عبد العزيز

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about cotton and saffron if there is Zakat on it. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, Zakat is not due on it.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once asked me, ‘Should I tell you what the root, the branch, the peak and the highest point of Islam is?’ I replied, ‘Please, do so.’ He said, ‘The root of Islam is salat (prayer), its branch is zakat, and its peak and highest point is al-Jihad in the way of Allah. Should I tell you about the doors to goodness? Fasting certainly is a shield.’”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) asked Ali ibn Abdul-Aziz: “Do You want me to tell you the major, the minor and the highest principles of Islam?” He said: “Yes.” Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “The major principle is prayer.” The minor principle is the payment of the alms tax. But the highest principle is holy war in the way of God. Do you want me to inform you about the gates of goodness? Fasting is similar to armor against the Fire of Hell. Charity will eliminate the sins. The same holds true for staying up late at night and praying to the Lord.” Then Imam Sadiq (a.s) recited the following verse: “Their limbs do forsake their beds of sleep, the while they call on their Lord, in fear and hope: and they spend (in charity) out of the sustenance which We have bestowed on them.” [The Holy Quran: Sajda 32:16]

to Wa’el bin Hajar al-Hadrami and his people: «From Muhammed, the Messenger of Allah, to the aqyal-ul-‘abahila from the people of Hadhramaut, (a beseech to you for the) establishment of prayer and fulfilment of alms tax. For a tay’a is a sheep, the tayma is for its owner and for suyoub is a fifth. There shall be no khalat, nor wirat, nor shinaq, nor shighar, and the one who performs ijba’ has certainly performed usury, and every intoxicant is forbidden.

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a certain person of our people who has eight hundred dirham, works with pumice, and has a large family to feed, if he can receive Zakat. He (the Imam) asked, ‘O abu Muhammad, can he earn with his dirham the expenses of his family with a certain amount of saving?’ I replied, ‘Yes, he does.’ He (the Imam) then asked, ‘How much does he save?’ I replied, ‘I do not know.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘If his saving amounts to half of his expenses, he cannot receive Zakat, but if it is less than half of his expenses, it is lawful for him to receive Zakat.’ I then asked, ‘Is there any Zakat on his assets?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, there is Zakat on his assets.’ I then asked, ‘How will he deal with it?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘With that he meets his expenses for his family, for their food, drink and clothes, and if anything remains he can give to others and what he receives from Zakat is to raise the standard of the living of his family.’”

“Once, abu Basir and I visited abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and abu Basir said to him (the Imam), ‘We have a friend and he is a truthful person. He follows Allah’s religion as we do.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘Who is he, O abu Basir, whom you admire?’ Abu Basir, replied, ‘He is al-‘Abbas ibn al-Walid ibn Sabih.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘May Allah grant mercy to al-Walid ibn Sabih! What has happened to him, O abu Muhammad?’ Abu Basir said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, he has a house which is valued at four thousand dirham. He has a slave-girl and slave servant who provides water every day for two to four dirham minus feed for the camel and he has a family. Can he receive Zakat?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, he can receive Zakat.’ Abu Basir said, ‘But he has all these assets.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘O abu Muhammad, do you command me to command him to sell his house which is for his dignity and the place of his birth? Alternatively, must he sell his slave-girl who protects him from hot and cold weather and protects him and his wife’s dignity? On the other hand, must he sell his slave and his camel, which are means for his living and expenses? In fact, he must receive Zakat and it is lawful for him. He does not have to sell his house, his slave or his camel.’”