Zakat: A Divine Economic System and Guarantor of Human Welfare

The literal meaning of the word *Zakat* is to purify and increase. In Islamic terminology, it means giving a specific portion (2.5%) of one's wealth to the deserving for the sake of Allah. In the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty has mentioned Zakat along with prayer in approximately 32 places, which is the greatest proof of its importance.

Zakat is the magnificent financial system of Islam that not only eliminates poverty from society but also purifies both the wealth and the soul of a person. Allah Almighty, by commanding Zakat along with prayer in the Holy Quran, has made it clear that just as physical worship is obligatory, so is financial worship an integral part of faith. Allah Almighty says: *﴿وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ﴾ Establish prayer and give Zakat.* And fulfilling this command is actually an acknowledgment that the wealth we have is not our personal property but a trust given by Allah, in which He has placed a share for the backward sections of society.

Especially this holy month of Ramadan, which is like the spring season of good deeds, is the best opportunity to pay Zakat. In this blessed month, the reward of one obligatory act is equal to seventy obligatory acts. Therefore, calculate your Zakat and ensure its payment in this honorable month so that your wealth is also purified and you also become deserving of this great reward. Considering the current era of trials and the increasing tide of atheism, giving Zakat money to Islamic seminaries is extremely necessary and an important requirement of the present time. Islamic seminaries are the fortresses of religion where the voices of Qal Allah and Qal al-Rasool ﷺ are raised and from where the ideological borders of the Muslim Ummah are protected. Supporting the deserving and needy students studying in these seminaries is not only the payment of Zakat but also *helping the religion* and *Sadaqah Jariyah*. When a child becomes a scholar or Hafiz through your Zakat, the reward for every letter he reads is recorded in your book of deeds until the end of the world. There are countless virtues and blessings of paying Zakat. It is a skill that appears to reduce wealth but in reality, by giving it into the protection of Allah, it creates extraordinary blessings in it. When a Muslim takes out two and a half percent of his lawful earnings in the way of Allah, he actually purifies his remaining ninety percent plus wealth from dirt and grime and makes it pure. This act eliminates miserliness, stinginess, and undue love of the world from within a person and promotes feelings of sympathy and generosity. Hazrat Ali Karam Allah Wajhu al-Kareem said that fortify your wealth through Zakat, meaning it is a shield that protects your assets from calamities and sudden losses.

On the other hand, not paying Zakat is such a serious crime for which the most severe warnings have been given in the Quran and Hadith. Those who hoard wealth, become snakes and sit on it, and usurp the rights of the deserving, a painful punishment is prepared for them on the Day of Judgment. According to the Holy Quran, the gold and silver for which Zakat has not been paid will be heated in the fire of Hell and used to brand the foreheads and sides of these misers. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has clearly warned that the portion of Zakat that remains in wealth destroys the entire wealth. On the Day of Judgment, this wealth will take the form of a poisonous snake and become a collar around the neck of the owner of the wealth and will say to him, *I am your wealth and treasure for which you did not pay Zakat.*

From a social point of view, non-payment of Zakat causes drought and economic misfortune. When Zakat is withheld in a nation, rains are withheld from the sky and the earth hides its blessings. It is not just a financial obligation but a means of education for a poor orphan child and the exaltation of the religion of Islam. Therefore, it is obligatory for every Sahib-e-Nisab to take out his Zakat in this Ramadan and give his share in keeping the academic lamps of Islamic seminaries burning on a priority basis so that he can save himself from the wrath of Allah and his wealth will be a source of peace for him in this world and the hereafter.

*Cooperate with Jamia Ashrafia Mubarakpur Azamgarh*

I am a student of Jamia Ashrafia Mubarakpur Azamgarh. It is a great academic fortress from where hundreds of students graduate every year and are giving rise to Islam and religion in every corner of the world. Thousands of needy and deserving students are keeping the lamps of love of the Prophet ﷺ and Prophetic sciences lit here day and night. Your Zakat is an excellent investment for the support of these students and the exaltation of religion. The receipt of the Jamia is with me. As soon as your amount is deposited, the receipt will be cut and delivered to you immediately. *Method of Cooperation* You can send your amount through (PhonePay) to this number. Contact and Account Number *7060827902*

Come! By helping these ambassadors of religious knowledge in this blessed month, improve your hereafter. Jazakum Allahu Khairan Katheera wa Ahsan al-Jazaa fi al-Darayn kama fi haqqikum khair. Ameen Ya Rabb al-Alameen bi Jah al-Nabi al-Kareem ﷺ.

                   *✍️Mutalim al-Jamiatul Ashrafia✍️*