Zakat: Training to Give

Imagine a beautiful garden with plants and flowers. It is essential to remove weeds for the garden to thrive. This is the original meaning of the word zakat. This is the second in a series of articles on Understanding Zakat: Practical Guidance on the Wisdom, Rules, and Etiquette of Giving Zakat.

Zakat is a training for a Muslim to give and to help. As much as it purifies you, it helps you give. Sometimes, we are not willing to give because we are embarrassed. It is a way of training your children to give. Even when you are out in the street or you see someone in need, give your child the money and ask him to go and give it himself. You teach him how to be of the upper hand. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The upper hand is better than the lower hand.”

Making giving and spending a habit. The person after that will not be able to withhold. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) never withheld. Whenever someone gave him a gift, he would give something back right away. This is something that we miss nowadays. 

Allah is the Generous. He gives without limitation. Allah says:

وَلَـٰكِن كُونُوا۟ رَبَّـٰنِیِّـۧنَ

“But rather, ‘Be godly men in works and learning.” [Quran, 3:79; tr. Keller, Quran Beheld]

Being godly is opposite to being earthly so give because that attaches you to Allah. 

Thankfulness

One of the benefits of Zakat for the one who gives is showing thankfulness and gratefulness to Allah through giving. We are asked to acknowledge Allah’s blessings upon us. Every blessing has to have a gratefulness that is related to it. The gratefulness for knowledge is by spending, teaching, and giving.

To discipline yourself, if you like something, give out from that thing. Sometimes, people give what they do not need anymore. This can be the case when it comes to food banks. Zakat teaches us to be thankful to Allah. You manifest your thankfulness from the blessing that Allah has given.

Imam Ghazali mentioned Allah has blessed man in himself and in his money. So you are a blessing. You are a manifestation of the blessing of Allah: your breath, your health, your mind, your hearing, your seeing, etc. Then you have what is attached to you like your money and property. That is a blessing from Allah. 

Everything has a Zakat that is due on it. The physical acts of worship is the Zakat of the body. Financial Zakat is the Zakat of the money and the property. By this, you will be showing thankfulness to Allah. 

Medication

Zakat is a medication. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Treat your sick people through charity.” Then, there is nothing that is more beneficial than Zakat.

One of the benefits of Zakat is that it treats our hearts from the love of the worldly and an attachment to money. One of the things that impedes you from loving Allah and from getting ready for the Hereafter is what you have. Imam Razi wrote on curing the fear of death and he mentions one of the things that will make a person afraid of death is that he has got a lot. He’s thinking, “If I leave this, who’s going to look after all of that.” 

There is a hadith of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) that the poor will enter Janna 500 years before the rich. Consider this worldly life. If you arrive at any airport, the more you have to declare, the longer you are stuck there. If you travel without any luggage, you just travel and go through. The rich will have a lot to declare. 

Fear of Death

One of the benefits of Zakat is that it treats us from this fear of death and attachment to money. It equips us to get ready for the Hereafter. Loving Allah and getting ready for the Hereafter is always impeded by attachment to money. Breaking the desire is the Islamic way of treating it and curing you from attachment to it. It does not eliminate the desire, it acknowledges the fact that you are a human being. Allah says:

وَتُحِبُّونَ ٱلْمَالَ حُبًّۭا جَمًّۭا

“And you love wealth to a greedy obsession” [Quran, 89:20; tr. Keller, Quran Beheld]

Love money but do not love it immensely. The immense love needs treatment. Clear your heart for Allah. People’s blood pressure goes up and goes down according to the shares in the stock market. Zakat teaches you to relax, it cleans you and cures you from.