Baitulmal (Perbendaharaan Negara) ialah pihak berkuasa yang bertanggungjawab ke atas semua hasil negara dan semua perbelanjaan yang layak dibiayai oleh kaum Muslimin. Maka setiap harta, sama ada tanah, bangunan, galian, wang, atau barangan dagangan, yang menjadi hak kaum Muslimin menurut hukum-hukum syariat, tetapi pemilik yang berhak ke atasnya belum ditentukan, sedangkan bidang yang akan dibelanjakan untuknya telah ditetapkan, maka harta tersebut adalah hak milik Perbendaharaan kaum Muslimin, sama ada ia sudah berada dalam jagaan Perbendaharaan atau belum. Begitu juga, setiap harta yang wajib dibelanjakan kepada penerima dan pemilik yang berhak, atau demi kepentingan kaum Muslimin dan urusan mereka, atau untuk menyebarkan Dakwah Islamiah, semua dana tersebut menjadi tanggungjawab Perbendaharaan, sama ada dana itu dibelanjakan atau tidak. Oleh itu, Perbendaharaan dalam konteks ini ialah pihak berkuasa yang berwibawa.

The State Treasury (Bait-ul-Mal) is the competent authority in charge of all the State’s revenues and all the expenditures for which the Muslims are eligible. So every property, be it land, buildings, minerals, money, or merchandise for which the Muslims are entitled, according to the divine rules, but the person entitled for its ownership has not been designated though the area upon which it is spent is determined; such property would be a rightful property of Muslims’ Treasury, regardless of whether it is already in the sanctuary of the Treasury or not. Likewise, every property due to be spent upon its beneficiaries and rightful owners, or in the interests of the Muslims and their affairs, or in carrying the Islamic Daw’ah; all such funds area duty upon the treasury, regardless of whether the funds are spent or not. Therefore, the Treasury in this context, is the competent authority.

Bayt al-Mal ialah juga istilah yang digunakan untuk menggambarkan tempat di mana dana yang merupakan pendapatan negara disimpan dan dari mana ia dibelanjakan.

The Treasury is also a term used to describe the place where the funds which are the state’s revenues are kept and from which they are spent.

Perbendaharaan pertama yang ditubuhkan, iaitu pihak berkuasa yang berwenang, adalah selepas turunnya wahyu Allah (swt) berkenaan ayat berikut: “Mereka bertanya kepadamu tentang harta rampasan perang. Katakanlah: harta rampasan itu adalah milik Allah (swt) dan Rasul (ﷺ); maka bertakwalah kepada Allah (swt) dan perbaikilah hubungan di antara sesama kamu, dan taatlah kepada Allah (swt) dan Rasul-Nya (ﷺ) jika kamu benar-benar beriman.” [Al-Anfal: 1]

The first Treasury to be established, meaning the competent authority, was after the Revelation of Allah (swt) of the following verse: “They ask you about spoils of war. Say such spoils are at the disposal of Allah (swt) and the Messenger (saw): so fear Allah (swt) and keep straight the relations between yourselves, and obey Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw) if you do believe.” [Al-Anfal: 1]

Hal ini diturunkan berikutan peperangan Badar, ketika kaum Muslimin berselisih tentang harta rampasan perang. Sa'eed Ibnu Jubair meriwayatkan: Aku bertanya kepada Ibnu Abbas tentang Surah Al-Anfal. Beliau berkata: "Ia diturunkan di Badar." Harta rampasan Badar adalah dana pertama yang diperoleh kaum Muslimin selepas harta rampasan ekspedisi Abdullah Ibnu Jahsh. Allah (SWT) menjelaskan hukum berkenaan pembahagiannya. Dia menjadikan harta rampasan itu milik kaum Muslimin, dan Dia mengamanahkan Rasulullah ﷺ untuk mengurusnya mengikut apa yang baginda anggap paling bermanfaat untuk kaum Muslimin. Maka harta itu menjadi milik Perbendaharaan, untuk diuruskan oleh penjaga kaum Muslimin mengikut apa yang beliau anggap paling bermanfaat untuk mereka.

This was revealed in the wake of the battle of Badr, when the Muslims engaged in dispute over the spoils of war. Sa’eed Ibnu Jubair reported: I asked Ibnu Abbas regarding the Surah of Al-Anfal. He said: “It was revealed in Badr.” The spoils of Badr were the first funds the Muslims gained after the spoils of Abdullah Ibnu Jahsh expedition, Allah (swt) demonstrated the rule concerning their distribution. He made the spoils the property of the Muslims, and He commissioned the Messenger of Allah (saw) to dispose of them according to what he deemed in the best interest of the Muslims. So they were the property of the Treasury, to be disposed of by the guardian of the Muslims according to what he deemed in their best interest.

Adapun Perbendaharaan, yakni tempat di mana hasil pendapatan disimpan dan dari situ perbelanjaan dikeluarkan, ia tidak mempunyai tempat tertentu pada zaman hidup Rasulullah ﷺ, kerana pada waktu itu hasil pendapatan amat terhad dan hampir tidak ada yang tinggal selepas diagihkan kepada orang Islam dan dibelanjakan untuk menguruskan urusan mereka. Rasulullah ﷺ biasa membahagikan harta rampasan perang dan seperlima (Al-Khums) pada akhir setiap peperangan. Baginda ﷺ tidak melengahkan pengagihan dana atau membelanjakannya kepada golongan yang layak. Hanzalah bin Sayfi, yang menjadi kerani kepada Rasulullah ﷺ, meriwayatkan: "Rasulullah ﷺ bersabda kepadaku: 'Ikutlah bersamaku dan ingatkanlah aku tentang segala sesuatu, selewat-lewatnya dalam tempoh tiga hari.'" Maka dia berkata: "Aku terus mengingatkan baginda selama tiga hari tentang sebarang dana, makanan atau wang yang aku terima. Oleh itu, Rasulullah ﷺ tidak akan bermalam kecuali selepas segala sesuatu diuruskan." Kebanyakan masa, dana biasanya diagihkan pada hari yang sama. Al-Hassan bin Muhammad meriwayatkan bahawa Rasulullah ﷺ tidak pernah menyimpan sebarang dana hingga lewat hari atau sehingga malam, "iaitu jika baginda menerimanya pada waktu pagi, baginda akan mengagihkannya sebelum tengah hari, dan jika baginda menerimanya pada waktu petang, baginda akan membelanjakannya dan tidak menyimpannya sehingga malam." Oleh itu, tidak pernah ada dana simpanan yang perlu disimpan di suatu tempat atau direkodkan.

As for the Treasury, meaning the place where the revenues are kept and from which expenses are spent, this did not have a specific place during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (saw) , for at that time, the revenues were limited and there was hardly anything left after what had been distributed amongst the Muslims and spent in looking after their affairs. The Messenger of Allah (saw) used to distribute the spoils and the fifths (Al-Khums) at the end of each battle. He (saw) would not delay the distribution of the funds or spending them to their eligible categories. Hanzalah Ibnu Sayfi, who was a clerk to the Messenger of Allah (saw) , reported: “The Messenger of Allah (saw) said to me: “Accompany me and remind me of everything, for no later than three days.” He (saw) said: ‘so I kept on reminding him for three days about any fund or food or any money I received.’ So the Messenger of Allah (saw) would not spend the night except after the disposed of everything.’” Most of the time, the funds used to be distributed on the same day. Al-Hassan Ibnu Muhammad (saw) reported that the Messenger of Allah (saw) never used to keep any fund till late in the day or overnight, “i.e. if he (saw) received it in the morning, he would distribute before noon, and if he received it in the evening he would spend it and would not keep it overnight.” Therefore, there never used to be any saved funds that needed to be kept in a place or on record.

Keadaan ini berterusan semasa hayat Rasulullah ﷺ. Apabila Abu Bakar dilantik sebagai Khalifah, beliau meneruskan cara tersebut pada tahun pertama Khilafahnya. Beliau biasa membawa apa-apa dana yang sampai kepadanya dari mana-mana wilayah ke masjid Rasulullah ﷺ dan mengagihkannya kepada mereka yang berhak. Beliau melantik Abu Ubaidah Ibnul Jarrah sebagai timbalannya dalam perkara ini. Abu Ubaidah berkata kepadanya ketika beliau memegang jawatan ini: "Saya akan menjaga dana itu bagi pihak tuan." Namun, Abu Bakar pada tahun kedua khilafahnya telah menubuhkan titik permulaan bagi perbendaharaan, di mana beliau menetapkan satu tempat di rumahnya untuk menyimpan dana yang datang ke Madinah, dan beliau membelanjakan semua itu untuk kaum Muslimin dan urusan mereka. Apabila Abu Bakar wafat dan 'Umar dilantik sebagai Khalifah, beliau mengumpulkan para pemegang amanah dan memasuki rumah Abu Bakar. Beliau membuka perbendaharaan itu dan mendapati hanya satu dinar yang tertinggal, yang telah jatuh dari sebuah karung. Apabila penaklukan semakin meluas pada zaman Khilafah 'Umar, dan kaum Muslimin menakluki negeri "Kisra" (Parsi) dan "Qaysar" (Rom), dana bertambah dan mengalir masuk ke Madinah, lalu 'Umar menetapkan sebuah rumah untuknya. Beliau menyediakan buku-buku akaun untuknya dan melantik akauntan, memperuntukkan geran daripadanya serta melengkapkan angkatan tentera, walaupun beliau kadangkala meletakkan seperlima harta rampasan perang yang sampai kepadanya di dalam masjid dan mengagihkannya tanpa berlengah. Ibnu Abbas meriwayatkan: "'Umar pernah memanggil saya, dan apabila saya sampai di sana, beliau sedang duduk di hadapan sehelai kain buruk dengan emas yang bertaburan di atasnya seperti jerami. Beliau berkata: Marilah, bahagikanlah kepada kaum keluargamu, kerana Allah (swt) lebih mengetahui mengapa Dia menahan ini daripada Rasul-Nya ﷺ dan Abu Bakar, lalu Dia memberikannya kepadaku. Adakah dia mahukan kebaikan atau keburukan dengan ini?" Abdul Rahman Ibnu Auf meriwayatkan: "'Umar pernah memanggil saya pada waktu tengah hari, lalu saya pergi kepadanya. Apabila saya masuk ke rumahnya, beliau memegang tangan saya dan membawa saya ke sebuah bilik tempat bungkusan-bungkusan disusun bertindih-tindih." Kemudian beliau berkata: “Sekarang keluarga Al-Khattab menjadi hina di sisi Allah (swt). Demi Allah (swt), jika kita hendak dimuliakan dengan ini, nescaya Allah (swt) akan memberikannya kepada dua sahabatku, dan mereka akan menetapkan bagiku satu contoh untuk aku ikut mereka dalam perkara ini.” Abdul Rahman berkata: “Apabila aku melihat apa yang beliau bawa, aku berkata kepadanya: ‘Duduklah wahai Amirul Mukminin, dan marilah kita berfikir.’ Beliau berkata: ‘Kami pun duduk, kami menulis penduduk Madinah, kami para Mujahidin di jalan Allah (swt) dan isteri-isteri Rasulullah ﷺ, kemudian kami menulis yang lain.’”

This state of affairs continued during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (saw) . When Abu Bakr was appointed Khalifah, he continued on that course in the first year of his Khilafah. He used to bring any funds that reached him from any region to the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (saw) and distribute them among those entitled. He appointed Abu Ubaidah Ibnul Jarrah as his deputy in this matter. Abu Ubaidah said to him, when he held this post: I will look after the funds on your behalf. Abu Bakr however did in the second year of the khilafah establish a starting point for the treasury, where he assigned a place in his house to place in the funds which came to Madinah, and he used to spent all of that on the Muslims and their affairs. When Abu Bakr died and ‘Umar was appointed Khalifah , he gathered the trustees and entered Abu Bakr’s house. He opened the treasury and found one single Dinar which had fallen from a sack. When the conquests had intensified during the Khilafah of ‘Umar, and the Muslims conquered the lands of “Kisra” (Persians) and “Qaysar” (Romans), the funds increased and poured into Madinah, so ‘Umar designated a house for them. He set down for them account books and appointed accountants, allocated grants from them and equipped the armed forces, though he used to sometimes place the fifths of the spoils that reached him in the mosque and distribute them without delay. Ibnu Abbas reported: “Umar once summoned me, and when I got there he was sitting before a rag with the gold scattered over it like hay. He said: Come on and divide among your folk, for Allah (swt) knows best why He did hold this from His Messenger (saw) and Abu Bakr and He gave it to me?, Did he want good or bad by this?” Abdul Rahman Ibnu Auf reported: “Umar summoned me once at noon, so I went to him. When I entered his home, he took me by the hand and led me to a room where the parcels were stacked on top of each other. He then said: “Now the family of Al-Khattab became lowly before Allah (swt), by Allah (swt) if we were to be honoured by this, Allah (swt) would have given it to my two companions and they would have set for me a precedent to follow them in this matter..” Abdul Rahman said: “When I saw what he has brought I said to him. ‘Sit down O Amir of the believers, and let us think.’ He said: ‘we sat down, we wrote down the people of Madinah, we the Mujahideen in the way of Allah (swt) and the wives of the Messenger of Allah (saw) and then we wrote the others.’”.

Demikianlah, kaum Muslimin kemudian mempunyai sebuah Baitul Mal yang mapan, tempat dana dikumpulkan, buku-buku catatan disimpan, dan dari situ pemberian dikeluarkan serta dana dibayarkan kepada para penerimanya.

Thus, the Muslims turned to have an established Treasury where the funds were collected, the books of record were kept, from which the grants were given and the funds were paid to their beneficiaries.