Today’s khatira is a continuation of my previous two khatiras on the concept of righteousness in Islam. The main topic of discussion is the tafsir of ayah 177 of Surat al-Baqarah, which explains the concept of piety and righteousness.
It has been discussed in the previous two khatiras that the first requirement for attaining righteousness according to this ayah is to have iman in Allah, and to live by tawheed. The second requirement for acquiring righteousness is to have iman in the hereafter. Belief in the hereafter is a belief in universal and divine justice. It is testimony to the fact that human life on earth is not without purpose or value. The righteous men and women who seem to go unrewarded, here in this world, shall certainly be rewarded and the evil ones that seem to escape punishment, here in this world, shall certainly be punished. This followed a discussion on believing in the angels, in the revealed books, and in the prophets and messengers of Allah who were the models of piety and righteousness.
The first manifestation of righteousness after iman is to have kindness, sympathy and mercy toward fellow human beings. InshaAllah, today’s khatira is a continuation of our previous discussions on this subject.
We learn through Prophetic traditions that charity or sadaqah is due on every joint of a person, every day the sun rises. Rendering justice between two persons, assisting a person, saying a good word to someone, going to the Masjid, removing any harmful thing from the pathway, smiling at a brother are all acts of charity.
Charity also strengthens the bonds of love and trust within the family unit by preserving the dignity of its members. And we know that this unit is the vital nucleus of society. The first and foremost in the list of worthy recipients who deserve to be given from our wealth are our close relatives. There is a hadith that says that those who give their wealth to their relatives will have a double reward—one for maintaining the ties of kinship and another for charity.
The orphans also deserve our help. Helping them achieves social justice. It helps to save young and weak from homelessness, corruption and abuse. Taking care of orphans is highly meritorious.
The third group of people who should be helped is the miskeen. The miskeen is someone who is ashamed to let people know of his need and poverty. Such people can be recognized by their faces and by our sensitivity. Out of self-respect they do not ask others to help them but suffer in silence.
Another group of people entitled for charity are the stranded travelers. They are those who may be well off otherwise, but while on journey, they have been confronted with difficulties such as having lost their money, ticket, identification cards etc and are therefore deserving of our help to overcome their problems. Even when it comes to giving to beggars (fuqara’), who are yet another type of recipients deserving help, we should never scold them or scorn at them.
وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ
And as for beggars, do not rebuke them. (al-Dhuha, 93:10)
It is learnt from many Prophetic traditions and from the sirah of the Prophet (SAW) that our deen discourages begging and encourages people to maintain their honor and dignity. The Prophet (SAW) said: “Man should call upon Allah alone to provide for all his needs, so much so that even if a shoe-lace is broken, he should pray to Allah to provide a shoe-lace. The Prophet (SAW) is reported to have said: “The upper hand is better than the lower hand. The upper hand is that of the giver and the lower hand is that of the beggar.” Actually, Allah tests His servants in both ways. One group of people face His test by stopping themselves from begging and asking others for help. Others face His test by not repelling the one who asks for help. So, everyone has to do his best to emerge successful in the test.
The slaves are also among those who are entitled for financial help so that they can be freed from slavery, but as the institution of slavery is no longer in vogue, the scholars are of the opinion that in contemporary times, settling debts of Muslims who genuinely need to be made free from financial debts falls into this category.
Ayah 177 of Surat al-Baqarah, which is under discussion next talks about fulfilling the rights of Allah (Huqooq Allah). The regular observance of prayer (salah) is an important aspect of piety and righteousness. Prayer is more than a sequence of bodily movements, and there is more to it than facing in a certain direction, east or west. It is more than a simple act of spiritual meditation. Prayer is an act of total submission and dedication to Allah (SWT).
Islam recognizes the human being as a complex entity comprising of body, mind and soul. Prayer combines the activity of all three elements in an integrated act of worship. The bodily movements of standing (qiyam), bowing (ruku’) and prostration (sujood), and the recitation of verses of the Qur’an and other prescribed text and the reflection required on that, and exclusive devotion to God, unite beautifully during prayer in a unique combination.
Paying the obligatory charity (zakah) is another aspect of righteousness. This is a social tax instituted by Allah (SWT), the ultimate provider, as a token of the entitlement of the poor to a share in the wealth of the rich. The term zakah is derived from the Arabic root meaning ‘to increase,’ ‘to purify,’ and ‘to bless’ and can be defined as a specific portion of one’s wealth which is designated by way of obligatory charity for certain categories of people and for certain purposes. While, discussing some aspects of the topic of zakah, it is important to have some idea of the concept of wealth according to the Qur’an, which in nutshell is that man owns nothing. The absolute ownership of everything belongs to Allah (SWT) alone.
وَلِلَّهِ خَزَائِنُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
The treasures of the heavens and earth belong to Allah. (al-Munafiqun, 63:7)
Whatever man possesses is a trust from Allah (SWT), and one needs to be faithful to the owner of that trust. What we have is not really our earnings; rather it is a gift or bounty from Allah (SWT). All the blessings we have—the known and the unknown—our very existence, our life, our body, our physical appearance, and all our abilities and accomplishments are from Allah. The Qur’an says,
وَمَا بِكُم مِّن نِّعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ
Whatever blessing you have is from Allah. (al-Nahl, 16:53
Salah and zakah are two of the most important rights of Allah (SWT). It is obligatory upon all believers to pray five times a day and give the obligatory charity regularly. Both these acts of worship connect one with one’s Creator.
Both salah and zakah are mandatory. It is not sufficient that one performs salah but does not give zakah or gives zakah but does not perform salah regularly. Both salah and zakah have to do with purification. While salah purifies one’s soul, zakah purifies one’s wealth. Further, those who observe their prayers and pay their zakah regularly also have firm belief in the hereafter. The Qur’an says:
الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُم بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ
Those who establish salah and pay zakah are certain about the life to come. (al-Naml, 27:3)
Just as fasting (siyam) was prescribed to all nations to whom Allah (SWT) sent prophets and messengers, so was zakah prescribed to nations before us. It is not exclusive to the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Talking of Isma’il (AS), the son of Ibrahim (AS), the Qur’an mentions:
وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ وَكَانَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ مَرْضِيًّا
He used to command his household to perform salah and give zakah, and his Lord was well pleased with him. (Maryam, 19:55)
The Qur’an mentions ‘Isa ibn Maryam (AS) as saying,
وَجَعَلَنِي مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُ وَأَوْصَانِي بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا
He has made me blessed wherever I am and directed me to do salah and give zakah as long as I live. (Maryam, 19:31)
InshaAllah, we’ll continue with Part-4 of the concept of righteousness in a subsequent khatira.
