ZAKAT IN THE QURAN

Zakat is one of the main pillar foundations of Islam. It means growth and purification. According to Holy Quran every Muslim who is able to pay must have to pay the Zakat that is also termed as the economic duty in Islam. It is the most important obligation after Prayers.

Now the question arises that who can pay the Zakat? Anyone, who is adult, Muslim and most importantly rich must have to pay the Zakat at the end of the year. The actual amount of paying the Zakat is approximately two and half percent of the total assets like profit giving bank accounts, government certificates, insurance policies and ornaments.

Now sometimes we often strike down with the question that who should be given Zakat? Zakat should be given to poor people, beggars, debtors, orphans, widows and travellors. The main advantage of the Zakat system is quite obvious that firstly rich and well earning people help the needy and poor people and satisfy their needs and wants. Most importantly through the process of Zakat all the Muslims get the common Islamic feeling of doing their duty with nobly and honestly.

Zakat promotes national unity and happiness towards one another. Through this Zakat we please God and do our economic duty honestly. He blesses us and increases out wealth with blessings. Zakat is proved to be a real blessing if it is used for productive and constructive purposes to the permanent benefit of the poor like establishing centers, schools, and raising residential buildings for the needy people.

Distributing money or commodities amongst the poor and needy directly after taking them from the rich is not enough at all. In the Holy Quran the God has even restricted that every single Muslim must follow this concept of Zakat no matter what is the age of the person. Right from the adult to the aged person the Zakat is a compulsory action.

Zakat can even be carried out from the jewelers as well but this term is just specified for those women who want to pay Zakat but they are self employed. In such situations they can pay the Zakat from their Jewellery. On the whole we would like to make it clear to the readers that if we want to follow Islam sincerely then we have to follow its customs as well. Let’s make the Zakat as the basis of our life. If we make use of this Islamic Institution in intelligent way then the country will definitely change into pure welfare state.