The Qur’an imposes upon its followers a universal obligation to serve humanity.  Muslims have been asked in the Holy Qur’an to strive continuously to establish the Nizam-e-Rububiyath, the system of sustenance which guarantee peace, growth and development of the entire mankind.

Wealth and Qur’an

     According to the economic concept of the Qur’an, wealth cannot be accumulated, stored and kept idle.  Such accumulation is the most undesirable. (Holy Qur’an, 59:7).  Islam teaches that everyone should take for his or her earning only that much required to fulfil his or her needs, and the remaining part will be left to meet the requirement of other needy persons (Holy Qur’an, 2:219).

     Such persons whose basic requirements are not fulfilled have a rightful share in the surplus of other members of the society. (Holy Qur’an, 51:19, 70:24).  Under Quranic system no one will have surplus money or asset.  Therefore, the question of owning property, over and above one’s real need, doesn’t arise.  The Holy Quran warns the hoarders: “And there are those who bury gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah: announce unto them the most grievous penalty on the day when heat will be produced out of that (wealth) in the fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their foreheads, their flanks and their backs.” (9:34-35).

It is reported that Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Until four questions have been asked, no one will be allowed to move on the Day of Resurrection.  Two of these are: How did you earn and how did you spend?  Sovereignty of the property rests in Allah alone and mankind is only its custodian.”

Helping the Poor

     In unequivocal words the Holy Qur’an declares: “Provision must be made to help the kindred, orphans, way farers, widows, who are in bondage or in debt, those who are expelled from their homes and deprived of their property, and, in general, needy” (Holy Quran, 59:7-8).

     There is definite guarantee that those who pay poor-due i.e. Zakat are bound to prosper.  It is stated in the Holy Qur’an that “Those who establish regular prayer and pay regular poor-due, they are the one who will prosper.”  (Holy Quran, 31:4-5)

     Despite Allah’s clear injunction, unfortunately, very few among rich Muslims pay the minimum rate of Zakat i.e. 2.5per cent annually.  Since in India there is no nationwide comprehensive agency to collect it properly and purposefully, its benefits are never seen and felt.  Hardly any Muslim, in addition to Zakat, pay Sadaqath for which there is no maximum limit.

At this time when Muslim community is suffering from rampant poverty, merely by paying a minimum rate of Zakat, a rich Muslim cannot absolve himself of his duties towards the society.  The spirit of prayers, fasting and Haj etc. loose their credibility in absence of this duty.

     When during the governance of the Caliph Abu Bakr (R.A.) some people refused to pay the poor due, he declared Jihad (holy war) against those defaulter Muslims even though they performed prayers and professed faith in Islam.  Those rich Muslims were called treacherous.

Interest Vs. Zakat
 
     Interest is opposite to Zakat.  In an interest-based system, the poor need to pay their hard-earned money to the rich.  Whereas, on contrary, in the Islamic society the rich need to channelise their money to the poor by means of Zakat and Sadaqath.  But it is a matter of grave concern that a good number of rich Muslims earn interest from their deposits in banks.  Maulana Maududi warns such Muslims in his book “Let us be Muslims” in these terms: -

     “By adopting the evil system of interest instead of Zakat, they (Jews) have invoked Allah’s curse.  We, too, have neglected Zakat.  We forsook our duty to use our power in spreading good and eliminating evil.  And the consequences have been no different.  We have become victims of tyrants.  We are weak and live in servitude wherever we are found.”

     Mr. Abdul Hamid Ahmed Abu-Suleyman in his book The Islamic Economic Theory has gone to the extent of declaring that ‘Riba’ (which is said to be Haram in the Holy Quran) is not simply a matter of loan interest or bank interest.  It is a comprehensive concept, which includes aspects related to capital, land, general circumstances and use of laws of nature.  In all these aspects, whenever man claims a private income greater than his equal share of natural power invested in these resources, he is really claiming rubbybiyyah and committing usury.”  Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

   “He who had land should cultivate it.  If he will not or cannot, he should give it free to a (poor) brother and not rent it to him.”  (Al-Bukhari)

     Strictly speaking, even share copping is prohibited in Islam.  The crop is solely the property of the person who farms it.

     Unfortunately the Indian Muslims have forgot these facts.  They have made Islamic principles limited to rituals alone.  Islam stands not only for a glorious hereafter but for equally herein.  It stands for the uplift of the poor, the preservation of the weak and the prevalence of the spirit of the brotherhood of mankind and to transfer this planet into one large home.

Umrah Fashion

     One time Hajj is incumbent on every affluent Muslim who can afford it.  Additional Umaras and Haj are optional.  Indeed in certain circumstances other society related duties become dearer to Allah than optional Umeras and Haj.  In India when more than 70% of Muslims live below poverty line, more than 50% of Muslims are un-educated, a majority of Muslim students face dropouts due to poverty.  Islamic scholars must ponder over whether the said optionals are meaningful or not?  In Muslim populated areas we find a greater numbers of travel agents conducting Umras than good schools and madarsas.

     Recently in some section of press we heard about 12-crore Masjid at Surat.  Besides there are good number of Mosques in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh etc. where in many mosques more than crore rupees has been spent on construction.  Those are marble-floored, air-conditioned, well carpeted and extensively decorated.  The attendance in five times prayer in the mosques hardly cross two digits.  In Ramadhan month the attendance is of course higher.  Only in Friday congregational prayer the mosques are full.  That means the mosques are fully utilised only for half-an-hour a week and for two hours a month.  Are we not spending money on the construction of mosques, disproportionate to their utilisation?  Can’t we make temporary arrangements during Ramadhan and Friday Prayers?

     Islam disapproves of pomp and show, materialism, show-off, splendor and vanity.  As reported in Ahadith, Prophet (saw) advised us to build simple mosques and disliked decorations.  There are hundreds of Mosques in remote localities which do not even have roof, water for wazoo (ablution).  Many are in huts.  Is it not necessary for the well-funded Mosques Management to divert the fund, if not for eradication of illiteracy, poverty, ill-health etc., at least for financing those poor Mosques?

Wakf Property

     Propertied Muslims migrated to Pakistan after partition, but they left their sizable land property in India as wakf properties.  Had those been maintained property, the poverty from Muslim Society could have been erased.  But it is said that those wakf properties have not been acquired by the Government agencies alone but by the Muslims as well.  Many have been sold-out, many have been encroached, and many have been mortgaged on some meagre amount.  Many wakf properties are still being looted.  Most of the Wakf Boards have scams within.  Most of the properties are at prime localities, but still the boards show losses.  The collection of offerings at Dargahs go in crores annually, but never declared or utilised for the betterment of society.

     People do not perish for lack of wealth but for lack of vision, and vision is a rare commodity among Muslims.  It is high time that Muslim leaders, intellectuals, scholars and elite group looked beyond, to be successful in a real sense and Islam has the depth to show the way for this.