Are the eight zakat disbursements met by the people of Gaza?

Women mourn their loved ones who were killed during the Israeli bombing of Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah. (French)

Islam imposes zakat on every Muslim who fulfills its conditions, the details of which the jurists mentioned in most of the books of Islamic jurisprudence, both sectarian and comparative, and even independent, such as the books that were written specifically for the obligation of zakat, whether they include the provisions of this obligation, or what is related to its calamities and developments, including: Jurists’ explanation of the disbursement of zakat, and who is entitled to it? They start from what they explain, or they strive to adapt it jurisprudentially, around the saying of God - the Almighty -: (Alms are only for the poor and the needy and those who work for them and those whose hearts are reconciled and for slaves and debtors and for the sake of God and for the wayfarer. It is an obligation from God, and God is All-Knowing, All-Wise) Al-Tawbah: 60.

Perhaps one of the rare things that happen in a given time is that all eight Zakat disbursements are fulfilled in a group or segment of Muslims, or in a geographical area, and this is what we see clearly in the people of Gaza. May God remove from them the affliction that befell them, and this is what made a number of scholars Contemporaries issue fatwas to give zakat to the people of Gaza. Because some of the eight principles apply to them, but one who contemplates the reality of the situation in Gaza will find all eight principles apply to them.

Although the Debt Bank is mostly directed to the individual in debt, which applies to most of the people of Gaza, many of them have been in debt for their homes, in addition to people, and their money and capabilities have been lost. They are in debt at the individual level, and they are in debt at the level of the human group in Gaza.

The poor and needy

The rule of poverty and misery applies to most of the people of Gaza, by virtue of the current situation. Whoever has money does not enable him to own food. Sometimes a person dies of hunger. Because he does not have money, but the situation in Gaza is completely different. The poor and the rich are equal. Those who have money cannot find food, clothing, or the requirements and necessities of life. Because the Zionist occupation prevents all of this from him, and does not stop at killing with weapons, but also kills with starvation, while the whole world watches, from east to west.

Which brought a large segment of Gazan society into the cycle of poverty and misery, for which zakat is permissible. If the poor is the one who does not have the necessities and necessities of life, then the poor is the one who has little that is not enough for him, or has what does not cover his basic needs, and this applies. For all the people of Gaza.

A new concept for the hearts of the author

As for the “whose hearts are reconciled” bank, many believe that it is related to those whose hearts are reconciled with Islam, who are new to Islam, in what is currently called: new Muslims, and who want to reconcile their hearts, so their financial expenses are covered by zakat. In the past, this bank was spent on those who fear Islam in its power, so it is given His evil was enough for him, but Omar bin Al-Khattab - may God be pleased with him - during his reign refused to give them, and spent it in other places.

But there is a new and important meaning, which I do not find any jurisprudential researchers paying attention to, in the concept of reconciling their hearts. The Shafi’is and Hanbalis do not limit it to reconciling the hearts of some people whose goodness is hoped for, or whose evil is repelled. Rather, they expanded this concept to an extent that includes what is called: national security. This is what we can express by rebuilding the borders of Muslim countries, or border areas, for several important goals, including: preventing them from falling into the clutches of enemy labor, and preserving these borders.

The Shafi’i and Hanbali jurists divided their hearts into two groups: Muslims and non-Muslims, and they divided the Muslims into four groups, including one about which they said: (A group of Muslims on the edge of the lands of Islam, followed by a group of infidels. If the imam gives them money... they fight them and repel them. On behalf of the Muslims, and if he did not give them, they would not fight them, and the Imam needed heavy supplies to prepare the armies for them. This applies to the people of Gaza and those like them.

Freeing people from colonialism

Among the means in which zakat is spent is (slavery), which means: freeing slaves, at a time when slavery existed, and slavery has been completely abolished, but slavery of another kind has become present in this world, which is: colonialism, so is it liberating man from the yoke of slavery? Stop at physical slavery? Or did the slavery of individuals end, and its place came the slavery and enslavement of peoples, whether through colonialism, or by any other means? Sheikh Rashid Reda stated, “The arrow of freeing necks has a purpose in liberating colonized peoples from enslavement, if it does not have a purpose in liberating individuals.”

One of his contemporaries said the same thing: Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltut, who explained the ruling on the slavery of individuals, and the effort of zakat to end it, and that it was replaced by another slavery - according to his opinion - that is more dangerous than it is to humanity, which is: “the slavery of peoples in their thoughts, in their money, in their authority, and in their freedom in their countries.”

This was the slavery of individuals who died, and their countries remained free and rational, with the same authority and capacity as all other free and mature people. But this is the slavery of peoples and nations, which gives birth to peoples and nations who are in slavery like their fathers. It is general and permanent slavery, imposed on the nation by unjust, brute force!!

Therefore, how worthy of this slavery is to combat it and work to get rid of it and remove its humiliation from the peoples, not only with charity money, but with all money and lives. Thus, we know the extent of the responsibility of the wealthy Muslims for helping the Islamic peoples.”

Al-Gharmoun is a resistance and a people

As for the creditors’ bank, although it is mostly directed to the individual in debt, which applies to most of the people of Gaza, many of them have been fined for their homes, in addition to people, and their money and capabilities have been lost. They are in debt at the individual level, and they are in debt at the level of the human group in Gaza, whether Whether they are companies or public bodies concerned with serving the Gaza community, people who lose their money in public interests and serving people, then their debts are paid from zakat funds, even if they have property with which they can pay, and that is to encourage acts of righteousness and chivalry. Imam al-Nawawi says in Explanation of this type: “It means: to borrow money and spend it on reconciliation, by fearing strife between two tribes or two people, so he borrows money and spends it on alleviating that strife.”

One of the greatness of Islamic jurisprudence is that it considered: that the debtor in order to reconcile the dispute is given from zakat to repay his debtor, even if this reconciliation was between two groups of people of the people of Dhimma.

There are many examples in this regard - as Sheikh Al-Qaradawi says - such as: “Everyone who is a charitable person undertakes a useful social project such as an institution for orphans, a hospital for treating the poor, a mosque for performing prayers, a school for educating Muslims, or similar charitable works.” And social service, since he has served for the sake of the common good of the group, he has the right to help from its public funds. There is no evidence in Sharia that restricts the debtors to those who were fined to reconcile the dispute and not others. If those were not included in the term (the creditors), they would have to take their own ruling. "By analogy."

Some Shafi’is have attached this type of borrowing to build a mosque, or build a bridge, or rent a guest, or free a prisoner. These debtors, for the public interest, are given zakat along with their wealth according to the Shafi’is, Hanbalis, and Zahiris.

Wayfarers and displacement from homes

There are banks over which there is no disagreement in jurisprudence or reality, such as the Ibn al-Sabil bank, which is if the text may be understood from its apparent meaning to mean someone who is on a journey and does not have enough money to return to his homeland, then the emigrant and refugee are subject to the rule of Ibn al-Sabil, whether he is an emigrant. From one side in his homeland to another side, after the demolition of his house, and the killing of his family and relatives, or he was displaced outside his homeland, and what happened to the people of Gaza, of moving from north to south, and an attempt to expel the people from Rafah through military operations, all of which involve the people of this ordeal in the term son The way.

As we have seen, the eight methods apply to the people of Gaza, by virtue of their plight, and I mentioned the methods that may not be understood as applying to the situation of the people of Gaza and others like them, and I left out talking about the clear and evident methods, such as the method: for the sake of God, for this is not disputed by any rational person in its application. And pronouns.

The condition of the people is no secret to anyone, in light of a stifling siege, criminal military action that does not cease day and night, failure from those near and far, and complicity and aid to the Zionist enemy in an unprecedented manner. There is no less material assistance than what God Almighty has obligated on the Muslim in terms of zakat, which is He said about it: (A known right), as it is imposed on a person, and he has no choice in it, and it is the least obligatory towards them, especially since many Muslims like to pay zakat in the month of Ramadan, in order to combine fasting and zakat together.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.