Helping the Poor and the Importance of Zakāh in Islamic Society
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah – Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām, Vol. 2, p. 243
Cooperation with the Poor and Needy – The Responsibility of Muslims
Question:
A woman, whose husband has passed away, lives with her young adult daughter. They have no source of income. The mother is ill, and when the daughter leaves home in search of work, immoral people attempt to violate her honor. No one is willing to marry her. The question is: in such a situation, what should this woman and her daughter do? Should they hand themselves over to such predatory people? Should they die of hunger? Commit suicide? Resort to begging? Should the daughter kill her mother? Which path should they take, especially since they live in a country where Islamic laws are not enforced? Who should they turn to? Please give a detailed answer in the light of the Qur’an and Hadith.
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʿAmma Baʿd!
If the question is truthful and the circumstances are exactly as described, then the solution to this problem in light of the Qur’an and Sunnah is as follows:
Sharʿi Responsibility of the Neighbors
✿ It is obligatory for the residents of the neighborhood and all surrounding individuals to provide financial assistance to this woman and her daughter.
✿ They should fully support them through zakāh, voluntary charity (ṣadaqāt), and other permissible financial means.
✿ If the neighbors fail to help, then all of them will be sinful.
Unlawful and Forbidden Paths
✿ Resorting to fornication, immorality, suicide, killing the mother, or intentionally dying from hunger are all harām and severely prohibited acts.
✿ Begging on the streets, alleys, or marketplaces is also blameworthy and impermissible.
Immediate Solution: Marriage of the Girl
✿ The first step for the charitable people of the neighborhood should be to arrange the girl’s marriage to a righteous man of sound faith, so as to close the door to temptation.
A Social Tragedy
✿ Our society suffers from the major flaw that zakāh and ṣadaqāt are not delivered to the truly deserving.
✿ Help is given only to those who offer political support, or to those who address them with honorifics like Khan, Chaudhry, or Malik.
✿ People are willing to make great sacrifices for personal interests, yet they ignore the genuinely needy.
Religious Groups and Their Approach
✿ Some unfortunate people give all their wealth to different groups and parties claiming to serve Islam.
✿ Yet the clear command of Islam is:
«ابدا بمن تعول» – Begin with those whose maintenance is your responsibility.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1427, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1034)
The Reform Aspect
✿ If wealthy individuals would step beyond the circle of their favored groups and parties, and instead deliver zakāh and charity to truly deserving and sound-believing individuals, then – by the will of Allah – no one would remain in poverty.
✿ There is a pressing need for imams and preachers to train people correctly.
✿ They must teach the proper, sharʿi way of spending in the path of Allah.
✿ Instead of filling their own pockets, they must see the reform and guidance of the people as their duty.
ھٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
