Tuesday 21 July 2015

Zakat/ Zakaat/ Charity in Shia Islam

Zakaat/ Charity is the third branch/ practice among Fur'u Deen/ Branches of Faith in Shia Islam. The sole purpose of Zakaat/ Charity in Shia Islam is to uplift the financial crises of needy people. In Shia Islam motive of Zakaat/ Charity does not profess social, developmental works etc.

There are two types of Zakaat/ Charity in Shia Islam, one is Waajib/ Obligatory and the second one is Mustahab/ Recommended. Waajib Zakaat/ Obligatory Charity has everything fixed and defined, called Nisaab, which includes types of wealth, form of wealth, amount of wealth, tenure of possession, and rates of deduction. It is reported that Prophet Mohammed himself gave very clear and precise definitions and instructions about Waajib Zakaat/ Obligatory charity. The other type is Mustahab Zakaat/ Recommended Charity which includes any item which could be weighted; rate, tenure of possession is upon owner’s discretion.

Waajib Zakaat/ Obligatory Zakaat include only nine items; along with their rates are listed below:

1) Gold, only in form of currency coins, weighing 69.12 gm, personally possessed for one year. Even if gold forms a percentage of coin’s material, it becomes liable for Zakaat, with respect to its percentage. Any other form of gold i.e. jewellery etc is exempt from Waajib Zakaat/ obligatory charity. Waajib Zakaat/ Obligatory Zakaat would be 2.5% of the total value.



2) Silver, only in form of currency coins, weighing 483.88 gm, personally possessed for one year. Even if silver forms a percentage of coin’s material, it becomes liable for Zakaat, with respect to its percentage. Any other form of silver i.e. jewellery etc is exempt from Waajib Zakaat/ obligatory charity. Waajib Zakaat/ Obligatory Zakaat would be 2.5% of the value.


3) Wheat, only in dried form, weighing 847 kg, personally possessed for one year. If irrigated with rain then 10% of the total value, if irrigated through other means then 5% of total value, still if both methods were used then 7.5% of the total value. On such item, Waajib Zakaat/ Obligatory Zakaat is to be paid only once.

4) Barley, only in dried form, weighing 847 kg, personally possessed for one year. If irrigated with rain then 10% of the total value, if irrigated through other means then 5% of total value, still if both methods were used then 7.5% of the total value. On such item, Waajib Zakaat/ Obligatory Zakaat is to be paid only once.

5) Dates, only in dried form, weighing 847 kg, personally possessed for one year. If irrigated with rain then 10% of the total value, if irrigated through other means then 5% of total value, still if both methods were used then 7.5% of the total value. On such item, Waajib Zakaat/ Obligatory Zakaat is to be paid only once.

6) Raisins, after dried from grapes, weighing 847 kg, personally possessed for one year. If irrigated with rain then 10% of the total value, if irrigated through other means then 5% of total value, still if both methods were used then 7.5% of the total value. On such item, Waajib Zakaat/ Obligatory Zakaat is to be paid only once.

7) Camels grazed on natural pastures and not fed privately, if minimum 5 of them are owned for one year. A sheep for 5 camels, 2 sheep for 10 camels, check details for further limits with reliable sources.

8) Bulls, Cows, Buffaloes grazed on natural pastures and not fed privately, if minimum 30 of them are owned for one year. A two year old male calf for 30 such animals and a 3 year old female calf for 40 such animals, checks details for further limits with reliable sources.

9) Sheep and goats grazed on natural pastures and not fed privately, if minimum 40 of them are owned for one year. A sheep for 40 such animals and 2 sheep for 121 such animals, checks details for further limits with reliable sources.

Other forms of wealth were available even during the time of Prophet Mohammed, yet He Himself fixed only the above content. Thus, to fix anything beyond it would be a trespass. However, one is free to extract charity from following sources:

Mustahab Zakaat/ Recommended Charity depend upon owner’s discretion. Any item which could be weighed could be considered for payment, no tenure of possession, no rates of extraction are fixed; owner is free to pay any amount on anything. Items could include gold or silver jewellery, other grains i.e. rice, maize etc, cash, stocks, houses, land, metals, cars etc. The owner, if decides could pay 2, 4, 10, 20 50, 100% value of such items.

Zakaat/ Charity needs to be declared before disposal, one should not give Zakaat/ Charity silently to the recipients. Zakaat/ Charity can be given to poor person, a destitute person, to free a person from slavery, indebted person to repay debts, stranded travellers, check further details with reliable sources. Waajib Zakaat/ Obligatory Charity as per Shia Islam could only be given to Shia Muslims, however, one is free from such requirement in Mustahab Zakaat/ Recommended Charity to be disposed, it could be given to whoever owner considers fit to receive.

There is an another Zakaat al Fitra/ Charity for end of fast, with the sunset of month of Ramadan this charity becomes obligatory for one’s self and all dependents, one must pay 3 kg of one’s staple food (wheat, rice etc) or its value for each person to the poor.

Those defined as descendants of family of Prophet Mohammed are forbidden from receiving any charity. One cannot give charity to those whose responsibility lies on one’s own self.

Above content is brief description of Zakaat/ Charity, check further details from reliable sources.



Oh Allah! Peace and Salutation be upon Mohammed and House-hold of Mohammed.




Wednesday 1 July 2015

Prophet Mohammed In Shia Islam

Topic 41: 


In Shia Islam Prophet Mohammed is Noor/ Celestial Luminescence. This Noor/ Celestial Luminescence is first among creation of Allah/ God. All other created stuffs are created as subordinate of this Noor/ Celestial Luminescence, and as the first creation, this Noor recognised the Absolute Supreme Allah/ God as its Creator, this Noor was the first to worship Him.

Among created existence many universes exist, in them many worlds exist, and every world has this Noor upon itself as Rahmah/ Grace by Supreme Creator. Out of immense love by Supreme Creator for this Noor, which recognised and worshipped the Supreme Creator, this Noor became the cause for all subordinate creations to be created, so that subordinate creations too should recognise the best creation, this ‘Noor’.

This Noor split into many, subordinate to one another as separated, yet Wahid/ One on high celestial arena. From this Noor of Prophet Mohammed split the Noor of Imam Ali and Noor of Fatima Zahra, from their Noor split the Noor of Imam Hasan, Imam Husain, from these Noor split the Noor of Imam Sajjad and so on up to Noor of Imam Mahdi, these are 14 Masumeen/ infallibles of Shia Islam, best creation of Allah/ God. When this Noor spread it is 14, when they join they become One/ Wahid Noor. They are separable as they are Wahid/ One, One which could be operated in maths, multiplied, divided, added, subtracted, it could become from 1 to 2 to 14, and from 14 to 1. Only Allah/ God alone is Ahad/ Absolute One, One which cannot be operated with maths, it remains One!

On this Earth they appeared in form of Prophet Mohammed and infallibles, in human form with many human qualities, yet they differed on many occasion and revealed their beyond human aspects. Shia Islam preaches many worlds exist, there are many Adams, one for each world, but in all worlds Noor of Prophet Mohammed is same, thus their existence is there in all worlds, in every world Prophet Mohammed is a Rahmah/ Grace, in every world Infallibles are same.

Shia Islam preaches Prophet Mohammed is chief of all creation, his Noor is Ashraful Makhluq/ Best Creation. Prophet Mohammed is chief of all Rasul/ messengers and Ambiya/ prophets. Prophet Mohammed is chief and first among 14 Masummeen/ Infallibles. Prophet Mohamed is the last messenger and the last prophet of Allah/ God in this world, no more divine revelations, and canon would come upon this world after Holy Qur’an which was revealed upon Prophet Mohammed.

Shia Islam preaches Prophet Mohammed was born as a human in this world, he was also born as a prophet, which he always had been. Shia Islam preaches that the whole genealogy from his father Abdullah to grandfather Abdul Mutallib right upto Adam, all were prophets, because as per Shia Islam a prophet’s father is always a prophet. Holy Qur’an describes the case in which Prophet Ibrahim/ Abraham is seeking to pray for his pagan father, yet the same Holy Qur’an elsewhere shows that children of Prophet Yaqub/ Jacob referred to Prophet Ismail/ Ishmael as their father, which the latter never was, thus Prophet Ibrahim/ Abraham was also seeking to pray for his childhood guardian, a chief and referred to him as father.

Shia Islam preaches Prophet Mohammed was never born in normal human pattern, he was never born out of najasah/ impurity as we are born, Shia Islam preaches infallibles are born in pure manner, they are actually revealed from their parents. Infallibles are always protected from najasah/ impurity. Shia Islam preaches that nothing najis/ impure of normal human phenomena applies to infallibles. Holy Qur’an in Ayat Tathir/ Verse of Purity has declared to keep Infallibles/ Masumeen away from Najasah/ Impurity, and keep them Taahir/ Pure.

In Shia Islam to be precise, anything which a normal human does, or happens to a normal human which is Najis/ Impure then Infallibles/ Masumeen are free from that system, course or action. Prophet Mohammed never had a shadow; he left no footmarks on sand, yet made mark on stones. As per Shia Islam Masumeen/ Infallibles never defecate, urinate or become impure. Fire cannot burn nor can they get drown. Their bodies don’t get decomposed.

In Shia Islam, Prophet Mohammed is everything except God, he himself is a creation but different from any other creation, he knows all things, has control over all things, he knows all sciences, languages, past/ present/ future. As per Shia Islam, Infallibles also don’t have times and place barrier. In Shia Islam, Prophet Mohammed is chief among infallibles, thus, free from mistake, error and sin, thus, also cannot die a natural death. Infallibles are protected miraculously if it really becomes a requirement to establish Deen/ faith; else infallibles don’t use their knowledge of unseen or their authority for their personal protection. More on: Prophet Mohammed & Infallibles’ Unseen Knowledge

In Shia Islam, Allah/ God is beyond any comprehension and any understanding, whatever we understand Him, we have understood nothing, He could only be such as such comprehended as human mind could comprehend, a level comes where human mind questions itself beyond that what? Infallibles of Shia Islam have forbid plunging beyond that as one would never achieve anything.

Allah/ God in Shia Islam could be understood only through His Ashraful Makhluq/ the Best Creation, the Noor/ Celestial Luminescence of Prophet Mohammed. Infallibles give address and understanding as to what and how God is! No words, no sentence, no language could define ‘God’. It is only the personalities of Infallibles which make us able to begin our understanding of what God could be. Thus in Shia Islam, Prophet Mohammed and other Masumeen/ Infallibles are address of God.

They have authority on affairs but they are not supreme creators, they are Best Creation of Highest Creator. When they being a creation themselves become creators of things which are more subordinate to them, with their being this creator we can comprehend what the Creator of creators would be, else it is absurd to think what creation itself is. Thus, is the case with other attributes of God that are Rahmah/ Grace, Rizq/ Provision etc.

In chapter Jum’a/ Friday, Holy Qur’an declares ‘Allahu khairur raziqeen’, which uses the term ‘raziq + een’, it is a plural form of provider. The verse translates to ‘God is best among providers’, who these providers are, among whom God is best? The verse doesn’t imply polytheism, rather declares the authority He has bestowed upon his chosen creation. Since, God is beyond comprehension; it is through His creation, through their provisions, that the provision of God could be comprehended, these personalities give address to every attribute of God.

It is such a folly and stupidity to praise the greatness of God with lower aspects and lower creations, which are not even significant when whole or even if a minimal view of creation is taken. What we humans understand about universe, what our knowledge has confirmed about this universe, keeping that in mind, would it be significant to say that God made Earth, God sends down the rains, he feeds whales etc? What is the size of whole Earth in our Solar system, in this galaxy? Any up-keeping or maintenance of Earth appears absurd for Him who we call as God.

In Shia Islam, Prophet Mohammed and other Masumeen/ Infallible have authority to create, sustain, provide etc. As per Shia Islam, all explanations using words and languages are just rudimentary for explaining God, but for humans, languages and words are used, which don’t describe Him but makes it easier for human to be able to recognise Him. He had been a Hidden Treasure and wished to be revealed thus he created Noor/ Celestial Luminescence of Prophet Mohammed as His creation, which recognised and worshipped Him.

Imam Ali, when asked about to what level ‘they’ could be praised, stated: First assume for Us a Creator, then say anything in our praise, it will never be a lie, also, except God say Us anything befitting you like to, it will not be a lie. Thus according to Shia Islam, no matter how much you applaud Prophet Mohammed and other Masumeen/ Infallible one can never perfectly describe them as to what they really are, yet one is sure enough that they are never God nor have any share in His Supreme divinity, Prophet Mohammed and Masumeen/ Infallible are worshipper of Him. Imam Ali on another occasion forbade a person from considering him divine by saying: ‘Don’t you see me prostrating to God?’ In Shia Islam, Allah/ God is praised by saying: He is God and creator of Mohammed and Ali, how would God be!





Oh Allah! Peace and Salutation be upon Mohammed and House-hold of Mohammed.