8.1 Chapter One The Opinion That There Are No Other Financial Dues Beside Zakah
Many jurists argue that the only financial due approved in Islam is zakah.1 Whoever fulfills the requirement of zakah will have his or her wealth purified, and need not pay anything else except voluntarily. This is the predominant view among the later generations of jurists.
Sayings used in support of this view
1. Al Bukhari, Muslim, and others report from Talhah, "A man from Najd came to the Messenger of God (p). His hair was uncombed, and his loud voice [was heard] from a distance. He does not even understand what he says, until he came close to the Messenger of God (p) and started asking him about Islam. The Messenger of God (p)
said, 'Five prayers in the day and night' The man said 'Do I have to do more?' The Prophet said, 'No, unless you volunteer.' The Messenger of God (p) continued, 'And the fasting of Ramadan.' The man said, 'Do I have to fast other than this?' The Prophet answered, 'No, unless you volunteer . . .' and then the Prophet mentioned zakah. The man said, 'Do I have to pay anything else besides it? The Prophet said, 'No, unless you volunteer.' The man turned around and left saying, 'I shall not do anything more nor less than these.' The Messenger of God (p) commented, 'He will be successful if he honors this promise" or "he will enter the Garden if he honors this promise."2
2. Al Bukhari reports from Abu Hurairah, "A bedouin Arab came to the Prophet (p)
and said, 'Guide me to something which if I do I shall enter the Garden. The Prophet said, 'Worship God and do not associate partners with Him whatsoever, and pray the obligated prayer, and fulfill the obligated zakah, and fast Ramadan.' The man said, 'By the name of He in Whose Hand is my soul, I shall not add anything to those.' When the man left, the Messenger of God (p) said, 'He who it pleases him to see a man who is among the dwellers of the Garden may look at this man.'" In the first saying, the Prophet (p) says that there is nothing obligatory except zakah.
This saying is a clear text to this effect. In both sayings, the two men declare that they will perform nothing besides the obligatory zakah, and the Prophet (p) accepts that declaration and states that this is sufficient for entering the Garden. If there were other financial obligations besides zakah, these men would not deserve to enter the Garden unless those other obligations are fulfilled.
3. Al Tirmidhi reports from Abu Hurairah, "The Prophet (p) said, 'If you pay the zakah due on your wealth you will have fulfilled all that is obligated on you.'"3
4. Al Hakim reports from Jabir that the Prophet (p) said, "If you pay the zakah on your wealth, you will have turned away its evil from you."4
5. Al Hakim reports from Umm Salamah that she used to wear some pieces of gold as ornaments. She asked the Prophet, "Is this hoarding?" He answered, "If you pay its due zakah, it is not like hoarding."5 In some versions of this saying, the Prophet says, "Anything that reaches the amount that is zakatable, and its due zakah is paid, is not hoarding."6 This saying indicates that the Qur'an's warning against hoarding does not apply to persons who pay zakah on their treasures, which indirectly means such individuals are not obligated to pay anything else. Some supporters of this view add another saying in which the Prophet (p) is reported to have said, "On wealth there are no dues except zakah."7
It is obvious that the first two sayings are correct. The third saying has a weak chain, and the fourth one is considered nawquf [a statement of a Companion not attributed to the Prophet] according to the most acceptable scrutinization. As for the fifth saying, there is criticism of its chain. The saying "On wealth there are no dues except zakah" is very weak, and, without the slightest hesitation unacceptable. In fact, it is incorrect and wrong.
Supporters of this opinion also argue that all texts which indicate the existence of financial obligations besides zakah can be interpreted as references to mere desirability and not to obligation. They also claim that before zakah was mandated, different financial obligations were obligatory, but when zakah was revealed to the Prophet as a financial obligation, all previous dues were annulled. Additionally, they reject a report by al Tirmidhi from Fatimah bint Qais that the Prophet (p) said, "There are other dues on wealth besides zakah"8, on the ground, that al Tirmidhi himself grades it weak and it is decried as inauthentic by saying critics.9
Footnotes 1. The author of al Bahr attributes this to the majority, Vol. 2, p, 138.
2. Reported by the five -- al Tirmidhi is excluded. See Majma'al al Zawa'id, Vol. 1, p.
3. Reported by al Tirmidhi, Vol. 3, pp 97-99. He comments, "good and strange." Also reported by al Hakim, who comments, "correct". This is approved by al Dhahabi, Vol.
1, p. 390, But in al Talkhis, p. 177, Ibn Hajar says its chain is weak.
4. Reported by Ibn Khuzaimah, in his correct collection, and al Hakim, Vol. 1, p. 390, who comments, "correct according to the criteria of Muslim." This is approved by al Dhahabi, In al Fath, Vol. 3, p, 175. Al Hafiz says, "Abu Zar'ah, al Baihaqi, and others give more weight to it as a statement of Jabir himself, as it is reported by al Bazzar.
5. Reported by al Hakim, Vol. 1, p.390, who comments "correct according to the criteria of al Bukhari." This is approved by al Dhahabi. However, its chain is criticized. See of Vol. 1, of this book.
6. Reported by Abu Daud.
7. Some attribute this saying to the collection of Sunan Ibn Majah. But in al Majmu, al Nawawi says, "It is very weak, not known," Vol. 5, p. Al Baihaqi says, "Our colleague scholars mention this saying in their suspended reports. I do not know of a chain for it." See al Sunan al Kubra, Vol. 4, p.84. Al Hafiz al 'Iraqi objects, arguing that it is reported by Ibn Majah as "There is a right on wealth besides zakah" the same way it is reported by al Tirmidhi. See Tarh al Tathrib Vol. 4, p. 18. This means the word "no" [laisa] was included by a copying error. This is explained by the late Ahmad Shakir in his comment on quote no. 2530 in al Tabari's explanation. He gives the following as evidence: One, al Tabari reports the same saying under no. 2527, via the same chain of Yahya bin Adam from which Ibn Majah reports, and the text is "Indeed, there is a right on wealth besides zakah." Two, Ibn Kathir in his explanation attributes the saying to both Ibn Majah and al Tirmidhi together without any distinction between their two texts: the same is done by al Nabulsi in the Dhakha'ir al Mawarith, under no. 11699.
Three, al Baihaqi says he does not know of chain for the saying, and if Ibn Majah actually reported it with the "no", al Baihaqi must have known it, and so must al Nawawi, who says that the saying as stated is not known. It seems that the explanation of the late Ahmad Shakir with those reasons is very valid and convincing.
Al Tirmidhi comments on this saying, "Its chain is not that good. In it, Abu Maimun al A'war is weak." Al Tabari also mentions it, Vol. 3, pp. 176-1771 under no. 2527 and 2530, so does al Darimi, Vol. 1, p. 385. Ibn Majah reports this saying via Yahya bin Adam no. 1786, and al Baihaqi in his al Sunan al Kubra, Vol. 4, p. 84.