CONTENTS May 2005, Vol.100, No - Review of Religions€¦ · Mr. Abdul Baqi Arshad Notes & Comments...

Special contributors:Amatul-Hadi AhmadFarina Qureshi

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Basit Ahmad

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Fareed Ahmad.

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Tanveer Khokhar

Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

All correspondence shouldbe forwarded to the editor at:

The Review of ReligionsThe London Mosque16 Gressenhall RoadLondon, SW18 5QLUnited Kingdom

© Islamic Publications, 2005ISSN No: 0034-6721

CONTENTS May 2005, Vol.100, No.05

1

Chief Editor and Manager: Mansoor Ahmed Shah

Management Board:Mr Munir-ud-din Shams (Chairman)

Mr Mansoor Shah (Secretary)

Mr Naseer Ahmad Qamar

Mr Mubarak Ahmad Zafar

Mr Mirza Fakhar Ahmad

Mr. Abdul Baqi Arshad

Notes & Comments – A Man of Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A brief reflection on the life and impact of His Holiness Pope John Paul II

Creation and Differences in Rank – Part 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8How the mercy of Allah reflects His superiority and underlines His status as Master of all.

The Philosophy of Zakat – Part I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Exploring the role and function of Zakat as a means of purifying one’s wealth, helping to relieve the suffering ofthe poor and a basis for economic and spiritual advancement.

Letter of Condolence: Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, to the Vatican . . . 7Copy of letter sent by the Head of the Ahmadiyya worldwide Muslim community, Hadhrat Mirza MasroorAhmad to the Vatican following the passing away of Pope John Paul II

Editorial: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Economic Injustice in the International Economic System . . . . . . . . . . . 20An analysis of the factors behind developing world debt and the need for a partnership in any solution to this injustice

Coexistence of Religion and Secularism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52A look at how Islam responds to the challenge of secularism as a form of governance in the modern worldwith particular reference to Pakistan.

Fareed Ahmad – UK

Hadhrat Mirza MasroorAhmad – Khalifatul Masih V

Hadhrat Mirza GhulamAhmad(as) – Promised Messiah and Mahdi

Maidah Ahmad – Canada

The Late Maulana Sheikh Mubarak Ahmad

Khalid Saifullah Khan – Australia

Whoso desires the Hereafter and strives for it as it should be striven for, and is a believer –these are the ones whose striving shall find favour with God

(The Holy Qur’an – Ch.17: V.20)

They say that money cannot buyhappiness, and they are right, but itcan buy food, water, shelter andclothing. Yet despite the ever-increasing wealth in the worldmany are left without even theserudimentary basics. In fact, half ofthe world’s population – that isnearly 3 billion people – liveswithout such basics, and theystruggle to survive on less thantwo dollars per day. Many of themlive in developing countries thatare forced to bear the colossalburden of interest-bearing loansthat drain resources from the poorto the rich.

Despite this inequitable economicframework, the responsibility forworld poverty is certainly not one-sided. When money, whether asloans or aid, reaches the countriesconcerned the overt corruptionthat exists in much of thedeveloping world further exac-erbates the problem andaccelerates its economic decline.Such countries are thus caught in aseemingly endless downward

spiral of debt and corruption fromwhich it is nigh on impossible toescape.

In this issue of The Review ofReligions one article examines theproblem of debt in the developingworld and its devastating effect onnational economies. It looks at thestark choices that have to be madesimply for economies to stayafloat and argues that for anyprogress to have a chance, 1007debt relief is an absoluteminimum. Such a move would notgrant them riches overnight butsimply stop the poor from slippingfurther and further into aneconomic black hole. It alsohighlights the fact that in Islamhelping the poor is a duty and nota favour.

In terms of resources it would nottake much to solve theseproblems but it would require ahuge act of soul-searching forthose in power. Are the richwilling to part with their wealthfor the sake of a better world?

2 The Review of Religions – May 2005

By Fareed Ahmad

EDITORIAL

This is a question that must beaddressed by the industrialisedworld as well as the leading eliteof the poor countries, whose vastpersonal wealth is the con-sequence of what in essence is anact of robbery. Justice, it could bea rgued, would demand that theirmillions should be the first to bespent for the progress of thecountry before additional relief isp r o v i d e d .

The wider world too needs to getits priorities right. Global peacemust be based on global concernswhich bring us together and notnational interest that drives usapart. In 1998 it was estimated

that to satisfy all the world’ssanitation and food requirementswould cost only $13 billion1 – nomean sum, but if you contrast thisagainst the hundreds of billions ofdollars that have been spent onrecent conflicts, then it does nottake a genius to work out that fornow at least the world certainlyhas a greater appetite for fightingwars than for fighting poverty.

REFERENCE1. (Ignacio Ramonet, The Politics of

H u n g e r, Le Monde Diplomatique,November 1998)

3

EDITORIAL

The Review of Religions – May 2005

In this journal, for the ease of non-Muslim readers, ‘(sa)’ or ‘sa’ afterthe words, ‘Holy Prophet’, or the name ‘Muhammad’, are used. Theystand for ‘Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam’ meaning ‘Peace and blessingsof Allah be upon him’. Likewise, the letters ‘(as)’ or ‘as’ after the nameof all other prophets is an abbreviation meaning ‘Peace be upon him’derived from ‘Alaihis salatu wassalam’ for the respect a Muslim readerutters.

The abbreviation ‘ra’ or (ra) stands for ‘Radhiallahu Ta’ala anhu and isused for Companions of a Prophet, meaning Allah be pleased with himor her (when followed by the relevant Arabic pronoun). Finally, ‘ru’ or(ru) for Rahemahullahu Ta ’ a l a means the Mercy of Allah the Exalted beupon him.


The papacy has seen a lot since thefirst pope1, St Peter (circa 32 CE).His characteristics as identified byJesus(as) symbolised the role of aspiritual leader. He referred to himsaying,

‘…thou art [Cephas] Peter,and upon this rock I will buildmy church, and the gates ofhell shall not prevail againstit.’ (Matthew 16:18)

In this he identified a keycharacteristic for the holder ofsuch an august office that was tobe tasked with the challenge oftaking forward the teachings ofJ e s u s( a s ). Over the centuriesChristian powers have passedthrough many stages. In Romeitself they were severelypersecuted for their beliefs. Theresilience of the Christians carriedthem through the testing periodthat lasted until the fourth century.

They ultimately rose to power andthe papacy has since itself been inthe seat of power when, sadly,others were persecuted for theirreligious beliefs also.

In more recent times the papacyhas swung back to focus on peaceand to promote harmony, and HisHoliness Pope John Paul II wascertainly a keen advocate forextending the hand of peace onmany occasions. He was the firstnon-Italian pope since the time ofPope Adrian VI (1522-1523) whowas Dutch. Pope Adrian VI was aformer inquisitor-general inAragon, Navarre, Castile, andLéon although he is also noted forhis efforts to reform the PapalCourt and eliminate corruption.H o w e v e r, his short papacy wasbeset by opposition to reformfrom within and this restricted hisability to drive forward anychange of note. His monument inRome reflects the challenge that

Co m m e n t s&Notes

A Man of Peace

5The Review of Religions – May 2005

he faced and its inscription reads,‘Even the best of men may beborn in times unsuited to theirv i r t u e s . ’

His holiness Pope John Paul IIh o w e v e r, was fortunately moresuccessful. His visit to CommunistPoland in 1979, just one year afterhis election, played a key role indrawing people together andinspired them to continue theirefforts to free the country fromCommunism; and this concern forhumanity was echoed throughouthis life.

His appointment of numerous non-Italian cardinals (especially inAfrica), his visit to the Holy Landin 2000 and the fact that he wasthe first pope to visit a mosque(the Umayyad mosque inDamascus in 2001) are all testi-mony to his endeavour to play anactive part in changing the outlookof the Roman Catholic Church.

Sometimes his views sparkedc o n t r o v e r s y, as he remained firmin his views on issues such asabortion, women priests andh o m o s e x u a l i t y. In that he reflect-ed firmness of character by not

yielding to contemporary opinion– a move that was respected byothers including Christians fromd i fferent denominations that werealso under pressure to give way tomodern ‘liberalism’. In thisrespect he should be commendedfor having the courage andconviction not to yield simplybecause he could upset popularopinion. He was a man ofprinciples. He also spoke againstwar and was outspoken againstthe recent war in Iraq and wasopen about his support for ahomeland for the Palestinians andfor all neighbouring states to havea right to live in peace. Thishighlighted his concern forhumanity and the need for solu-tions to be reached without theneed for bloodshed.

He was critical of the excesses ofcapitalism as well as the spread ofatheism and was especially con-cerned at the misuse of religiousoffice for political purposes. Inthis regard he made clear hisdisapproval of Nicaraguan bishopsof the so-called ‘popular church’that was becoming ever moreinvolved in politics. He was alsopassionate about relieving world

NOTES AND COMMENTS

p o v e r t y, but again withoutrecourse to radical politics.

His personal appeal was self-evident and wherever he would gothousands if not millions wouldflock to see him. The 1981assassination attempt did not deterhis zeal to get close to his peopleand this served to strengthen thelink between the Catholic worldand its spiritual head. The impacthe had on the lives of a billion orso Catholics is plain to see by thesheer numbers that decided to goto Rome personally to pay theirrespects. Over 5 million made it toRome whilst billions worldwidejoined them in spirit by followingthe funeral live on television. Thiswas clearly a man who hadconnected with his people in a waythat made them feel a part of aworldwide family. He was clearlya Pope who will be missed by eachand every one of them.

Over 200 world leaders were alsopresent for his funeral on April 2,leaders such as Mugabe, Chirac,Syrian president Assad, Israelipresident Kastav, Bush and Blair.It is indeed ironic that over theyears many of them had ignored

his call for peace and one wonderswhat he would have said to them ifthey had gathered before himduring his lifetime. One cancertainly hope that they can learnfrom his example of forgivenessand patience – for the Pope paid aspecial visit to the man whosought to kill him in 1981, andf o rgave him. What a diff e r e n tworld it would be if they – and theworld at large – could follow hisnoble example, for the sake ofpeace.

His life was one of eagerness tokeep the spirit of religion alive andfor that he will be missed by us all.

Surely to Allah we belong andto Him shall we return. (Holy Qur’an Ch.2: V.157)

Fareed Ahmad – UK

1. It should be noted that whilst for thePapacy Peter was considered the firstPope, there are many traditions thatcite James as the successor to Jesus(as)

in Jerusalem.

6

NOTES AND COMMENTS



His Holiness Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals, Vatican City,

9th April 2005Your Holiness Cardinal Ratzinger

On behalf of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim community and myself, Iwould like to express our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolenceson the sad demise of Pope John II.

The late pontiff was an undoubted inspiration to all Catholics and non-Catholics around the world. He was instrumental in building bridgesbetween people of different faiths and generating a spirit of forgiveness,reconciliation and tolerance.

Muslims all over the world have always had a great admiration for PopeJohn Paul II. This great man insisted on the local authority of Rome toallow Muslims to build their mosque next to the centre of Christianity.His courage and conviction was an example for all. He stood up forjustice and human rights and was not afraid to speak his mind to worldleaders.

We join in prayers with members of other beliefs and our Catholicsbrethren in faith that God Almighty rests his soul in peace and showersHis grace on him just as during his life Pope John Paul II was graciousand forgiving to the people of the world. May God be with you all as youmake your choice for his successor. Amin.

With deepest sympathies

MIRZA MASROOR AHMADHead of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

Letter of CondolenceMessage sent by Hadhrat KhalifatulMasih V, Head of the worldwideAhmadiyya Muslim community, followingthe death of Pope John Paul II.


It would be an intrusion into theworks of God, which is not

permissible, to enquire why didGod create a difference betweencapacities and why was noteveryone bestowed such capac-ities as would enable him toarrive at the stage of perfectunderstanding and perfect love.Every reasonable person canunderstand that no one has a rightto question God as to whyeveryone should not have thesame rank and be endowed withexcellent faculties.

It is a matter of His grace tobestow whatever He wills. For

instance, God has made you manand has not made a donkey a man.You have been endowed withreason and a donkey has not beenso endowed. You can acquireknowledge and a donkey cannot.It is the will of the Master and isnot a matter of right which youhave and a donkey has not.

In the creation of God a cleard i fferentiation of ranks is dis-cernible which no reasonableperson can deny. Then can anypart of creation which has no rightto exist, let alone a right to beawarded a high rank, raise anyobjection before the Authoritative

This series sets out, in the words of the Promised Messiah(as), Hadhrat Mirza GhulamAhmad, a summary of his exposition of four outstanding topics: ISLAM; ALLAH,THE EXALTED; THE HOLY PROPHET(sa) and THE HOLY QUR’AN. The originalcompilation, in Urdu, from which these extracts have been translated into English,was collated with great care and diligence by Syed Daud Ahmad Sahib, Allah havemercy on him and reward him graciously for his great labour of love. Amin. TheEnglish rendering is by the late Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan, may Allah be pleasedwith him, and is quoted from The Essence of Islam, Volume 1. All referencesthroughout, unless otherwise specifically mentioned, are from the Holy Qur’an.

Creation & Differences in Rank - part 10


Master? It is a bounty andbeneficence of God Almighty tobestow the robe of being upon Hiscreatures and it is obvious that aDonor and Benefactor has theauthority to regulate His bountyand His beneficence. Had He notthe authority to bestow less, Hewould not have the authority tobestow more and in such case Hewould not be able to exercise HisM a s t e r s h i p .

If the creation were vested withany right against the Creator, thiswould involve a continuous seriesof claims; for at whatever stagethe Creator would place anycreated being, the latter couldclaim that he is entitled to ahigher rank. If God Almighty cancreate limitless ranks, and theexaltation of creation does notcome to an end by the creation ofman, the series of claims on thebasis of right would be endless.

If the search should be for thewisdom underlying this diff e r-entiation of ranks, it should beunderstood that the Holy Qur’anhas set forth three types ofwisdom in that context which are

obvious and clear and cannot bedenied by any reasonable person.

The first one is, that the affairs ofthe world may be adjusted in thebest manner as is said:

And they say, ‘Why has notthis Qur’an been sent to somegreat man of the two towns?’

Is it they who would distributethe mercy of thy Lord? It is WeWho distribute among themtheir livelihood in the presentlife, and We exalt some of themabove others in degrees ofrank, so that some of themmay make others subservientto themselves. And the mercyof thy Lord is better than thatwhich they amass.(Ch.43: Vs.32-33)

This means that: The disbelieverssay why was this Qur’an notrevealed to some chieftain orwealthy personage of Makkah orTa’if so that it should have suitedhis eminence and by virtue of hisdignity and his statesmanship andhis spending his money, the faithcould have spread speedily? Why

CREATION AND DIFFERENCES IN RANK


was a person selected for thishonour, who is poor and has noproperty?

To these the retort is:

Is it they who would distributethe mercy of thy Lord?(Ch.43: V.33)

That is to say, it is the doing of theA l l - Wise that He limited thefaculties and capacities of someas they became involved in theappendages of this world andtook pride in being chieftains andwealthy and rich and forgot thetrue object of existence. Onothers, He bestowed spiritualgraces and holy excellences andthey became the favourites of theTrue Beloved through theirdevotion to His love.

Then follows the explanationthat:

It is We Who distribute amongthem their livelihood in thepresent life, and We exalt someof them above others indegrees of rank, so that someof them may make others

subservient to themselves. Andthe mercy of thy Lord is betterthan that which they amass.(Ch.43: V.33)

God has made some rich andsome poor, some with finequalities and others dull, someinclined towards one occupationand others to another, so as tomake it easy for some to serveothers and to cooperate with themin order that responsibility mightbe shared and human aff a i r smight be carried on with ease.The verse concludes that in thiscontext God’s Book is far morebeneficial than worldly riches andproperties. This is a subtleallusion to the need for rev-elation.

Man is a social animal and noneof his affairs can be carried tocompletion without cooperation.For instance, take bread which isthe stuff of life. How much socialcooperation is needed for itsproduction? From the stage ofcultivation of the earth to thestage when a loaf of breadbecomes available for eating,scores of workers have to



cooperate with each other. Thisshows how much cooperation andmutual help is needed in differentsectors of social affairs. To fillthis need the All-Wise Onecreated man equipped withdifferent degrees of faculties andcapacities so that everyone shouldoccupy himself pleasurablyaccording to his capacity andinclination; some should engagein cultivation, some should manu-facture agricultural implements,some should grind corn, someshould bring water, some shouldbake bread, some should spin,some should weave, some shouldengage in trade, some shouldcarry on commerce, some shouldundertake employment and thuseveryone should cooperate andhelp each other. Cooperationinvolves dealing with each otherand these dealings give rise toquestions of treatment, com-pensation, and neglect of dutywhich demand a system of lawwhich should restrain wrong,trespass, rancour, disorder, andneglect of God, so that the orderof the universe should not beupset.

The making of a living and thedue performance of social dutiesdepend upon justice and therecognition of God and thesedemand a system of law whichshould provide for due adminis-tration of justice and proper


The founder of the AhmadiyyaMuslim community was Hadhrat

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as).

The founder of the AhmadiyyaMuslim community was HadhratMirza Ghulam Ahmad( a s ). In 1891,he claimed, on the basis of Divinerevelation, that he was the PromisedMessiah and Mahdi whose adventhad been foretold by Muhammad,the Holy Prophet of Islam ( s a ) and bythe scriptures of other faiths.

His claims constitute the basis of thebeliefs of the Ahmadiyya Muslimc o m m u n i t y.


understanding of the Divine andwhich should exclude every typeof wrong and every kind ofmistake. Such a system of lawcan be promulgated only by theBeing Who is altogether freefrom forgetfulness, mistake,wrong and trespass and Who isworthy of obedience and respectin His Being. The law may begood, but if the promulgator ofthe law is not such who by hisrank should possess superiorityover all and the right to rule overthem and if he is in the eyes ofthe people not free from tyranny,vice, error, and mistake, the lawwill either not come intooperation or if it does come intooperation, would give rise toevery kind of disorder andinstead of doing any good itwould result in harm. All thiswould predicate a Divine Book,for all good qualities and everykind of excellence is to be foundonly in the Book of God.

Secondly, the wisdom underlyinga difference of ranks is, that theexcellence of good people may bedemonstrated, for every goodquality is known only by contrast.

As it is said:

Verily, We have made all thatis on the earth as an ornamentfor it, that We may try them asto which of them is best inconduct.(Ch.18: V.8)

That is to say: God has madeeverything upon earth a source ofornament for it so that therighteousness of the righteousmay be demonstrated in com-parison with the wicked, and sothat by the observation of thatwhich is dull the fineness of thatwhich is fine may become appar-ent. Opposites are known bycomparison with opposites andthe value of the good is known bycomparison with the bad.

T h i r d l y, in differentiation ofranks, it is desired to demonstratedifferent types of power and todraw attention to God’s greatnessas is said:

‘What is the matter with youthat you expect not wisdomand staidness from Allah?



‘And He has created you indifferent forms and differentconditions.(Ch.71: Vs.14-15)

This means that: What ails youthat you do not admit thegreatness of Allah? Whereas thedifferentiation of capacities andtemperaments was created by theAll-Wise so that His Greatnessand Power might be recognised.

As is said at another place:

And Allah has created everyanimal from water. Of themare some that go upon theirbellies, and of them are somethat go upon two feet, andamong them are some that goupon four. Allah creates whatHe pleases. Surely, Allah hasthe power to do all that Hepleases.(Ch.24: V.46)

This is an indication that all thesed i fferent species have beencreated so that the diverse powersof the Divine might bedemonstrated. Thus, the diff e r-entiation in the temperaments and

the nature of creation is due tothese three considerations whichGod has set out in the verses citedabove.(Braheen-e-Ahmadiyya, RuhaniKhaza’in, Vol. 1, pp. 203-207,footnote 11)

Refutation of the MisguidedNotions of the AryasPandit Dyanand has recorded atpage 501 of his Urdu bookSatyarath Prakash t h a tPermeshwar cannot forg i v eanyone’s sin, for if He were to doso He would be guilty ofinjustice. Thereby he confessesthat Permeshwar is merely ajudge and is not Master. On thesame page he has recorded thatPermeshwar cannot bestowunlimited reward for limitedactions. But if He is Master, thereis no harm in His rewardinglimited service with unlimitedreward. The Master’s actions arenot to be measured by justice. Ifwe own something and out of itwe bestow a portion uponsomeone who asks for it, no oneelse has the right to complain thatmore was given to another than tohim. In the same way, a creature



has no right against GodAlmighty to demand justice. Aservant cannot ask for justice norcan God admit the right of any ofHis creation to demand justice.Whatever God bestows upon acreature as a reward for hisactions is purely His bounty.

Actions are nothing in them-selves, for no action can beperformed without the supportand grace of God. When wereflect upon God’s law, itbecomes clear that whatever GodAlmighty has provided for Hiscreatures is a bounty of two types.

One is the bounty which existedbefore the coming into being ofman and man’s action has nothingto do with it. He has created forthe benefit of man the sun, themoon, the stars, the earth, water,air, fire, etc. and there is no doubtthat all these things were prior tothe actions of man, and manhimself came into being afterthem. This is the Divine mercywhich, in the idiom of the Qur’an,is called Rahmaniyyat. That is tosay, such bounty is not bestowedas a reward for a person’s actions,

but is by way of pure grace.

The second type of mercy iscalled Rahimiyyat in the idiom ofthe Qur’an; that is to say, thebounty that is bestowed upon manas a reward for his righteousactions.

Can we imagine that the GodWho has demonstrated as aninstance of His generousMalikiyyat that He made the earthand heavens and the moon andsun, etc. when there was no traceof His creatures and their actions,is indebted to His creatures andrewards them according to theirright, but no more? Had Hiscreatures any right that He shouldhave made the earth and heavensfor them and should have createdthousands of illuminated bodiesin the heavens and thousands ofthings upon the earth which are asource of comfort and ease? Todescribe that Absolute Donor as amere dispenser of justice like ajudge and to deny His status anddignity as Master is the height ofingratitude.(Chashma-e-Ma’rifat, RuhaniKhaza’in, Vol. 23, pp. 18-20)



It should be borne in mind thatMaster is the word which doesnot admit of any rights, and thisexpression can be applied in itsfullness only to God for He aloneis the Perfect Master. A personwho accepts another as theMaster of his life etc. confessesthat he has no right to his life andproperty and that he owns nothingand everything belongs to theMaster. In such a case, it is notpermissible for him to demandfrom his Master that justiceshould be done to him in such andsuch a matter because justicedepends upon right and he hasgiven up all his rights. In the sameway, man who in juxtaposition tohis True Master accepted his ownstatus as that of servant andconfessed:

Who when a misfort u n eovertakes them, say: ‘Surely,to Allah we belong and to Himshall we return.(Ch.2: V.157)

That is to say: Our belongings,life, body and progeny are all theproperty of God.

After this confession thereremains no right which he candemand from God. That is whythose who are gifted with trueunderstanding, despite every typeof endeavour, worship andalmsgiving, leave themselves tothe mercy of God Almighty andattach no value to their actions andmake no claim that they have anyright. In truth, God is only Hethrough Whose bestowed strengtha person can accomplish anythinggood, and He is God. No personcan demand justice from GodAlmighty on account of hispersonal ability or merit.According to the Holy Qur’an, allGod’s doings are as Master. AsHe punishes sin so He alsoforgives sin. He has power to doboth as befits His Malikiyyat. IfHe were always to punish sinthere would be no escape forman, but God forgives most sinsand punishes some so that aheedless person being warnedshould attend to Him. As is saidin the Holy Qur’an:

And whatever misfort u n ebefalls you, is due to whatyour own hands have wrought.



And He forgives many of yoursins.(Ch.42: V.31)

Whatever misfortune befalls youis in consequence of that whichyou practise. He pardons many ofyour sins, and punishes some.

And in the same Surah is theverse:

And He it is Who acceptsrepentance from His servantsand forgives sins.(Ch.42: V.26)

No one should be misled by thefact that the Holy Qur’an alsocontains the verse:

Whoso will have done thesmallest particle of ill willalso see it.(Ch.99: V.9)

Here there is no contradiction forthe ill that is mentioned here. It isthe ill in which a person persistsand from which he does notrepent. The Holy Qur’an repeat-edly affirms that remorse andrepentance, and non-insistence

upon evil, and asking for for-giveness procure forgiveness ofsins. Indeed, it is said that Godloves those who repent, as in theverse:

... Allah loves those who turnto Him and loves those whokeep themselves clean.(Ch.2: V.223)

That is: God Almighty lovesthose who repent and loves thosewho strive to purify themselvesfrom sin.

In short, to punish every sin iscontrary to the forgiveness andmercy of God Almighty, for He isMaster and is not like amagistrate. He has namedHimself Master in the very firstSurah of the Holy Qur’an whereit is said: He is Malik-i-Yaum-id-Din, that is to say, He is theMaster of punishment and rewardand it is obvious that no one canbe called Master unless He hasauthority to do both, that is to say,to punish when He wills and toforgive when He wills.(Chashma-e-Ma’rifat, RuhaniKhaza’in, Vol. 23, pp.15-16)



According to the principle of theAryas, their Permeshwar cannotbe called Malik for he has not thepower to bestow what he has as apure bounty or gift, while thedonee has no right to it. He who isthe owner of property has theauthority to bestow any portion ofit on anyone he chooses, but theAryas believe that Permeshwarcan neither forgive sins nor canHe bestow anything on anyone asa gift or bounty, because if Hedoes either He would be actingunjustly.

Those who believe in thetransmigration of souls cannota ffirm that Permeshwar is theMaster of creation. We haverepeatedly affirmed that it is quiteimproper to bind a Master to actaccording to the principles ofjustice. We can affirm that HeWho is Malik i s Rahim a n dBestower and Generous andforgives sins, but we cannot saythat He adheres to justice inrespect of His slaves and horsesand cattle, inasmuch as the notionof justice is only applicable wherethere is a certain freedom on bothsides. For instance, we can say

concerning worldly sovereignsthat they are just and treat theirsubjects with justice. So long astheir subjects obey them, the ruleof justice makes it obligatoryupon them that, in return for theobedience of their subjects andthe payment of their dues, thesovereign should safeguard theirlives and properties and in timesof need should help them out ofhis wealth. Thus, from one aspectsovereigns impose their com-mands upon their subjects andfrom another aspect the subjectsimpose their wishes upon thesovereigns. So long as theseaspects operate in cooperation,the country remains at peace, butwhen either side commits adefault the country ceases to be atpeace. This shows that we cannotdescribe a sovereign as a trueMalik for he has to behave justlytowards his subjects and hissubjects have to behave justlytowards him.

As regards God Almighty, we cancall Him Rahim on account of HisMalikiyyat, but we cannot callHim just. Any person who isowned by another cannot demand


justice from his owner, though hecan humbly supplicate for mercy.That is why the Holy Qur’an doesnot designate God Almighty asjust, because justice demandsmutual equality. God Almighty isjust in the sense that He actsjustly as between creaturesregarding their mutual rights, butHe is not just in the sense that anycreature of His might demand hisright from Him as an associate.All His creatures belong to Godand He has authority to treat themas He might wish. He might be-stow kingdom upon whom Hewills and He might make a beggarof him whom He so wills. Hemight cause anyone to die youngor He might bestow a long lifeupon any. We ourselves when weown anything are free to bestow itas we might choose. Indeed Godis Merciful; rather, He is the MostMerciful of all. By virtue of Hismercy, and not out of any limits inconsideration of justice, Heprovides for His creation. As wehave repeatedly affirmed, thequality of Malikiyyat and thequality of justice are inconsistentwith each other. Having beencreated by Him, we have no right

to demand justice from Him. Wesupplicate Him humbly formercy.

It is most unbecoming for acreature to demand justice fromGod Almighty in His treatment ofhim. As everything relating to thenature of man is from God and allof man’s faculties, spiritual aswell as physical, are His bountyand a good action can beperformed only through thesupport and strength bestowed byHim, it would be the height ofignorance to demand justice fromHim relying upon one’s goodactions. We cannot consider sucha teaching to be based on trueknowledge. Indeed such ateaching is deprived of all trueunderstanding and is full of folly.God Almighty has taught us inthe Holy Qur’an that to call Godjust vis-à-vis His creatures is notonly a sin, but a rank blasphemy.(Chashma-e-Ma’rifat, RuhaniKhaza’in, Vol. 23, pp. 32-34)

Refutation of the misguidednotions of ChristiansShort-sighted Christians, throughlack of proper reflection, are

18



involved in the false notion thatjustice and mercy cannot coexistin God Almighty, inasmuch asjustice demands punishment andmercy demands forbearance.They fail to consider that thejustice of God Almighty is also amercy for it is all for the benefitof mankind. For instance, if GodAlmighty adjudges that amurderer should be executed thisdoes not add anything to HisGodhead. He ordains this so thatmankind should not becomeextinct through killing each other.This is mercy for mankind andGod Almighty has establishedthis system of mutual rightsbetween His creatures so thatpeace might be maintained and nogroup should trespass againstanother and thus create disorder.Thus all the punishmentsprescribed in the sphere of life,property, and honour are a mercyfor mankind....

There is no conflict betweenjustice and mercy. They are liketwo streams that run parallel toeach other in their courseswithout one interfering with theother. We find the same principle

in operation in worldly sover-eignties. An offender is punished,but those who behave well andplease the government becomerecipients of bounties and gifts.

It should be borne in mind thatthe basic attribute of God ismercy, and the notion of justicecomes into operation after reasonand law are established. That alsois in a way a mercy. When reasonis bestowed upon a person and,through his reason, he becomesaware of the limits set by GodAlmighty and His laws, hebecomes subject to the operationof justice, but reason and law arenot a condition for the operationof mercy. As God Almighty outof His mercy desired to exalt manabove the rest of His creation, Heprescribed the limits and rules ofjustice between them. It is a follyto imagine a contradictionbetween justice and mercy.(Kitab-u1-Bariyyah, RuhaniKhaza’in, Vol. 13, pp. 73-74)

19




Arenewed interest hasoccurred in the issue of debt

relief in recent times. Thisrenewed interest has been largelyaided by two factors: firstly, achange in the Presidency of theG8 and (soon to follow) the EU,and secondly the Ts u n a m idisaster.

Regardless of their personalambitions, both the British PrimeM i n i s t e r, Tony Blair, and hisC h a n c e l l o r, Gordon Brown,share a conviction that Britain’sleadership this year of the G8 andthe EU gives them a real chanceto tackle poverty through anarray of poverty-reductionstrategies, including debt-relief.The British Chancellor beganearly enlisting support for debtrelief. In December last year, inWashington, he called for aMarshall Plan for the world’s

p o o r. This envisaged richcountries agreeing to a doublingof aid and the initiation of amajor debt-forgiveness pro-gramme.

The second factor that has led toa re-examination of the debtissue has been the recentTsunami disaster. The giant tidalwave that hit coastal regions ofthe Indian Ocean on December26 of last year killed at least286,000 people and causedhavoc to the fragile social,economic and ecological systemsof these areas. With everyaffected country facing pressurefor higher public spending torebuild infrastructure, a mora-torium on debt payments couldnot have come at a better time.Indeed these two factors arelinked; the disaster highlightedthe increasing vulnerability of

Economic Injustice in theInternational Economic System:

By Maidah Ahmad – Canada

The Case for Debt Relief


these countries and their inabilityto respond to such disasters.

The solution to poverty indeveloping countries goesbeyond debt-relief and otherpoverty-reduction strategies.This is evident from statisticswhich show that despitecontinuous poverty-reductionstrategies made over the lastdecade of the twentieth century,the actual number of peopleliving in poverty has actuallyincreased by almost 100 million.This occurred at the same timethat total world income increasedby 2.5% annually.i Therefore, theproblem and solution lies in thenature of the internationaleconomic system which cur-rently enriches the rich at theexpense of the poor. It is onlythrough the establishment of aninternational economy basedupon the principles of absolutejustice that the misery ofdeveloping countries’ impover-ishment can be alleviated.

Origin of Debt in theDeveloping WorldThe twentieth century saw many

nations achieving political inde-pendence from the oppression ofimperialism. However, this inde-pendence did not necessarilyresult in economic freedom. As aresult of a series of factors, thesenewly-independent states havebecome economically dependentupon rich Western countries forloans. Countries incur interest-bearing loans not only fordevelopment projects, but alsofor day-to-day expenses as wellas to pay interest accrued on theirprevious loans, thus keepingthem locked in a vicious circle ofindebtedness. The dependencyon foreign loans has not onlydisrupted the economic well-being of these countries but hasalso adversely affected their self-determination and forced them,sometimes against their intereststo submit to the demands ofcreditors.

The origin of DevelopingCountries debt is largely attrib-utable to two main causes.Firstly, worldwide events in the1970s and 1980s – particularly,the oil price shocks, high interestrates and recessions in industrial

ECONOMIC INJUSTICE IN THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC SYSTEM


countries and weak commodityprices – were major contributors

to the build up of debt.Endogenous factors have alsoplayed a large role with weakeconomic policies and poorgovernance in many developingcountries. These range fromnatural disasters, resourcesdepleted by past invaders,political instability, tribalism,civil wars, corruption, to creditratings by capitalist agencies,poor exchange management, oran administration that is open tobureaucracy at its best and briberyat its worst. As a result,developing country debt rosefrom $500 billion in 1980 toapproximately $2 trillion in2 0 0 0 .i i

S e c o n d l y, the unfair free tradelaws in operation, which work to

protect Western industry at theexpense of developing countries,also increase developing coun-tries’ debt. An example of this canbe seen with reference to EUsubsidies on its agriculturalindustries. In a visit toMozambique in January of thisy e a r, Gordon Brown was struckby the extent to which protec-tionism was shutting the country’ssugar producers out of worldmarkets. British officials havepointed out that the total supportfor agriculture within OECDcountries was $318 billion,roughly five times more than allthe aid the world currentlygives. It is estimated that in


1. Nicaragua 800.6%

2. Congo 454.2%

3. Mozambique 450.4%

4. Guinea-Bissau 340.7%

5. Cote d’Ivoire 338.9%

Source: ‘State of the World report’ New Internationalist, Issue 287, November 2001.

COUNTRIES WITH THE BIGGEST DEBT-REPAYMENT BURDEN

(debt as percentage of GNP, 1994)


shutting out EU markets alone,such subsidies cost developingcountries $20 billion a year.i i i

S i m i l a r l y, the United States hasraised its farm subsidies,contributing to enriching a fewl a rge corporate farmers in theUS at the expense of the poorestof the poor internationally. Forexample, subsidies to 25,000American cotton farmers exceedthe value of what they produceand so depress cotton prices.C o n s e q u e n t l y, it is estimatedthat the millions of cottonfarmers in Africa lose more than$350 million each year.i v F o rseveral of Africa’s poorestcountries, losses from this onecrop exceed America’s foreignaid budget for each of thesec o u n t r i e s .

H o w e v e r, causes of theindebtedness of the majority ofthe world have far deeper rootsthat are embedded in thestructure of the global capitalistfinancial system based uponinterest. This is highlighted inthe following quote fromPresident Obasanjo of Nigeria,

commenting on the debt Nigeriaf a c e s :

‘All that we had borrowed upto 1985 or 1986 was around$5 billion and we have paidabout $16 billion yet we arestill being told that we oweabout $28 billion. That $28billion came about because ofthe injustice in the foreigncreditors’ interest rates. If youask me what is the worstthing in the world, I will say itis compound interest.’v

Although, an analysis of theharmful effects of interest isimportant, it goes beyond thescope of discussion of thisarticle. Suffice to say thatbecause of interest, despite ever-increasing payments total debtcontinues to rise. Consequently,the developing world now spends$13 on debt repayment for every$1 it receives in grants.vi

Faced with these unfair laws ofinternational economics, is it anywonder that these countries havebeen unable to lift themselves outof destitution? When Bob Geldof



was asked recently what hadchanged in the twenty years sinceLive Aid, he replied, a lot had,Africa had grown poorer by25%.vii

Solutions proposed to theproblem of debt relief of theDeveloping WorldVery often the exacerbatingpoverty of some Developingcountries is attributed to theforced policies imposed uponthem by global financialinstitutions such as theInternational Monetary Fund(IMF) that prevent them frombreaking free from the viciouscircle of debt and poverty.Developing countries claim thatthere is a lack of choice whendevising economic developmentgrowth strategies. However,examples from other countriesshow that alternatives areavailable. Poland, for example,employed alternative strategiesto those advocated by Westernfinancial institutions. Instead offollowing policies recommendedby the IMF, it pursued thosewhich it felt were needed for thedevelopment of its state such as

strengthening of democraticreform, keeping unemploymentlow and providing benefits forthose who were unemployed.The result – Poland is the mostsuccessful of the EasternEuropean countries. The samecan be said to be true of Ghana inAfrica

It is evident that solutions topoverty do exist and are possible.What is certain, however, is thatpoverty-reduction strategies can-not be tailor-made and dictatedfrom elsewhere. Solutions needto be home-grown and shouldtake into account the specificcharacteristics of the country andneeds of its people. In essence,there needs to be ademocratisation of the inter-national financial system.Countries are rejecting and needto continue to reject the notionthat a single set of policiesdictated by the West or Western-controlled international insti-tutions are right as this is incontradiction to both the prin-ciples of economics, whichemphasise the importance oftrade-offs, and common sense. In


25



Western countries there is oftenactive debate of every aspect of

economic policy. This needs totranscend to the international

PublicExpenditureon PrimaryEducation(US$m)

PublicExpenditureon Health(US$m)

2001 DebtService(US$m)

Debt serviceis greaterthan Health& EducationSpending

Benin 56 50 46

Bolivia 298 223 185

Burkina Faso 55 54 30

Cameroon 95 64 226 yes

The Gambia 1 1 16 yes

Guinea 60 12 78 yes

Guinea-Bissau 3 2 6 yes

Guyana 14 11 48 yes

Honduras 94 89 134 yes

Madagascar 33 45 64 yes

Malawi 82 82 59

Mali 34 25 64 yes

Mauritania 22 20 80 yes

Mozambique 119 73 48

Nicaragua 25 32 117 yes

Niger 64 48 49

Rwanda 6 8 16 yes

Sao Tome andPrincipe 3 4 2

Senegal 64 148 159 yes

Tanzania 229 88 142

Uganda 37 16 51 yes

Zambia 33 24 158 yes

Source: ‘World Development Indicators 2000.

DEBT SERVICE IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD

26



level as well. A broad range ofeconomists and officials fromdeveloping countries need also tobe involved in the debate.M o r e o v e r, participation shouldalso extend to beyond expertsand politicians so that there isgenuine consultation with allinterested stakeholders.

Such an approach is endorsed inIslam and it has laid great stresson the democratic principle ofdiscussion. The Holy Qur’ a nstates,

And whose affairs aredecided by mutual con-sultation. (Ch.42: V.39)

This makes clear that thereshould be an exchange ofinformation and viewpoints andthere should be an opportunityfor new information to beconsidered.

Thus, the economic principles ofWestern countries and inter-national institutions need to beopen to new information andideas that may expand or change

current understanding. This willalso enable developing countriesto assume responsibility for theirwell-being themselves, encour-aging them towards more effec-tive governance, democratica c c o u n t a b i l i t y, openness andtransparency.

M o r e o v e r, governments need toplay a role in not only fosteringeconomic growth, but alsoensuring social justice to off s e tinequalities of wealth produced asa result of market forces. Incountries experiencing socio-economic success, such as theScandinavian countries, govern-ments have provided a high levelof social infrastructure in the formof high-quality education to alland a generous welfare system. Inshort, governments have a role inmaking economies function eff i -c i e n t l y, as well as humanely.

Development is not aboutenriching a few, nor about beingable to buy Western consumerproducts. ‘Development is abouttransforming societies, improv-ing the lives of the poor, enablingeveryone to have a chance at

27



success and access to healthcareand education’.viii

For this is the true meaning ofdevelopment – sustainable, equi-table and democratic growth.This concept of equity is inherentin Islam. Islam seeks to establisha politico-economic systembased on morality and absolutejustice. At the centre of theIslamic system is a belief in God.The Islamic economic systemcommences with the premise thatall that is in the heavens and theearth has been created by andbelongs to Allahix, Who in turnhas entrusted man with theseearthly provisions. Hence, man’sresponsibility is to discharge thistrust honestly and equitably:

Verily, Allah commands youto make over the trusts tothose entitled to them, andthat, when you judge betweenmen, you judge with justice.And surely excellent is thatwith which Allah admonishesyou! Allah is All-Hearing,All-Seeing. (Ch.4: V.59)

The words ‘entitled to them’ inthe above quote highlights thefact that these provisions inactual fact belong not to any onegroup of people or nations,

And in their wealth is a sharebelonging to the beggar andthe destitute. (Ch.51: V.20)

And those in whose wealththere is a recognised right.For one [the beggar] whoasks for help and for one [thedestitute] who does not. (Ch.70: Vs.25-26)

These verses also remind the richthat part of their wealth in actualfact also belongs to the poor, (asit is a ‘recognised right’) towhom it must be given to helpthem live a decent and hon-ourable life.

In fact the Holy Qur’an has laiddown the foundations foreconomic justice:

It is provided for thee thatthou wilt not hunger therein,nor wilt thou be naked. And

28



thou wilt not thirst therein,nor wilt thou be exposed tothe sun. (Ch.20: Vs.119-120)

In the economic sphere thesefour fundamental rights havebeen granted to man – the right tobe fed, the right to be adequatelyclothed, the right to a cleansupply of water and the right tos h e l t e r. This ‘first charter offundamental human rights’x h a sbeen mentioned in the HolyQ u r’an with reference to theLaw of Prophet Adam( a s ). Ye tdespite the progress ofcivilisation and the great leapsin scientific and materialprogress, the basic principles ofeconomic justice set outthousands of years ago are stillnot met today.

So what happens when the basicneeds of some are not met?According to Islam, it is not justthe sufferings of one man forwhich the society of that countryis responsible but it is thes u fferings of any human beingin any society, that is to say,humanity has no geographical

boundaries, nor colour, creed orpolitical demarcations. Humanityat large is responsible and humanbeings as such are answerable toGod. Whenever natural or man-made disasters strike anyc o m m u n i t y, it must be treated asa human problem and allsocieties and states of the worldmust help alleviate thes u ff e r i n g s .x i It is only in Islamthat the level of consciousnessand sensitivity to the suff e r i n gof fellow human beings is raisedto such a degree wherebymembers of society as a wholeare concerned more about whatthey owe to society than whatsociety owes to them.x i i

This is in stark contrast to thecurrent rationality of theinternational financial system.Wealthy countries devise macro-economic policies to assure thecontinued strengthening of theireconomies at the expense ofweaker nations. Furthermore,they have used global financialinstitutions to further theirnationalistic agendas. Whetherit is giving out loans, grants oraid to developing countries,

29



setting up and promoting tradeand financial co-operationbetween nation-states, richcountries pursue policies thatfurther the interests of them-selves at the expense of poorern a t i o n s .

In short, morality needs to returnto international relations. Thiscan only be achieved by estab-lishing a set of universal valuesbased upon absolute justice;where the world’s poor aretreated as being of equal worth,of having the same rights of lifeand liberty. Hadhrat KhalifatulMasih IV(ru) writes that the rootcause of problems, whethersocial, political, economic ormoral, is the violations of theprinciple of justice.x i i i Wi t h o u tglobal justice, peace cannotprevail in the inter- n a t i o n a lsystem.

Referencesi Joseph, E. Stiglitz, Globalisation and its

Discontents (2003: London) p5.

ii IMF, ‘The Logic of Debt Relief’, IMFWorking Papers, September 2000.

iii Patrick Wi n t o u r, ‘Mandela backs

B r o w n ’s plea for Africa’, G u a rd i a n,January 17 2005.

iv Joseph E. Stiglitz, Globalisation and itsDiscontents (2003: London) p254.

v Quoted in Jubilee 2000 news update,August 2000.

vi Anup Shah, see following website:w w w. g l o b a l i s s u e s . o rg / Tr a d e R e l a t e d / D e bt / S c a l e . a s p.

vii Bob Geldof, Why Africa? Delivered atthe Bar Human Rights Commission bi-annual lecture at St Paul’s Cathedral, 20April 2004.

viii Joseph E. Stiglitz, Globalisation and itsDiscontents (2003: London), p252.

ix The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 3: Al-Imran,Verse 190. Edited by Malik GhulamFarid, Published 2002.

x Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, AbsoluteJustice, Kindness and Kinship: The ThreeC reative Principles, (1996: IslamInternational Publications), p117.

xi Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, I s l a m ’sResponse to Contemporary Issues, (1992:London) p212.

xii ibid,

xiii Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, AbsoluteJustice, Kindness and Kinship: The ThreeCreative Principles, (1996: London),p99.


Zakat is an important subjectand we should, therefore,

understand the underlying philo-sophy of this great injunction ofthe Holy Qur’an. The importanceof this basic command in Islamcannot be overstressed as it isone of the main sources ofnational progress and rapidadvancement.

Zakat is a part of devotionenjoined upon the Muslims bythe Holy Qur’an. In order tounderstand its proper aim andpurpose one must bear in mindthat whatever has been createdon the earth is entirely for thebenefit of mankind. God says inthe Qur’an:

He it is Who created for youall that is in the earth. (Ch.2: V.30)

And again He says:

And He has subjected to youwhatever is in the heavensand whatsoever is in theearth; all this is from Him. . . (Ch.45: V.14)

It is, therefore, not at all diff i c u l tto understand that everything thathas been created in the whole ofthe universe is for the service andthe benefit of all mankind and isnot confined or limited to anyspecial persons or groups. Thesehave neither been created forTom, nor for Dick, nor for Harryand for that matter neither for thePharaoh. Nay, these are createdfor everyone who is born in thisworld. Therefore, be it thegovernor or the governed, be herich or poor, be he great or smallor be he the king or one of his

The Philosophy

of ZakatBy the Late Maulana Sheikh Mubarak Ahmad, former Imam of the London Mosque

An Urdu speech delivered atthe 1975 Annual Jalsa inRabwah, Pakistan.

Translated by the Late MrMuhammad Akram KhanGhauri.


subjects, no single person couldever claim to be the sole inheritorand say that these were createdonly for him.

But in actual practice we see that,for various reasons, every man isnot deriving equal benefit andthere are some who are getting nobenefit at all. God has, therefore,directed a special course, aspecial system under which eventhose who have no means to gettheir share may derive a certainbenefit from what God hascreated for mankind and fromwhich they have been totallydenied their share.

The Holy Qur’an also guides usto the fact that God alone is theSupreme Master of everythingand He alone owns the entireuniverse and all its contents. Hes a y s ;

To Allah belongs whatever isin the heavens and whateveris in the earth... (Ch.2: V.285)

For the very simple reason thatGod is the Creator and the

Sustainer of all the worlds andmen and animals and all elsehave been created by Him,therefore, all His creatures have aright in all His creations.

The Holy Qur’an says:

And in their wealth was ashare for one who asked forhelp and for one who couldnot. (Ch.51: V.20)

So long as the have-nots do notget their due share, they have aclaim on the wealth andpossessions of the rich. For thisreason Islam has laid down rulesunder which the due share of thepoor and the weak is taken fromthe wealth of the rich. Thissystem under which the poor gettheir due share is known as the‘Zakat’.

What is Zakat?What is the real significance ofZakat? We should know that theword ‘Zakat’ comes from theArabic language and is a nounfrom the root ‘Z’, ‘K’ and ‘W’which means that a certain thing

THE PHILOSOPHY OF ZAKAT – PART I


has become available inabundance. When this is used inrelation with Allah, it would meanthat God has caused someone togrow and develop in a perfectm a n n e r. Another meaning is thatGod has caused him to bepurified. Al-Zakat also means athing of the highest quality; orperfect obedience to Allah. Thereis another meaning also, i.e. acertain portion levied ons o m e o n e ’s possessions so that theremaining part becomes blessedwith purity.

Another lexicographer explainsthat these alms are called Zakatfor the reason that the wealth andriches from which this portion hasbeen taken becomes blessed andis bound to turn plenteous anddefinitely makes it immune fromloss and depreciation.

We, therefore, come to understandthat Zakat, in fact, is the means ofincreasing, cleansing and puri-fying; of growth and of blessingsand of ensuring protection frompoverty and all sorts of embar-rassments and of submission andobedience to Allah. It is the

peculiarity of the Arabic languagethat its words hold withinthemselves the meanings andtheir beauty and philosophy. Wecould say that the entirephilosophy and usefulness ofZakat is contained in the worditself. We know that it is themeans of cleansing and purifyingo n e ’s possessions as well as one’ssoul; Zakat makes one flourishand prosper. One also gains thepleasure of Allah through it. Itensures personal progress andmaterial welfare.

The Assessment of ZakatAccording to the Islamic law onehas to pay 2.5% of one’s cashm o n e y, capital, stock andtradeable assets, including goldand silver jewellery that had beenheld for one full year, provided itexceeded the threshold (i.e. abovethe assessable limit). This is paidto help the poor and the needy, ashas been commanded by the HolyQ u r’an and explained and put intopractice by the Holy Prophet( s a )

h i m s e l f .

It must be remembered that Zakatis not an income tax that is levied



on one’s income, but it is leviedon one’s savings and is spentwholly for the benefit of the poorand the needy. Islam has imposedZakat on wealth and propertieswhich have the attribute ofincreasing and multiplying andwhich could also be preserveds a f e l y, for which reason it isassessed every year during whichone has had ample chances ofspending. It is on this principlethat gold, silver, cash in any shapeor form, business stock, goats,sheep and cattle which feedthemselves by grazing and all theproduce from the land areassessable for Zakat. But no Zakatis to be paid on land, houses forpersonal residence, and othergoods in daily use e.g. fruit andvegetables are not assessable.

A proper scale for assessment hasbeen fixed, as for instance 620grammes of silver and 87grammes of gold are liable forassessment. Stock-in-trade andhouses that are rented and bringincome are assessable after everytwelve months. This is Zakat andis collected for the poor and then e e d y. (See Appendix, page 48)

Jewellery in the form of gold andsilver in one’s use or which isloaned for use to poor friends isnot assessable. It is preferablethat the rich people should payZakat on their jewellery in theirown use but which is not loanedto the poor at all. It brings meritif paid, although it is notcompulsory. But the jewellery ofgold and silver which is not inuse is definitely taxable. Zakathas to be paid on this every yearso long as it falls above theminimum level of assessment asspecified above.

It is evident from the HolyQur’an that Zakat was being paidfrom the time when thecommand for this had beenrevealed. We read in the ChapterAl-Muzzammil:

. . . and observe Prayer, andpay the Zakat, and lend toAllah a goodly loan. Andwhatever good you send onbefore you for your souls, youwill find it with Allah. It willbe better and greater inreward... (Ch.73: V.21)



The Spending of Zakat In the earliest period of Islam, themethod of paying Zakat adoptedby the Companions was that theyused to pay all that was left aftertheir personal needs. But grad-ually a scale was worked outuntil the Chapter Al Tauba wasrevealed before the Fall of Meccain 8AH and the following versewas revealed:

The alms are only for thepoor and the needy and forthose employed in connectiont h e rewith, and for thosewhose hearts are to bereconciled and for the freeingof slaves, and for those indebt, and for the cause ofAllah, and for the wayfarer-an ordinance from Allah. AndAllah is All-Knowing, Wise. (Ch.9: V.60)

In the above verse Allah hasoutlined the spending of theZakat in eight diff e r e n tcategories and these are asfollows;

1. The PoorThe poor are those people who

depend upon others for sub-sistence. This includes, thedisabled who cannot earn andwho depend upon others for theirdaily needs, one or more of thosewho cannot earn as much asrequired for normal subsistenceand may even be reduced to thepoint of starving, those who areengaged in the service of thefaith and who cannot spare timefor earning their own livelihood.

God says in the Holy Qur’an:

These alms are for the poorwho are detained in the causeof Allah and are unable tomove about in the land . . . (Ch.2: V.274)

In this category were alsoconsidered the ‘Companions ofthe Lounge’ (As-habus Sufa) ofthe time of the Holy Prophet(sa)

who voluntarily remainedattached to a Man of God, neverquitting his company, in order tobenefit spiritually from it.

2. The NeedyAs a matter of fact the needypeople also come under the



category of the poor. The onlydifference is that ‘Miskeen’ is‘saakin’ (stationary) – the poorwho do not move away unlessand until their need is removed.But the Holy Prophet( s a ) h a sdefined the ‘Miskeen’ as onewho confines himself to his ownhouse and who does not gobegging after people; nor does helet them know that he is light ofpurse.

The Holy Qur’an also describesthem:

...The ignorant man thinksthem to be free from wantbecause of their abstainingf rom begging. Thou shaltknow them by theirappearance, they do not begof men with importunity... (Ch.2: V.274)

Such a man maintains his dignityeven if he is at death’s door anddoes not extend his hand begging.The point in mentioning the‘Miskeen’ quite separate from thepoor is that he is more deservingthan an ordinary poor man andGod Almighty has especially

drawn the attention of thoseresponsible for disbursing Zakatto bear that fact in mind whendistributing alms. They must notgive preference to those whocome craving and clam-ouringand ignore those who stand aloofand hesitant. Those who maintaintheir dignity and give a proof ofhigh moral integrity do deservemuch more consideration. TheHoly Prophet( s a ) had condemnedb e g g i n g .

3. The staff responsibleThe department and the staffengaged especially for theadministration and disbursementof Zakat have to be paid fromthis fund only.

4. For those whose hearts are tobe reconciledThe literal meaning of ‘Al-Muallafat-Al-Qulub’ is ‘thosewhose hearts have become joinedwith you’. Under this categorycome those who, on account ofsome kind of fear from thedisbelievers, do not or cannotcome out in the open and declarethemselves Muslims, but aredefinitely very much inclined



towards Islam. It would bepermissible to render assistanceto such men to come out of thesphere of influence of thedisbelievers.

Then there are those men who arethoroughly convinced of the truthof Islam but are in the unhappyposition of losing their means oflivelihood if they declare thatthey are Muslims. They may alsobe given assistance from theZakat funds. But this does notmean that financial assistancewould be given simply to attractpeople to Islam. This wouldsurely make them hypocrites.

Those who interpret the aboveterm to mean that it is lawful toattract and lure people to Islamwith money are exceedinglywrong and are guilty of bringinga bad name to Islam. Theyascribe a thing to Islam for whichneither Allah is responsible norHis Prophet( s a ). Islam does notstand in need of enticing peoplethrough monetary or other gains.Islam must be accepted on itsown merits.

5. Freeing SlavesThe phrase ‘Fir-riqaab’ literallymeans ‘setting the neck free’.This is the term used for gettingsomeone freed from the yoke ofslavery. Freedom of slaves can bepurchased with the Zakat funds.For this, there are no restrictionsthat the slave must necessarily bea Muslim. In the beginning ofIslam all slaves were non-Muslims.

The term ‘Fir-riqaab’ alsoapplies to men in distress whomay virtually be like slaves, forexample someone who has beenimprisoned on account of debtsthat he is unable to pay. Suchmen may be given assistancefrom the Zakat funds.

6. ‘Wal-Gharimeen’‘Gharimeen’ are those boundunder penalty or a guaranteegiven on behalf of someone whowas in difficulty and for whichthey are not personally res-ponsible. As for instance onewho issued a guarantee for somefriend or a relative or he mayunintentionally or unknowinglycause the death of someone or he



may have suffered a heavy lossin business for reasons beyondhis control and one who couldrecover his losses only throughtimely assistance. Zakat fundcould be used for this purpose.

7. In the Way of AllahUnder this sub-heading come theorganising of the Muslims, theirprotection, their stability or fortheir progress and welfare. Thiskind of expenditure is for thebenefit of the whole nation andcarries great importance. Zakatfunds could also be used for this.

8. ‘ Ibnis-Sabeel’Under this heading come thetravellers of small means whoneed some assistance. Sometimeseven a wealthy and rich travellerwho has exhausted all his fundsthat he has brought with him maystand in need of financialassistance. One may have becomethe victim of a crook and maytherefore be out of funds. Suchtravellers may also be givenassistance from the Zakat funds.

Under this sub-heading also comethe expenses for providing means

of comfort for the travellers. Asfor instance constructing roads,bridges, guesthouses or providingall the necessary informationabout travel and providingliterature for this purpose. Zakatfunds could be used for all thesep u r p o s e s .

Zakat is the means of nationalprogressWe have given above thepurposes for which Zakat fundsare used to provide assistance forpeople of different walks of lifewho need to be assisted. It isevident that Zakat is an effectivemeans of national progress andadvancement. Zakat is a statecheque and not charity. ThePromised Reformer, HadhratMirza Mahmud Ahmad, mayGod be pleased with him, hasstated:

‘No religion except Islamprovides an injunction likethat of Zakat. No doubtsomething like Zakat is alsofound in the Jewish faith, butnot in so fine a detail as inIslam where all the differentheads of expenditure are also



explained at length to includeall possible means of nationalprogress. Zakat entails a col-lective effort that is not foundin the Jewish ordinance.

In the ordinance of Zakat inIslam each and every type ofneedy person has beendescribed. As for example acertain person lacks financesfor business. Islam com-mands that he should begiven assistance. There is atailor quite proficient in hisprofession but he is unable tobuy a sewing machine. Islamcommands that he should behelped from the Zakat funds;then there may be a man whois fully conversant with thework of a horse-trap which hewishes to ply for hire. But helacks the capital with whichto buy. Islam commands thathe should be given assistancein buying this for him. Atraveller comes to a town. Heis very well off and hasenough money with him buthe is robbed and has no timeto get anything from home.He also should be helped out

of his difficulty from theZakat funds. If a poor manhappens to go to prison andleaves nothing for his wifeand children to live upon,they also have a right to gethelp from the Zakat funds.

In short the Zakat dis-bursements are so flexiblethat all types of men of anyreligion or nation couldderive benefit from it withoutany sufferance or humiliation,because payments are madeby the government and not byany individual. Individuals,even if they so wish, cannotpay out their Zakat money tothe poor themselves. Take myown case. I cannot distributemy Zakat money to the poormyself. It has got to be paidinto the government treasuryfrom where it will be dulydistributed among the deserv-ing poor and the needy. If thegovernment pays my moneyto my neighbour, he shallreceive it from the govern-ment even though it may bethe money that I had paid.Thus, my neighbour will not



be under any debt of gratitudeto me nor feel anyhumiliation or any sense ofshame. Therefore under theZakat system no poor manhas any cause to feel disgraceor to hide his face and in spiteof the fact that he hasreceived the amount that waspaid by his rich neighbour, hehas no need to look small andhumiliated. He can say that hehas not taken any help fromhim.’(Tareekh-i-Ahmadiyya, Vol. 5,PP.66-67)

The importance of Zakat inIslamIslam has laid a great stress onthe importance of Zakat and hasincluded it in the basicprinciples. While discoursingabout the basic principles ofIslam, the Holy Prophet (sa) said:

‘Islam has been founded onfive pillars – to be a witnessthat there is no God but Allahand that Muhammad is theMessenger of Allah; andsaying the Prayers (incongregation); and paying the

Zakat; and the Hajj; andfasting in its month.’ (Bukhari: Vol. 1; the Book ofFaith)

Addressing the Muslims on theoccasion of his last Hajj, theHoly Prophet(sa), said:

‘Fear God and observe yourfive prayers and you must fastin the month of Ramadhanand pay the Zakat from yourwealth and obey when youare commanded and yourGod shall grant youadmission to paradise.’(Tirmidhi)

We can also judge theimportance of Zakat from thefact that Zakat has beenbracketed with the Prayers in theHoly Qur’an which proves thatthe payment of Zakat is equallyas important as the Prayer andthese two are classed as blessingsof Allah Who says in the HolyQur’an:

A guidance and good tidingsto those who would believe,who observe Prayer and pay



the Zakat, and have firm faithin the Hereafter.(Ch.27: Vs.3-4)

One can see in the Holy Qur’anthat Prayer and the Zakat havebeen bracketed together, not oncebut twenty-seven times. GodAlmighty says:

And observe Prayer and paythe Zakat; and whatever goodyou send on before you foryourselves, you shall find itwith Allah; surely, Allah seesall that you do. (Ch.2: V.111)

But if they repent and observePrayer and pay the Zakat,then they are your brethren infaith. And We explain theSigns for a people who haveknowledge. (Ch.9: V.11)

This refers to the disbelieversand those who associate othergods with Allah.

Zakat, along with observingPrayer, is stated to be the truesign of Islam.

We read:

Those who, if We establishthem in the earth, willobserve Prayer and pay theZakat and enjoin good andforbid evil. And with Allahrests the final issue of allaffairs. (Ch.22: V.42)

And again we read:

. . . and especially those whoo b s e rve Prayer and thosewho pay the Zakaat and thosewho believe in Allah and theLast Day. To these We willsurely give a great reward.(Ch.4: V.163)

The Holy Qur’an has mentionedthe Prayer and the Zakatseparately also and this has beendone again and again. Sometimesit is mentioned with the ‘Faith inAllah’, sometimes it is men-tioned with the ‘Last Day’, andsometimes it is mentionedentirely on its own account andits importance emphasised. Godsays:



...But My mercy encompassesall things; so 1 will ordain itfor those who act righteously,and pay the Zakat and thosewho believe in Our Signs. (Ch.7: V.157)

And again He says:

. . . but whatever you give InZakat seeking the favour ofAllah – it is these who willi n c rease their wealthmanifold.(Ch.30: V.40)

The Holy Prophet( s a ), in hisexhortations, very often stressedhighly the importance of Zakatafter explaining to the Muslimsthe significance of Prayers. Andwhenever someone asked himregarding the do’s and do-nots inIslam, he would, after tellingabout the importance of Prayers,explain in detail the importanceof paying the Zakat.

Abu Ayub has reported in theTraditions that once a man cameand asked the Holy Prophet(sa),kindly to point out to him an actwhich would take him straight to

paradise, even though it involvedall his wealth. The HolyProphet(sa) said:

‘The most glorious thing foryou would be to worshipAllah and not to associateanything with Him and toobserve Prayer and to pay theZakat and to show kindnessto all your relatives.’(Bukhari: Vol. 1, p.165,printed in Egypt)

There is another Tradition thatwas reported by Abu Hurairawho said that once a Bedouincame to the Holy Prophet(sa) andasked, ‘Do please tell me aboutan act which, if I do it, shall takeme straight to paradise.’ T h eHoly Prophet (sa) said: ‘Wo r s h i pAllah and do not associateanything with Him; and observePrayer which is binding, and paythe Zakat which may be due andkeep fasts during the month ofRamadan.’ The Bedouin thensaid, ‘I take Him as my witness,Who is the Lord of my life, that Ishall not add a mite to it, norshall I lessen a wee bit from it.’Then he went away. The Holy



P r o p h e t(sa) then said: ‘Anyonewho wishes to see a man fromamong the dwellers of Paradise,he should look at that man.’(Bukhari: Vol. 1. p.169)

Whenever the Holy Prophet( s a )

took the oath of allegiance fromanyone, he never failed tomention these two (Prayer andZakat). We have the Tradition inwhich Jabeer bin Abdullahreported that he took his oath ofallegiance and the HolyP r o p h e t( s a ) made it binding onhim to observe Prayers regularly,to pay the Zakat and to wish wellfor each and every Muslim.(Bukhari).

A deputation from Abdul Qaiscame to the Holy Prophet(sa) inthe year 5AH. They sought someinformation about Islam and thefirst things he explained wereabout observing Prayers andpaying Zakat.

In the year 9AH the HolyProphet(sa) sent Hadhrat Mu-adhon the mission to go and preachIslam in Yemen. He instructedhim the order of preference in

which to preach. He said, ‘Youmust in the first instance callthem to the Unity of God andwhen they become familiar withthis, then tell them that toobserve Prayer five times daily isan important basic principle andwhen they accept this then tellthem that it is incumbent uponevery Muslim to pay the Zakaton their possessions which istaken from them to be distributedto their own poor people.’

The Holy Prophet(sa) had spent allhe had in the way of Allah. Hedied without any material wealth.During the month of Ramadan heused to spend so much that theleft hand knew not what the righthand possessed. He promotedthis spending secretly as well aswith the knowledge of others.

The practice and under-standing of Zakat by theCompanionsAll his very close companionswere fully conversant with thedetails of Zakat and whenever anoccasion arose they fullyexpounded it as they had learntdirect from the Holy Prophet(sa)



himself. After the demise of theHoly Prophet( s a ), when sometribes rebelled and refused to paythe Zakat, Hadhrat Abu Bakr(ra)

most firmly and undauntedlyproclaimed,

‘By God, I shall fight allthose who discriminated evena little between observingPrayer and paying the Zakatas it is incumbent uponwealth. By God, if they refuseto give me even the rope fortying the camel’s knee whichthey used to give to the HolyProphet(sa) I shall fight thembecause of this denial.’(Mishkat: the Book of Zakat)

In another version it is mentionedthat Hadhrat Abu Bakr(ra) said:

‘Zakat is incumbent uponwealth and by God if anyonediscriminates between Prayerand Zakat, he who used togive a small lamb to the HolyProphet, he shall have to givethe same to me also.’(Authentic Bukhari: Book ofZakat: Vol. 1)

Some orientalists have miscon-strued from this tradition that thepayment of Zakat only becamecompulsory after the death of theHoly Prophet( s a ). The HolyQ u r’an, which was revealedduring the Prophet’s lifetime, andtraditions quoted earlier provethat their allegation is totallyincorrect. On the contrary,Hadhrat Abu Bakr (ra) enforces thepractice of the Holy Prophet(sa) inthis tradition.

Warning for those who do notpay ZakatThe Holy Qur’an also warnsthose who do not pay Zakat thatthey shall be punished. Zakat isso important an injunction that itsdefaulter earns, without the leastdoubt, the displeasure of AllahWho has warned all in theQur’an:

. . . And woe to idolaters whodo not pay the zakat, and theyit is who deny the Hereafter.(Ch.41: Vs.7-8)

Those who do not pay the Zakatare called ‘idolaters’ in the aboveverses and they have been



warned in the following verse ofthe Holy Qur’an:

And let not those, who aren i g g a rdly with respect towhat Allah has given them ofHis bounty, think that it isgood for them; nay, it is evilfor them. That with respect towhich they were niggard l yshall be put as a collar roundtheir necks on the day ofResurrection. (Ch.3: V.181)

And in the Chapter Al-TaubahHe says:

. . . And those who hoard upgold and silver and spend itnot in the way of Allah–giveto them the tidings of apainful punishment, on theday when it shall be made hotin the fire of Hell, and theirforeheads and their sides andtheir backs shall be brandedtherewith and it shall be saidto them: “This is what youtreasured up for yourselves;so now taste what you used totreasure up”. (Ch.9: Vs.34-35)

In the above verses a warning ofpunishment in the hereafter hasbeen given. (For a detaileddiscussion on the state of man inthe life hereafter see T h ePhilosophy of the Teachings ofIslam by Hadhrat Mirza GhulamAhmad(as))

A warning from the HolyProphet(sa)

In the Traditions also a warninghas been given of a dreadful pun-ishment. The Holy Prophet ( s a ),said, ‘He who has been blessed byAllah with affluence, but does notpay Zakat on his assessableassets, shall, on the Day ofResurrection, accost his wealth inthe shape of a serpent who willcatch hold of both his jaws andbite him saying ‘I am yourwealth’ and then the HolyP r o p h e t( s a ) recited this verse:

And let not those who areniggardly . . . on the Day ofResurrection. (Ch.3: V.181)

It is mentioned in anotherTradition that the Holy Prophet(sa)

saw two women wearing bangles



of gold on their wrists and heasked them whether they hadpaid Zakat on them. They bothreplied in the negative. He thensaid, ‘Do you wish that you bewearing bangles of fire instead ofthese?’ They said, ‘No.’ He thensaid that they should pay Zakatfor them (Tirmidhi).

In another Tradition of S a h i hBukhari it is mentioned that theHoly Prophet( s a ) will refuse tointercede for those who do notpay the Zakat (Bukhari).

But this also is a fact so oftenproved that whenever theassessable portion of Zakatremains intact with one’spossessions, one has to suff e rloss here in this world over andabove the retribution in theHereafter. Hadhrat Ayesha(ra), theHoly Prophet’s spouse, said, ‘Ihave heard the Holy Prophet(sa)

saying “If the Zakat portionremains unpaid from anyone’sassets, that portion causes theruin of the whole.”’ (Mishkat:the Book of Zakat)

An Ansar of Madinah, named

Th’alabah, once came to theHoly Prophet(sa) and entreated forsupplication on his behalf that hemay become rich. The HolyP r o p h e t( s a ) did as he wasrequested. The man had pro-mised that he would always paythe due Zakat. God Almightyaccepted the supplications of theHoly Prophet( s a ) on behalf ofTh’alabah and made himaffluent. He got so engrossed intending his goats that he began toneglect his Prayers and graduallycompletely stopped coming tothe mosque for Prayers. Once theHoly Prophet( s a ) enquired fromhis companions about Th’alabah,what had happened to him andwhy he did not come for Prayers?Someone told him that he wasbusy looking after his flocks. TheHoly Prophet(sa) said sadly, ‘Howpitiable for Th’alabah’, and herepeated this three times.

When the command for Zakatwas revealed from Allah to theHoly Prophet ( s a ) he sent somemen for collecting Zakat fromhim. But Th’alabah refused,saying what is this penalty for?He asked them to come some



other time. But when they wentto him again, he refused again,complaining that he was beingpenalised for no reason at all.The men came back to the HolyP r o p h e t( s a ) and reported whatTh’alabah had said. The HolyP r o p h e t( s a ) said, ‘How sad forTh’alabah’, and there and thenthe following verse was revealedto him:

And among them there arethose who made a covenantwith Allah, saying, “If Hegives us of His bounty, wewould most surely give almsand be of the virtuous.” Butwhen He gave them of Hisbounty they became niggardlyof it, and they turned away inaversion. So He re q u i t e dthem with hypocrisy whichshall last in their hearts untilthe day when they shall meetHim, because they broke theirp romise to Allah, andbecause they lied. (Ch.9: Vs.75-77)

Someone went to Th’alabah andtold him that some verses hadbeen received concerning him.

Th’alabah at once came runningto the Holy Prophet( s a ) a n doffered to pay the Zakat. But theHoly Prophet(sa) refused to acceptanything from him and said,‘Allah has commanded me not toaccept any alms from you as youhave been guilty of breakingyour words.’

After the demise of the HolyProphet(sa), Th’alabah brought thedue Zakat portion to Abu Bakr(ra),to Umar ( r a ) and to Uthman( r a )

every year. But each of theseCaliphs refused to acceptanything from him. The mandied during the caliphate ofHadhrat Uthman(ra).

Harith bin Wahab reports that heheard the Holy Prophet(sa) s a y :‘Spend in the way of Allahbecause a time will come on youwhen man shall take his alms togive and will find no one to giveit to. Another will say: Had youbrought it yesterday, I wouldhave accepted but today I do notneed it.’ (Bukhari)

Precisely according to theseprophetic words, there came a



time during the middle and laterKhilafat when the Muslims hadbecome so rich that no oneaccepted alms. That is theeconomic revolution that Zakatweaves into our lives.

One can easily deduce from theabove how important it is to paythe Zakat and also howbeneficially it is disbursed. TheReformer of this age, thePromised Messiah(as), has made itvery clear to all his followersthat:

‘O ye all, who considerthemselves members of myC o m m u n i t y, you shall beconsidered, in heaven, themembers of my Communityonly when you will really andtruly walk in the paths ofrighteousness. Observe,therefore, your five dailyprayers with the fear of Godin your hearts and with suchan attention as if you areactually seeing Him withyour own eyes. And alsoobserve your fasts with allsincerity and everyone fromamong you who is liable to

pay the Zakat must pay it andmust go for the Hajj on whomit is due and for whom thereare no impediments.’

(to be continued)

1 [It should noted that HadhratMirza Tahir Ahmad. Khalifa-tul-Masih IV ( r u ) wrote that,‘[Zakat] is normally levied at2.5% on disposable assetsabove specific thresholdswhich have remained in thehands of owners beyond oneyear. Although much has beensaid about the rate orpercentage of this tax, we findno reference to any fixedpercentage in the Holy Qur’an.In this respect I beg to differwith the dogmatic view ofmedieval scholars. I believethat the question of percentageremains flexible and should bedetermined according to thestate of the economy in aparticular country.’ (I s l a m ’sResponse to ContemporaryI s s u e s, published by IslamInternational Publications Ltd,1992, p.146). Ed]


48



APPENDIXNisaab – Quorum of ZakatAggregationZakat is payable on a herd of 40-120goats (see livestock). But three peoplecollectively owning 120 goats cannotoffer one goat. Nor can an assessor ofZakat aggregate the combined wealthof two brothers to take them above onethreshold. But in aggregating currencynotes or coins, all of them should beadded to establish the threshold. Wherewealth is jointly owned and cannot beseparated to individual participators, itwill be aggregated and treated as if itbelonged to one entity, but where thereare partners and their assets can beallocated per partner, they will betreated as separate individuals. Onthese aspects, there exists disputeamong various schools of juris-prudence, but the correct principle isthat assets should not be aggregated toavoid Zakat nor should an assessor ofZakat aggregate or treat as separatejoint wealth to extract more Zakat thanmay actually be due.

AgricultureNo Zakat is payable on produceobtained from the land on which tax ispayable to the government.

Zakat becomes due on produce onlywhen the crop is harvested andgathered. This is an important distinc-tion because on all other kinds ofwealth, Zakat becomes due only when aMuslim has had its possession for one

full lunar calendar year, whereas withcrops it becomes payable immediatelyon harvest. This is because in thesubsequent year, the wealth obtainedfor the previous year may have beenspent and the current year may be opento uncertainties of weather and currentmarket prices. Similarly, with croprotation, at each harvest, even ifoccurring more than once a year, Zakatis payable each time.

Produce from arable land nourishedthrough natural rainfall is assessable atone-tenth of the total open market valueobtained for the crop harvested. Thefirst ton by Iraqi standard or two-thirdsof a ton by Hejaz standard is exemptfrom Zakat.

Where produce from the land isobtained by other means of irrigation,e.g. canals or other artificial means,then only one-twentieth (5%) ispayable as Zakat on the crop harvested.The reason for this distinction is thatlabour would have been expounded inproviding irrigation and remunerationneeds to be reserved for that purpose.

CoinsOnce Zakat has been paid on somethingthere is no harm in keeping that wealth(Bukhari, Ch. 4 on Zakat). Zakat is notpayable on borrowed funds.

During the Holy Prophet’s(sa) time, andeven today, the principal unit ofcurrency was silver, though present

49



method of minting coins has lessenedthe silver content in coins. Zakatbecomes payable on the pure silvercontent after the first five units (620grammes of silver, or 200 Dirhams, or52 1/2 tolas) and thus the rate applicableto gold is the equivalent of gold that canbe purchased for the stipulatedminimum amount of silver. Similarly,coins of all metals are assessableexactly as silver at 2.5% after the firstminimum for silver equivalent.

Where a person has had coins, or a setof coins, at more than one place andthey have remained there for more thanone year, they must all be accounted inthe assessment of Zakat, no matterwhere situated. (The same rule appliesto livestock, etc., and to the minimumthreshold assessment of whateversource).

The hoarding of units of currencywhich should circulate freely deprivesthe poor who have a right to the totalwealth (see: Warning for those who donot pay Zakat).

God Almighty does not accept Zakat onmoney which has been obtained bytheft, deceit, fraud or bribery, nor doesthe payment of Zakat from such sourcesrender it pure. The PromisedMessiah(as) states:

‘Some people pay Zakat but are notmindful of the fact whether theirearning has been acquired lawfully

or illegally. Remember, if a personslaughters a dog in the name ofAllah and though he pronouncesHis name on it or slaughters aswine with similar rites, could thatdog or swine be reckoned to beHalal? It indeed shall remainforbidden. Zakat originates fromTAZKIA as a result of whichwealth is purified so that a humanbeing may earn his livelihood frompure and lawful means and mayspend in the cause of faith. It isowing to such mistakes that theyfail to grasp the truth. One mustrefrain wholly from such notions.The pillars of Islam are means ofour salvation but as a result of sucherrors people stray from the rightpath.’

On currency notes of whatever denom-ination, Zakat is similarly payable byestablishing their value against an ex-change of the silver price. This isbecause such notes are merely themodern bearer currency unit of theformer silver or gold standard whichover recent years has been abandonedfor floating rates of exchange yet bearsome relationship to the gold (perhapssubject to greater fluctuation) and silverprices. The same rule applies to coinsof other metals, foreign currency, billsof exchange and other negotiableinstruments. With monetarism replac-ing other methods of controllingeconomy, governments invariably try tocontrol money supply to maintain

50



exchange parities though the interplayof interest rate (interest is totallyforbidden in Islam) is a factor thatcannot be ignored by world economists.All such factors affect the current valueof monetary items and it is on thatvalue, above the minimum threshold,that Zakat becomes payable

ExclusionsAny form of capital or income which isdifficult to account or be assessed is notliable to Zakat. But rents received fromreal estate, other accountable tradingprofits from buses, etc., or bankaccounts, or livestock or crops, or goldand silver, or royalties from mineralrights can all be readily accounted andare assessable. But sundry incomewhich cannot be accounted, oraccommodation for one’s own use, orchattels in constant use, e.g. clothing,soft furnishing or values of factories,etc., are excluded from assessment.

GoldSee notes on silver for establishingvalue. The minimum standard (thresh-old) above which Zakat is payable is, atcurrent rates, about 87 grammes ofgold, above which Zakat becomespayable at 2.5% (or one-fortieth) on thepure gold content.

Gold and silver, or indeed any otherornaments, e.g. precious stones, etc., inconstant use (i.e. are regularly worn) orwhich have been lent for use by the poor,are excluded from the assessment of

Zakat. But gold and silver, etc., keptlocked up in a jewellery or safe-depositbox for a year or more are assessable toZakat. Nonetheless, this distinctionshould not be exploited as a loopholeand Zakat should not be evaded merelyon the pretext of casual usage becauseGod well knows what a Muslim’sintentions are.

Livestock CamelsNo Zakat is payable on a herd of lessthan 5 camels.

Goats and SheepOne goat or sheep is to be surrenderedas Zakat from a flock of 40 (minimum)to 120 animals.

Number ofCamelsowned

Zakat payable

Between 5-9 camels one goat

10-14 camels two goats

15-19 camels three goats

20-24 camels four goats

25-35 camels one camel (1 yr old)

36-45 camels one camel (2 yrs old)



76-90 camels two camels (2 yrs old)

91-120 camels two camels (3 yrs old)

For each 40 camels above that one camel 2 yrs old

For each 50camels above one camel 3 yrsthat old, etc.

51



In offering animals as Zakat, an old orlame animal should not be surrendered.An assessor of Zakat should neitherobtain the healthiest specimen if theflock is generally old or poor in quality.

Some schools of jurisprudence havedevised tables for assessment, but theseare not universally accepted by otherschools.

CattleOne calf is to be surrendered for everythirty heads of cattle.

HorsesOnly the profit obtained from thepurchase and sale of horses in trade isassessable to Zakat at 2.5% of the profitmade. The reason for this distinction isthat whereas other livestock animalsprovide meat and hides for skins, astable of horses is not used as aninvestment for these purposes.

Mineral ResourcesThe income arising from what the earthyields belongs to the entire community.Thus a higher rate is fixed for these.Zakat is levied at 20% (one-fifth) of thenet income from mines, excavatedtreasures, inclusive of royaltiesobtained therefrom. Despite the highcost of extraction, the profit arisingfrom such ventures should rightlybelong in part to the rest of thecommunity with the balance belongingto the entrepreneur who undertook therisk. This includes oil revenues,

whether obtained from the land orseabed and all other mineral resources,e.g. gold, silver, diamonds. Cutdiamonds and smelted gold, etc., then ifpossessed and held for more than a yearin the hands of an individual is alsoassessable to Zakat at 2.5% (see earliersection).

RentsRents’ received from property noto w n e r-occupied or part sub-let andcommercial rents, licence fees, etc., arealso assessable to Zakat at 2.5%.

Stock-in-tradeStock-in-trade which has remained inthe owner’s possession for more thanone year is also similarly assessable at2.5%. If such stock appreciates in valuebecause of inflation, the current marketprice would be paid on it and where itdepletes or becomes obsolete, theestimated realisable value of that stockwould be assessable to Zakat.

SettlementIf the form of wealth on which Islamiclaw imposes Zakat is no longeravailable or by separating that part ofZakat from it undue loss would arisefrom that wealth or cannot be conveyedfrom one place to another, then Zakatmay be paid to an equivalent amountfrom another source or object or in theform of cash.


Is there any common groundbetween Islam and Secularism?

Can Islam and Secularismapproach each other in a spirit ofcooperation? What is thatfundamental principle, theadoption and practice of whichwould make any form ofgovernment consistent withIslam? How valid is the conceptof ‘Islamic Secularism’?

This article seeks to answer theseand other related questions in thelight of the Qur’an and Practice ofthe Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa).

Varying shades of Secularism.The word ‘Secular’ literallymeans “worldly”, not connectedwith religion. In secularism, theauthority to run the state isderived from the people. Peopleare regarded the fountainhead ofpower and their representativesrule the country by obtaining a

mandate from them. Secularism isgenerally understood as separationof state from religion with religionhaving no place in the legislativeprocess, Constitution or law of ac o u n t r y. This is completely oppo-site to a theocratic State in whichthe authority is derived from Godthrough a dominant religious body.

There are, however, diff e r i n gviews that exist about secularism.Extremist secularists would notallow freedom of expression andpractise of faith publicly. A nexample is in the strict form ofCommunism.

Liberal secularism (as can befound in many Western democ-racies) requires state affairs to beconducted independent of anyreligious authorities. The Churchhas no formal power to oppose alaw on grounds of being contraryto any teaching of the Bible. TheChurch and State are totallyindependent and do not interferein each other’s sphere. There aresome exceptions to this – inBritain, for example, someAnglican Bishops are members ofthe House of Lords and can exerta certain amount of influence on

Coexistenceof ReligionsBy Khalid Saifullah Khan – Australia


COEXISTENCE OF RELIGIONS

government legislation. Somecountries in the Muslim worldhave adopted reforms consistentwith Western democracies and theU . N . ’s Human Rights Charter,without calling themselvesSecular. They believe that none ofthe reforms are contrary to theteachings of Islam.

Some extremist Muslims,however, strongly disagree withsuch views and hold thatsecularism is tantamount toatheism and so it cannot coexistwith Islam. This interpretation iscontrary to the original teachingsof Islam as illustrated during thelifetime of the Holy Prophet(sa)

who was a staunch defender ofreligious freedom for all.

According to Islam, the basicprinciple of government shouldbe absolute justiceAfter migration from Makkah toMadinah, the Holy Prophet( s a )

concluded a written agreementwith the Jews and their paganallies of Madinah, which holds avery important position in thehistory of Islam. It is calledM i s a q - e - M a d i n a h or theCovenant of Madinah. A very

early book of Islam’s history –Seerat Ibn Hisham has recordedits complete text. It was, as itwere, the Constitution of the firstever true Islamic government andwas based on absolute justice toall.

The whole population of Madinahcomprising tribes of diff e r e n treligions, traditions and customswere declared as one Ummah orNation. All citizens of Madinah(men and women) had equalrights and responsibilities andfreedom of religion was assuredto all. All of them accepted jointresponsibility of defence againstoutside aggression. Islamic Shariawas not to be imposed on non-Muslims and their affairs were tobe decided according to their ownSharia or custom as they liked. Itwas thus in essence a pluralisticsociety based on justice thatprotected the fundamental rightsof all, (including the protection oflife, property, places of worshipand the right to religiousfreedom). They were all equalcitizens forming one nation, andthey were never considered asD h i m m i i.e. conquered non-Muslims living under the pro-



tection of a Muslim govern-ment.Instead of being D h i m m i t h e ywere Mu’ahid, i.e. equal partnersmade under an agreement orcontract. Indeed all the modernconcepts of justice, human rights,religious freedom and pluralismfound their most solemnapplication in Madinah of theHoly Prophet’s(sa) time.

Sir Muhammad ZafrullahKhan(ra)i, provided the followingsummary of the Covenant ofMadinah in his book Muhammad,the Seal of the Prophets. He says:

‘After a thorough exchange ofviews, agreement was reachedand was reduced to writing ofwhich the principal provisionsmay be summarised as follows:

1. The Muslims and Jewswould deal with each otheron the basis of sympathyand sincerity and would notindulge in any aggression orwrong against each other.

2. All sections of the people ofMadinah would enjoycomplete religious freedom.

3. Everyone’s life and propertywould be secure, and wouldbe respected, subject to themaintenance of law andorder.

4. All matters of diff e r e n c ewould be submitted fordecision to the HolyP r o p h e t( s a ) and would bedetermined by himaccording to the laws andthe customs of each sectionof the people of Madinah

5. No section would go forthto fight without thepermission of the HolyProphet(sa).

6. In case of aggressionagainst the Jews or theMuslims, both wouldcombine in repelling theaggression.

7. In case of attack againstMadinah, all sections wouldcombine in repelling it.

8. The Jews would not in anymanner aid Quraish orprovide refuge or comfortfor them.



9. All sections would beresponsible for their ownupkeep and expenses.

10. Nothing in the agreementwould afford immunity to aw r o n g - d o e r, or sinner ormischief-maker.’

(Muhammad, Seal of theP rophets, by Sir MuhammadZafrullah Khan, Routledge &Kegan Paul, London, 1980, pp88-89)

Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad(ru),the fourth Khalifa of theAhmadiyya Muslim Communitycommenting on the role ofreligion in legislation says:

‘According to myunderstanding of Islamicteachings all states would berun on the same principle ofabsolute justice and as suchevery state becomes a Muslimstate. In view of thesea rguments and over- r i d i n gconcept of there being nocompulsion in matters of faith,religion does not need to bethe predominant legislativeauthority in the politicala ffairs of a state.’ ( I s l a m ’s

Response to ContemporaryIssues, p.197)

According to the Covenant ofMadinah Muslims and non-Muslims were regarded as twonations religiously, but only onenation politically.The Covenant of Madinah alsoindicates that the Holy Prophet(sa)

regarded Muslims and non-Muslims as two distinct religiousgroups, who were forged into onenation politically.

According to clause 26 of theCovenant of Madinah, asrecorded by Ibn-Hisham, ‘ Wainna Yahooda Bani Aufa,Ummatan ma-al-Momineen. LilYahoodi deenahum wa lilMuslimeena deenahum’ i.e. Andthe Jews of Bani Auf will be onenation with the Muslims; for Jewswill be their religion and forMuslims will be their re l i g i o n.This clarified the point that in aMuslim state, though Muslimsand non-Muslims would be twonations religiously, they would beone nation politically. This isbecause of the freedom of religionand the Islamic Sharia would notbe imposed on non-Muslims. In



fact, there can be no coercion inmatters of faith even for theMuslims themselves.

Ideals and realities in the case ofPakistanIt is interesting – though perhapsnot unsurprising – to note thatPakistan, the only major Muslimcountry that achieved indepen-dence in the past century on thebasis of religion, also sought touse this blueprint for its politicalset up.

Before the creation of Pakistan,the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, wasasked: What sort of Constitutionwould Pakistan have? He replied:It will be based on the Covenantof Madinah.

The declaration made by Jinnah inthe first Constituent Assembly ofPakistan, on 11 August 1947, wasquite consistent with this spirit ofthe Covenant of Madinah, whenhe said:

‘You are free; you are free to goto your temples, you are free togo to your mosques, or to anyother place of worship in this

State of Pakistan. You maybelong to any religion or casteor creed – that has nothing to dowith the business of theS t a t e … . We are starting withthis fundamental principle thatwe are all citizens and equalcitizens of one state… Now Ithink we should keep this infront of us as our ideal and youwill find that in course of timeHindus would cease to beHindus and Muslims wouldcease to be Muslims, not in thereligious sense, because that isthe personal faith of eachindividual, but in the politicalsense as citizens of the State.’

Referring to the above-referredannouncement of Jinnah, JusticeMuhammad Munir, a formerChief Justice of Pakistan writes inhis book Islam in History:

‘Ch. Muhammad Ali, an ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan, inhis book, The Emergence ofP a k i s t a n (p240), whilecommenting on the Quaid-i-A z a m ’s first address to theConstituent Assembly ofPakistan, delivered on 11August, 1947, has made the



following pertinent obser-vation: “What is overlooked isthat Pakistan came intoexistence not by conquest butas the result of a negotiatedagreement between therepresentatives of the Hindusand Muslim communities topartition the sub-continent. Anexplicit and integral part of theagreement was that theminorities in both Stateswould have equal rights andequal protection of law. In thatcontext, the Quaid-i-Azamwas wholly right in assertingthe fundamental principle thatwe are all citizens of oneState. It follows that the Statemust give full protection to thelife, property and religiousbeliefs of its subjects (and)should wholly and solelyconcentrate on the well-beingof people, and especially ofthe masses and the poor.’ (Islam in History byMuhammad Munir, formerlyChief Justice of Pakistan,Kitab Bhavan, Delhi, 299,p.78)

However, soon after the death ofJinnah on 11 September 1948,

Q u a i d - i - A z a m ’s ideology of asecular Pakistan was demolishedby religious parties that had,enough, curiously had bitterlyopposed the creation of Pakistan.The religious scholars regarded itas their prerogative to lead anddirect the legislature, judiciaryand exec-utive on how to run thecountry according to theirinterpretation of the Qur’an andSunnah. Justice Munir says:

‘In his speech delivered on 11August 1947, as President ofthe Constituent Assembly, theQuaid-i-Azam had presented apicture of the future of Pakistanas that of a purely secular state;but within 6 months of hisdeath Prime Minister Liaqat Aliproposed and had carried outwhat is called an ObjectiveResolution. Its outstandingfeature was that in form andsubstance the constitution to bepromulgated in pursuance ofthe Resolution would be somesort of a state with a distinctIslamic bias. This ObjectiveResolution was adopted andpassed by the new ConstituentAssembly as the preamble ofthe Constitution. The Assembly



also provided in theConstitution a Council ofIslamic Ideology whose func-tions were defined in such amanner as to make theConstitution look like that of anIslamic State. The State wasnamed as the Islamic Republicof Pakistan.’ (ibid p 247)

This shift away from Islam hasleft Pakistan in a severelyfragmented state, devoid of theimmense benefit that it could havegained if it had adhered to the trueIslamic principles.

E x t reme Secularism orTheocracy results in seriousc o n s e q u e n c e s .Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad( r u )

s a y s :

‘According to Islam, therefore,religion has no right tointerfere in areas exclusive tothe State nor has the State anyright to interfere in areascommonly shared by them.Rights and responsibilities areso clearly defined in Islam thatany question of a clash isobviated. Many verses relating

to the subject have alreadybeen quoted in the sectiond e a l ing with religious peace.Unfortunately there is atendency among many secularstates to sometimes extend thedomain of secularisation beyondits natural borders. The same istrue of theocratic states or statesunduly influenced by a religioush i e r a r c h y.’ ( I s l a m ’s Response toC o n t e m p o r a ry Issues pp199-2 0 0 )

A complete disregard for anyreligious or moral restraintbecomes a key factor in a societybeing torn apart from the chaoswithin. It leaves legislation as theonly basis of control thusreplacing the self-disciplinederived from individual account-ability to a Supreme Being withan ever-increasing set ofcomplex laws that seek to keep acheck on the consequences of themoral decline that takes root.

There are, indeed, many factorsthat have contributed to thedecline of moral and familyvalues in the contemporarys o c i e t y, such as excessive love



for worldly things, indi-vidualism, decline of religion,promotion of sex and violence inall forms of media. However, thisdecline is further aggravatedwhen secular governments pro-mote godlessness in the form ofthe right to a carefree (and, onthe surface, consequence free)society in which religious andmoral values are c o m p l e t e l yignored.

Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad( r u )

s a y s :

‘Societies are beginning tocrumble everywhere alike. Asagainst the countriesgoverned by totalitarianphilosophies, the rising con-sciousness of individualliberty in the so-called freeworld is in itself becoming alop-sided trend, which isl a rgely responsible forgrowing social misbe-haviour…. Almost twogenerations have grown toadulthood in the void of agodless society with nothingto guide and discipline moralbehaviour…. The gays, les-bians, drug addicts, skin-

heads, punks, and criminalsof all sorts, all continue togrow in number and strength.Their audacity to defend theirbehaviour by simply askingtheir admonisher, “Why not?”has become the ominouschallenge to contemporarys o c i e t y. ’(ibid pp 53-54)

Religions has a vital role inp romoting a peaceful seculars o c i e t yThere are many actions of man,which are simultaneously crimesunder secular law and sinsattracting punishment in thehereafter under religious laws,such as murder, theft, damagingp r o p e r t y, slandering, fabricatinglies, embezzlement and numer-ous other social evils, which arecondemned by all religions alike.Secularism and religion evenmoving within their own orbitscan cooperate with each other ineradicating such evils whichdisturb the peace and tranquillityof a society. The maintenance ofsocial and moral help is the jointresponsibility of state and reli-gion and religion must play anactive role in promoting peace



and harmony in any society,secular or otherwise. HadhratMirza Tahir Ahmad(ru) says:

‘According to Islam, the statemachinery alone is inadequateto suppress, discourage orminimise crime. Once crim-inal tendencies are permittedto grow and flourish in homesand societies in general, thebest a government can do is towipe out the symptoms fromtime to time. The root cause ofevil is far too deep for the longarm of the law to reach. It isthe primary job of families,religious and other leaders ofpublic opinion in everysociety to eradicate evil.’ (ibid pp 98-99)

He further says:

‘Religion and statecraft aretwo of the many wheels of thewagon of society. It is, inr e a l i t y, irrelevant whetherthere are two, four or eightwheels, as long as they keeptheir orientation correct andrevolve within their orbits.There can be no question ofmutual conflict or confronta-

tion. In total agreement withits earlier divine teachings,the Holy Qur’an elaboratesthis theme by clearlydemarcating the sphere ofactivities of each componentof society. It will be over-simplifying the matter if oneconceives that there is nomeeting point or commonground which religion andstate share with each other.They do indeed overlap but ina spirit of cooperation witheach other. There is no intentto monopolise.’ (ibid p 195)

Muslims should live peacefullyunder any state that pro v i d e sf reedom of re l i g i o n .Islam makes clear that citizenshave a primary role in promotingpeace in their society. There areno exceptions to this generalprinciple. Provided the state doesnot dictate matters of faith,individuals are required to obeythe laws of the land and servetheir country diligently.

Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad( r u )

s a y s :


‘A believer of any religioncan practise his beliefs undera secular law. He can abide bytruth without any state lawinterfering in his ability tospeak the truth. He canobserve his Prayers andperform his acts of worshipwithout the need of a specificlaw being passed by the stateto permit him to do so.’ (ibid p 197)

Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad( a s )

s a y s :

‘The truth is that according toHoly Qur’an, it is forbiddento go to war against a gov-ernment which does notinterfere in any way withIslam or its practices, nor usesforce against us in order topromote its own religion.’(Kishti Nuh, p.68)

Does not the Qur’an mentionmany Prophets of God who lived,preached and practised theirreligion in societies andgovernments ruled or dominatedby Pagans?

Implementation of EnlightenedModeration.As stated above, it is difficult forthe extremists of opposing ide-ologies to live in harmony. Butthere should be no problem to doso by the enlightened moderates,who respect the ideas and faiths ofothers. Absolute justice is thecornerstone of every civilised andgood government. On grounds ofabsolute justice Islamic Shariacannot be imposed on non-Muslims, otherwise the sameright would have to be concededto non-Muslims over theirMuslim subjects.

The punishment of commoncrimes should be dealt withseparately from the crimescommitted under religious laws.For example drinking alcohol isno crime for Christians andMuslims have no right to punishthem under Islamic law, if there isany such law. Similarly, theJurisprudence (Fiqh) of one sectof Islam cannot be imposed onpersons belonging to other sects.

Relations between man and Godbelong to God exclusively and thestate has no right to interfere in


62



any peaceful practice or prop-agation of a religion. Nodiscriminatory law specific to themembers of a group or com-munity can be made. Justicedemands respect for HumanRights and pluralism for allcitizens equally.

Mutual respect is a fundamentalprinciple of religions. Islam inparticular has laid strongemphasis on this as a precursor tosocial peace. The manner inwhich we utilise any resources orpower that is entrusted to us is atest for us. Man must discharg esuch responsibility with justice,as the Qur’an clearly states thatjustice is nearer righteousnessand it is righteousness that is thefoundation for peace. Islam alsoteaches us that justice is anattribute of God and there is greatbenefit for man if he too can seekto acquire this characteristic.Explaining the Attributes of God,Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad( a s )

the founder of the AhmadiyyaMuslim Community says:

‘Our God has neverdiscriminated between onepeople and another. This is

illustrated by the fact that allthe potentials which weregranted to the Aryans werealso granted to the racesinhabiting Arabia, Persia,Syria, China, Japan, Europeand America. The Earth,created by God provides acommon floor for all peoplealike and His sun and moonand many stars are a source ofradiance to all alike; they alsohave many other benefits.Likewise, all people benefitfrom the elements created byHim such as water, fire, earthand other similar productssuch as grain, fruit andhealing agents. Theseattributes of God teach us thelesson that we too shouldbehave magnanimously andkindly towards our fellowhuman beings and should notbe petty of heart andilliberal.’ (A Message of Peace byHadhrat Mirza GhulamA h m a d( a s ), pp.7-8)

God does not discriminate on thebasis of caste, colour or creedand regardless of them, takescare of man’s physical as well as

63



spiritual needs. For man’sspiritual and moral well-being,He has sent His Messengers withguidance to all the peoples in allthe ages. God is the Just Judge.If non-discrimination, justice andtreating humanity equally andfreedom of faith are theprinciples of secularism, thensurely they reflect thecharacteristics of UniversalGovernment of God and anysuch government automaticallybecomes Islamic; whatever itsname. The Holy Qur’an enjoinsabsolute justice to all, even to theinimical people.

According to the Qur’an, God isthe ‘True King’ (Al-Malikul-HaqC h . 2 3 : V. 117). And He hasdelegated His authority to people(and not to the religious clergy),commanding them to choose theirrulers, by placing the trusts tothose who are best fitted to rulewith absolute justice.

Verily, Allah commands you tomake over the trusts to thoseentitled to them, and that whenyou judge between men, youjudge with justice. And surelyexcellent is that with which

Allah admonishes you! Allahis All-Hearing, All-Seeing.(Ch.4: V.59)

As such, a Muslim Governmentcannot make any law which isrepugnant to the Qur’an andconduct of the Holy Prophet(sa).Therefore, it can be seen thatIslamic principles that createconditions conducive topractising good and shunning evilform an ideal moral frameworkthat gives rise to a beneficialmodel of secularism.

Absolute justice to all is thefundamental principle which isshared by both Islam andsecularism and this forms thebridge that encourages co-operation between the two.

i. The first Foreign Minister of Pakistan,President of the 17th Session ofUnited Nation’s General Assemblyand a former President of theInternational Court of Justice Hague.

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