A Reminder to Give Zakah

25 March by Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil Ar-Rabbani

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

 وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ  

(Qur’ān 24:56)

 ‘‘Wa ‘aatu z-Zakata wa ‘atee’u r-Rasula’’

‘‘And give zakah and obey the Messenger.’‘ Ṣadaqa Llāhu l-‘Aẓīm.

Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla is ordering Zakah. Giving Zakah is from the conditions of Islam. Everyone knows it, but we need to remind of it again.

People’s egos are used to stinginess.

وَأُحْضِرَتِ ٱلْأَنفُسُ ٱلشُّحَّ ۚ 

-Wa ‘uh’dirati l-Anfusu sh’ Shuh’,

 ‘’And present in [human] souls is stinginess.’’ (Qur’ān 04:128).

“Shuh” means extreme stinginess and greediness. Egos are like this. Therefore, we must always remind so that people don’t obey their egos and do badness to themselves. The harm of stinginess comes rather to themselves than to others.

Giving Zakah is a great virtue. It is the means to Thawab, the means to all kinds of goodness. Don’t think it will be a loss to your wealth. Zakah means it will become more. If you give, Allah ﷻ will give you even more. If you don’t give, Allah ﷻ won’t give you too. Or even He ﷻ gives you, you won’t be able to benefit from this wealth. People might have a lot of assets. They say, “I have these properties. How can I not benefit from them? Anyway, I own them.” That is not important. What’s important is to benefit from them. You may put all your assets in one place and say they are yours. What is their benefit if you don’t do anything with them? They have no benefit at all. Zakah is the right of Allah ﷻ.

Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla has appointed it to the poor and needy people. Those who give it, Allah ﷻ gives Barakah to them. He ﷻ gives goodness and Thawab. Their ranks will increase in paradise. And to those who don’t give it, the wrath of Allah ﷻ descends upon them. Allah ﷻ won’t be pleased with them. When Allah ﷻ is not pleased with someone, nothing has any benefit to him.

We are reminding once again. Zakah is not that difficult. If all people paid Zakah, there would be no need for taxes taken by the government. Especially governments of Kufr, they take 70-80% tax. Ours take a lot too. But there is no Barakah, that is why there is shortage and lack. And they ask for more.

The order of Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla is what people can pay. 2.5% is very little, but has a lot of Barakah. If people give it, no one will be poor. But people obey shaytan and use various tricks in order to earn something. It doesn’t cross their minds what they will do with so much money.

As they get more money, they become stingier. When they have a million TL, they say “I gave 25,000 TL.” They say it is a lot. But when it is ten million, they say “I will give 250,000 TL. That is so much!” When it is a hundred million, they say “I will give 2,5 million.” When the amount to give increases, they don’t think about how much their own money has increased. They don’t think about that but think about how much they give. They think about the little and don’t think about the big thing.

May Allah ﷻ protect us. May Allah ﷻ let us use our minds in the right way. We have a mind, but it is important to use it in the right way. May Allah ﷻ accept our charity. 

May He ﷻ give Barakah for what we give insha’Allah. May Allah ﷻ accept it from those who do it [give Zakah] insha’Allah.

Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq. Al-Fatiha.

Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani

25 March 2024/ 15 Ramadan 1445

Akbaba Dergah, Istanbul

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