Fiqh Al Zakah by Dr. Yusuf al Qardawi

1. Poor and needy.

2. Workers in zakah administration.

3. Those whose hearts are being reconciled.

4. Freeing slaves.

5. Those under labilities.

6. In the way of God.

7. Wayfarers.

8. Issues about deserving categories.

9. Categories to whom zakah cannot be Given.

Like prayer, zakah in the Qur'an is an aggregate principle without much detail.

Qur'an does not give rates, nisab, kinds of wealth that are zakatable, or the conditions for zakatability. Sunnah, verbal and practical, provides the details of zakah. the second source of Shari'ah after the Qur'an, Sunnah is essential for any explanation of zakah.

God says, "And We have sent down unto thee the message that thou mayeth explain clearly to people what is sent for them, and that they may give thought."1 Abu Daud reports that a man told the Companion 'Imran bin Husain, "O Aba Nujaid, you tell us sayings that we do not find in the Qur'an" 'Imran was upset and told the man, "Dido you find 'On each forty dirhams, one dirham is obligated', 'on each so and so Goat, one Goat is obligated,"and 'on each so and so camels so much is obligated? Did you find all that in the Qur'an?" The man answered, "No." Then 'Imran asked, "Where do you get these from? You took them from us and we got them from the Prophet (p)," and he mentioned other similar matters.2

Although zakah is discussed in the Qur'an as an inclusive concept, the areas where it can be spent are specifically mentioned in the Qur'an; they are not left to rulers or opinionators to decide according to their whims. At the time of the Messenger (p), some greedy individuals attempted to take some proceeds of zakah, but when the Prophet did not give them attention, they criticized and censured the Prophet so much that God sent verses deploring their greed and uncovering their hypocrisy. Those same verses go on to name the categories that deserve zakah: "And among them are men who slander thee in the matter of the distribution of sadaqat. If they are given part thereof, they are pleased, but if not, behold, they are indignant. If only they had been content with what God and His Apostle gave them, and had said, 'sufficient unto us is God, God and His Apostle will soon give us of His bounty, to God do we turn our hopes.' That would have been the wise course. The sadaqat are for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer the funds, for those whose hearts have been recently reconciled to Truth, for those in bondage and in debt,. in the cause of God, and for the wayfarer. Thus is it ordained by God, and God is full of knowledge and wisdom."3

Abu Daud reports from Ziad bin al Harith al Sada'i, "I came to the Messenger of God (p) and gave him my pledge." The narrator recounts a long story and then continues, "A man came to the Prophet and said, 'Give me some of the proceeds of the sadaqah.' The Messenger of God (p) said, 'God does not leave the distribution of the sadaqah to a Prophet or anyone else. He Himself ordains the distribution to eight categories. If you are in any of these categories, I will give you what you deserve.'"4

Economists and socioldgists note that in taxation systems, the determination of the usage of proceeds is more important than the collection of funds, because governments usually have sufficient means to collect taxes efficiently and justly. It is in the usage of these funds that misconduct appears more often. It is essential that the proceeds of zakah be distributed and not kept in the treasury of the state, as was done before Islam by emperors and kings with the levies they imposed on their subjects. History tells that in most cases, taxes were imposed on the weak and poor to be spent luxuriously by kings and lords.

With the emergence of Islam, zakah was imposed as a relief to the poor and weak classes, but it was necessary to specify the deserving categories with words of God Himself.