Surah Al-An'aam (6) — Ayah 141

(Ayah 141) ➊ The root of {وَ هُوَ الَّذِيْۤ اَنْشَاَ جَنّٰتٍ مَّعْرُوْشٰتٍ وَّ غَيْرَ مَعْرُوْشٰتٍ …… :} { ’’ مَعْرُوْشٰتٍ ‘‘} is "Arsh" (ن، ض). When it is mentioned with the vine of a plant, it means to lift its branches up on sticks or similar supports. {’’عَرَشَ الْكَرْمَ‘‘} means He raised the grapevine on wood or similar support.
➋ { مُتَشَابِهًا وَّ غَيْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ:} For the explanation of this sentence, see the footnote of verse (99) of this surah.
➌ In this verse, Allah Almighty, after mentioning every crop, fruit, vegetable, and tree that grows from the earth, has commanded that its due should be given on the day of harvest. Therefore, it is necessary to pay Allah's due from every fruit and crop that grows from the earth, whether they are {’’مَعْرُوْشٰتٍ ‘‘ }, that is, those whose vines are raised on roofs, such as grapes, gourds, etc., or such gardens whose vines spread on the ground, such as melons, watermelons, cantaloupes, etc., or such fruit-bearing trees that stand on their trunks, such as dates, olives, and pomegranates, etc., or any crop whatsoever. It is obligatory to take out Allah's due from every fruit and crop that grows from the earth, and the greatest right of Allah in wealth is Zakat and Ushr. According to the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), in every crop irrigated by rain, springs, and canals, Ushr is due, that is, one out of ten, and in every crop irrigated by drawing water, half of Ushr is due, that is, one out of twenty. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not exempt any crop from this. Detailed rulings can be seen in the books of hadith.
Some scholars say that there is no Ushr on vegetables and on those fruits that cannot be stored, such as oranges, pomegranates, etc. As evidence, they mention the hadith of Tirmidhi that there is no charity on vegetables, but Imam Tirmidhi himself said that neither is the chain of this hadith Sahih nor is there any other hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him) established for this meaning. In this verse, every crop, olive, and pomegranate is mentioned, although pomegranates cannot be stored. Considering the practice during the time of the Prophet, at most it can be said that the government should arrange to collect Ushr on those things that can be stored, and the owners of the rest of the gardens and fields should distribute Allah's due themselves among the deserving. In the seventh volume of Fatawa Ulama-e-Hadith, the matter of Ushr from every fruit and crop is explained in great detail and with evidence in the articles of many eminent scholars.
➍ {’’ وَ لَا تُسْرِفُوْا ‘‘} means to spend in an unlawful place as well as to spend beyond moderation; likewise, excess in eating is also prohibited, as He said: «وَ كُلُوْا وَ اشْرَبُوْا وَ لَا تُسْرِفُوْا» [ الأعراف : ۳۱ ] "And eat and drink, but do not be excessive." According to Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him), this last meaning is more appropriate here, also because it is harmful to both body and mind. To give so much charity that a person himself becomes needy and is forced to beg is also extravagance. This command is also for rulers that they should not collect more than what is due from anyone.

141. 1 The root of معروشات is عرش, which means to elevate and to raise. By معروشات is meant those vines of some trees that are made to climb on trellises (shelters, walls, etc.), such as grapevines and some vegetable vines. And غیر معروشات are those trees whose vines are not made to climb upwards but rather spread on the ground, like the vines of melon and watermelon, trees, and date palms, and crops, whose tastes differ from one another, and olives and pomegranates—all of these are created by Allah.

141. 2 For this, see the footnote of verse 99.

141. 3 That is, when you harvest the grain from the crop and clean it, and when you pluck the fruit from the trees, then pay its due. According to the scholars, the due means voluntary charity, and according to some, it means obligatory charity, i.e., ‘ushr, one-tenth if the land is irrigated by rain, and half of ‘ushr, i.e., one-twentieth, if the land is irrigated by well, tube well, or canal water.

141. 4 That is, do not exceed the limits even in charity and almsgiving, lest you yourself become needy in the future. Some say this relates to the authorities, i.e., do not exceed the limits in the collection of charity and zakat, and Imam Ibn Kathir says that according to the context of the verse, it seems more correct that do not be extravagant in eating, because overeating is harmful to both the mind and the body. In other places as well, Allah has forbidden extravagance in eating and drinking, which makes it clear that moderation is very necessary even in eating and drinking, and exceeding this is disobedience to Allah. Nowadays, Muslims have made this extravagance a symbol of displaying their wealth.

141. 5 Therefore, extravagance is not liked in anything, neither in giving charity and alms nor in anything else; moderation and balance are required and beloved in everything, and this has been emphasized.

141. He is the One [150] Who produces gardens, both trellised and untrellised, as well as date palms, crops of different kinds of food, olives, and pomegranates—similar in appearance yet different in taste. Eat of their fruit when they bear fruit, and give Allah His due on harvest day [152]. And do not be wasteful, for Allah does not like those who are wasteful [153].

[150] In this verse and the next, the polytheists are being warned that the crops and livestock, regarding which you have invented a long list of rules, are in fact created by Allah Almighty. Then, is it not sheer ingratitude that you allocate portions of the sustenance given by Allah to shrines and idols, and even in this, you are more concerned about fulfilling the shares of the idols, and you fear them more than Allah? The crops and livestock are created by Allah, but you have taken the authority of declaring things lawful and unlawful into your own hands.

[151] In this, regarding the trees, fruits, and crops that have been mentioned, if one reflects on each matter, one can attain the recognition of Allah. And such realities are being stated that everyone can see with their own eyes.

[152]
Zakat is the Right of Allah Upon His Servants:

By the right of Allah is meant that charity which is given from this harvest to the poor and needy, etc., in the name of Allah, because this crop has been produced solely by the grace of Allah. In this place, the amount of this "right" has not been specified and it has been left to the discretion of those giving charity. This Surah is Makki, whereas Zakat was made obligatory in Madinah, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ specified this right, that from rain-fed land, one-tenth of the produce will be given as Zakat, and from irrigated land, one-twentieth of the produce. He also explained on which produce Zakat is obligatory and how much produce makes it obligatory. In this regard, the following matters should be considered.

(1)
Issues and Ahadith Regarding Zakat on Produce:

In agricultural Zakat, the condition of a year passing does not apply. Rather, when the crop is harvested or the fruit is picked, Zakat becomes obligatory at that very time, as is clear from the mentioned verse.

(2) If the crop is irrigated by a spring or rainwater, then one-tenth Zakat is due, and if the water is provided by artificial means, i.e., wells, tube wells, or canals, which require effort and expense, then half of one-tenth, or one-twentieth, is due as Zakat. [بخاري۔ كتاب الزكوٰة باب العشر فيما يسقي من ماء السماء و الماء الجاري]

(3) In the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Zakat was taken from wheat, barley, dried grapes (munqqa), and dates. However, in our region, many other grains are produced in abundance, such as rice, chickpeas, millet, bajra, maize, etc. Zakat will be obligatory on all of these.

(4) If the produce of grain is less than five wasq or 948 kilograms, then Zakat is not obligatory on it; this is the threshold (nisab) for grain. And this amount of produce is considered the annual household expense of the farmer or landowner. However, if it exceeds this amount even slightly, then Zakat is obligatory on the entire amount. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "There is no Zakat on less than five wasq of dates, no Zakat on less than five awqiyah (52.5 tola) of silver, and no Zakat on less than five camels." [ بخاري۔ كتاب الزكوٰة۔ باب ليس فى مادون خمس ذود صدقة]

(5) Among dried fruits in Arabia, mention is made of munqqa and dates, whereas in our region, many other dried fruits are produced in abundance, such as walnuts, almonds, apricots, peanuts, raisins, etc. When all these reach the threshold, Zakat is obligatory on them. The proof is that in Arabia, horses were very few, so the Prophet ﷺ exempted horses from Zakat. [بخاري۔ كتاب الزكوٰة۔ باب ليس على المسلم فى فرسه صدقة] But in the era of Umar Farooq ؓ, when Iran was conquered, where horses were abundant, Sayyiduna Umar ؓ imposed Zakat on horses and equated them with cattle.

(6) Such vegetables and greens that do not spoil quickly, such as potatoes, garlic, ginger, pumpkin, etc., are subject to agricultural Zakat, and those that spoil quickly, such as bottle gourd, tinda, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, etc., are not subject to agricultural Zakat. Rather, after a year, Zakat is due on their profits as trade goods, i.e., two and a half percent or one-fortieth.

(7) The threshold of five wasq or 948 kilograms applies only to such grain that is generally a staple food in that country and is produced in large quantities, such as rice, wheat, and chickpeas in our country. As for grain that is not a staple food and is produced in small quantities, such as millet, bajra, and maize in our region, the threshold does not apply. For example, in the Prophet's ﷺ time, dates and munqqa were used as food, so he made these items subject to the threshold, but in our region, no fruit is used as staple food, so the threshold does not apply to them.

[153]
Forms of Extravagance:

There are several aspects of extravagance. For example, if a person wants to give more than the obligatory Zakat, then without doubt, this is a very good deed and an act of virtue, but he should not give so much that he himself becomes needy. As the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has clarified: "The best charity is that after which a person himself does not become needy." [مسلم۔ كتاب الزكوٰة۔ باب افضل الصدقه عن ظهر غني] The second form of extravagance is to spend on sinful or unnecessary things. Even spending a little on such things is a sin. The third form is to spend more than necessary on oneself. In short, all forms of extravagance are unlawful.