well known, and what is looked forward to are the precise answers to help the cause.

To contend that there is no room to anyone for raising an alert about any challenges facing the welfare of the community, as serious as the poverty so graphically described in the Samachar, only because they involve the rulings of the Jurists which are not helpful in the matter, is to show lack of concern for the poor, and we all have to share a sense of remorse.

I have no right to ask whether your lack of any comments whatsoever on the painful poverty described means that the concern and feelings expressed in the Samachar for our poor brothers and sisters were not valid.

As an Editor, I strive to reflect the dynamism of our community whose status as a progressive thinking and religious community; its entrepreneurial spirit and its extraordinary cultural diversity are among its distinguishing strengths and is an example to other Shia organizations. It is in this light that we have focused on the issue of poverty in the community and are desirous for a solution.
Finally, I differ that the articles showed "abuse and schism"; as you have suggested, for surely, showing pain and concern for the poor and asking for solutions, such obligatory as provided in Islam, is not a show of "abuse and schism".. Far from it!


I trust that these comments will be made widely known in the same manner as are your letters.

Wasalaam,

Yours in faith,
Husseinali W Datoo.
EDITOR
#14159
Dear Brother Datoo

Although I have tried hard to give you benefit of doubt on the accusation of misusing your post as an editor, I am having a hard time doing so. I am therefore requesting your help on the following points so as to be able to come to a conclusion inshallah that you did not intend to serve this 'propaganda' knowingly.

Let me make it clear that I am posting this on a public forum because the 'propaganda' has appeared in a public forum (federation samachar) and you have posted your response to the accusations in a public forum (ask.or.tz).
visionary wrote:
The issue was and still is: In view of the deepening poverty in the community, which is not denied, what other alternative obligatory solution is there, if Zakaat is not the one for the community? And why not Zakaat? indeed in view of the Qur'anic verses and compelling Ahaadith quoted as it being for the poor.
Being an educated man I am sure you will agree with all thinkers, psychologists and philosophers that the process of problem solving involves the following steps (whichever process/model you choose to use):

1. Problem Definition
2. Problem Analysis : (including causes of the problem)
3. Generating possible solutions
4. Analyzing the solutions
5. Selecting the best solution
6. Planning the next course(s) of action.

Lets analyze what your writers and you have done with this process:

1.
You seem to have identified the problem of deepening poverty, thereby completing the first step.

2.
However, you have simple skipped the second step of analyzing the problem. You have concluded (erroneously) that the cause of the deepening poverty is 'zakaat' and nothing else! It seems the problem was identified with the cause in mind!

Here is an idea: Ask your writers to sit down and speak to those who are affected with poverty. Ask those who have means what they have done from their savings (not khums, not zakaat, but the remaining 80% which is theirs to keep) to help their brothers out of their misery. Ask Jamaats why they mistreat and take advantage of welfare cases? Ask your think tank about the motives of such a propaganda? Request your think tank to instead divert their energies to coming up with a self-sustaining project that can create employment for the poor.

3.
The 3rd step is altogether missing. Only one solution is offered. Therefore the 4th, 5th and 6th cannot be completed.
visionary wrote:These questions arise only because the rulings on Zakaat are well known, and what is looked forward to are the precise answers to help the cause.

To contend that there is no room to anyone for raising an alert about any challenges facing the welfare of the community, as serious as the poverty so graphically described in the Samachar, only because they involve the rulings of the Jurists which are not helpful in the matter, is to show lack of concern for the poor, and we all have to share a sense of remorse.
With due respect, do your writers and yourself claim to be more knowledgeable about Allah (SWT) and Islam than our Maraj'e?

Unless you do and can prove that you are, I am afraid you are in no position to contend their view on the matter.

You also seem to claim that you and I care more about the suffering ummah than our maraj'e do. Think about this for a moment and I am sure you will realize the absurdity of your claim.

Just to clarify the matter, your writers did not ask for precise answers, they fed a pre-planned answer down our throats. Its anybody's guess what motives were involved.

As to the problem of poverty do request your writers to follow the problem solving process thoroughly and you will come to the right conclusions.
visionary wrote:I have no right to ask whether your lack of any comments whatsoever on the painful poverty described means that the concern and feelings expressed in the samachar for our poor brothers and sisters were not valid.
Like I pointed out, from the past few editions of the samachar, it seems that a case was being built for one pre-planned solution. Hence the problem was identified after the solution. If the analysis was fair, all possible causes would have been analyzed resulting in a plethora of possible solutions (that do not accuse our maraj'e of being money-hungry)
visionary wrote:As an Editor, I strive to reflect the dynamism of our community whose status as a progressive thinking and religious community; its entrepreneurial spirit and its extraordinary cultural diversity are among its distinguishing strengths and is an example to other Shia organizations. It is in this light that we have focused on the issue of poverty in the community and are desirous for a solution.
Although this has nothing to do with the matter at hand, I would like to advice you to look at the facts on the ground. Corruption is prevalent throughout our institutions from World-Federation (need I say more?) to Africa Federation to individual Jamaats. There is no need to self praise ourselves as its not due and pride is severely disliked by Allah (SWT). We need to call a spade a spade.
visionary wrote:Finally, I differ that the articles showed "abuse and schism"; as you have suggested, for surely, showing pain and concern for the poor and asking for solutions, such obligatory as provided in Islam, is not a show of "abuse and schism".. Far from it!light that we have focused on the issue of poverty in the community and are desirous for a solution.
Our maraj'e have been abused by your writers accusing them of being money-hungry and therefore issuing false verdicts.

Dr Alidina has been misquoted in one of the articles.

The problem solving process has been jeopardized by skipping important steps resulting in a conclusion that is misleading to say the least.

Find me a better definition of abuse and schism!
#14160
During the recent Africa federation meeting in Dar es Salaam, a Mohamed Khalfan was eager to distribute copies of one of the articles reprinted from the federation samachar in a book form.

May I ask why the people concerned were so eager to distribute a piece of the propaganda to 'decision makers' of AF? Why was Sayyid Mohammed Rizvi's refutation not offered for distribution as well, to make it fair?

Its another matter that:

[Yusufali 8:30]...They plot and plan, and Allah too plans; but the best of planners is Allah.
#14956
Because The topic was raised well after 1am apart from agreeing that Marjaeyat was being attacked ( and therefore Imamat since marjaeyat represents imamat) it was agreed that more effort should be made to counter this propoganda.
#15048
I have a request of anyone who may be able to help.

I need scanned copies of the articles that have appeared in the last few issues of federation samachar so as to archive the content for review and appropriate response.
#16313
Hmm. Scary.. Very scary indeed. Abuali did you make sure your reply to brother datoo reached him? If yes, has he responded to you personally ( as I dont see a response here)
Any more developments that have been achieved? How about more recent federation samachar issues? Any thing about the same topic?
#16338
It is quite disturbing.

Yes, the reply reached br. Datoo as he is a registered member subscribed to this topic. However, the link can be sent to him via email by someone just to double check.

Sheikh Razi in todays khutba discussed this conspiracy.
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