God says to Prophet Mohammed “Take from the properties of your followers a ‘sadaqa i.e. a portion in charity which will purify them and keep their hearts clean’.”It is also called ‘zakat’ because in the words of the holy Quran it is meant for the ‘tazkiah’ i.e. the purification of the hearts of the Muslims.
God has made it obligatory on all Muslims to take out the ‘zakat’ from their properties and hand it over to the Prophet or his descendants. In the life time of the Prophet the Muslims used to pay ‘zakat’ to the officers who were appointed by him for this purpose. They were the persons in charge of the collections who have been men- tioned by God in His book.
After the departure of the Prophet from this world none of the Muslims came forward to say that the ‘zakat’ ceased to be a duty on him. The Muslims used to pay it to the officers who were appointed for this purpose by the successors of the Prophet one after another. The ‘Umayads’ mis-appropriated these collections. When the people saw this, they asked some of the surviving companions of the Prophet as to what they should qat’ to the officers. Some of these ‘ashab’ went to the length of saying “Pay these ‘sadaqat’ even if the Umayads spend them on the purchasing if they spend them on drinking wine.” Some of duty. Your reponsibility is over. The thieves and you cut off the hands of some of them.
There are many examples of this type. If i were to quote them all, the matter will prolong. is indebted to ‘C’. If ‘A’, instead of paying B’ and ‘B’ his debt to ‘B’ pays it to ‘C’ directly on behalf of ‘B’ without any authority from him, he is not free from his responsibility to ‘B’. He will still continue to be indebted to ‘B’. Similar is the case with ‘zakat’. A Muslim has to pay it to the one to whom he has been ordered to pay.
O momins, may God bestow His mercy on you. Realise the significance of the proper use of what God has entrusted with you. Communicate this to one another. Argue out this case with those who hold different views on this. None of them will have any doubt left in his mind. Those who are not convinced are the oppressors and defiers of God. He who denies the truth and argues out in favour of untruth is the oppressor. In addition to the ‘zakat’, the ‘momins’ are required to pay the ‘khums’ the one-fifth of their earnings. The holy Quran says “Bear in mind that of what ever you earn the fifth part belongs to God, the Prophet and his relatives, the orphans, the poor and the way-farers*.” Imam Jafar Sadiq greetings be on him says “The khums belongs to us, the Imams. The people have no share with us in it.” The sentence ‘the one-fifth belongs to God’ means it is to be given away for the sake of God and for a reward from Him. It is meant for the Prophet is his life time and after him it is meant for the Imams from his ‘Ahle-bait’.
It is the duty of every ‘momin’ to pay one- fifth of his earnings to the Imam of the time. It must be borne in mind that the word ‘ghanimat’ used in the above verses does not necessarily mean the spoils of ‘jehad’. It applies to everything that a man earns. Imam Jafar Sadiq, greetings be on him, says “God has made it obligatory for the ‘momins’ to pay us one fifth of their earnings. It belongs to us as a matter of right. He who denies us this right and does not give us our share, will have no claim on God and will get no reward from Him.”
O momins, understand the words of our ‘maula’. Bear in mind that out of everything that you earn one-fifth must be paid to the Imam of the time. Whenever any one of you earns anything or receives anything as a profit let him take out the fifth of it immediately and pay it to the Imam. Let him keep the rest with himself.
This ‘khums’ or the ‘zakat’ which God has enjoined on you to pay does not belong to you. It is not a part of your property. It is the ‘zmanat’ of God and the Prophet in your hands. God has warned you in His holy book against the misappropriation of ‘amanat’. He says “O momins, do not deceive God or the prophet and do not mis-appropriate the ‘amanat’ in general. You know (the conse- quence t)”. In this connection the Prophet says “The property does not decrease by the payment of ‘zakat’ or ‘khums. This is not to be taken in the literal sense. For, the property does decrease when the ‘zakat’ or khums’ is taken away from it. What the Prophet intends to say is this. The ‘khutns’ or ‘zakat’ which you are enjoined upon to pay is not a part of your property which is in your hands. Since it is to be taken away it does not belong to you. What is left behind belongs to of God with you. He has ordered you to guard it.
The Iinams have every right to test their fol lowers by asking them to part with their proper ties or to probe their loyalty by different means. God tested His Prophets by putting them to all sorts of trials and tribulations. I cannot mention them because they are out-side the scope of my book.
O momins, if any one of you is put to test by the Imam, then let him bear the trial with patience. The easiest of such trials is the test in money. You must bear in mind that no time is fixed for the Imams for such trials. They can test their followers at any time and in any way they like when they want to raise them to a high position. They are empowered to do what they like. There is no time limit to their power. Your duty is to submit to them voluntarily. God says “He who volunteers to do good things, does the best things for himself *”
With regard to the use of their ‘khums’ or ‘zakat’ by the Imams, they are the masters of their affairs. They can do what they like to do with the money they get from you. Whether they give it to their relatives, to their brothers and to the poor and the destitute or not, this is the matter which rests entirely with them.
In short, O momins, it is your duty to pay to the Imams the ‘khums’ i.e. the fifth part from your earnings. You are nothing more than the deposi- tories of something that belongs to God. It is an amanat’ in your hands. God wants to test you. He wants to see which of you is more vir- tuous. God has repeatedly reminded you of this duty in His holy Book. O the devotees of God, fear God. Be honest in the return of the ‘amanat’ to Him who has deposited it with you. This is one of the greatest trials to which He has put you.
Imam Jafar Sadiq, greetings be on him, says “None of the duties of God on man is more severe than the return of the ‘amanat’ to Him from your property. Many people are ruined by the neg- lect of this duty. See that you put back this amanat’ in the hands of the Imam of your time. It is not a part of your property.” With all this, if one does not pay the ‘amanat’ and leaves it behind for his heirs, then he is the greatest loser. He loses everything. Not only does he lose his prestige but he also loses his faith. God says “When death approached to one of them, he said ‘O God, give me back the life in order that I may do well what I have neglected to do.’ It is nothing but a meaning less expression’.” Imam Jafar Sadiq, peace be on him, says that “the words What I have neglected to do’ in the above verse of the Quran refer to the non-payment of the dues of the Imam of the time which God has enjoined on man to pay. If one does not pay the ‘zakat his prayers will not be recognised. No one deceives God in the payment of ‘zakat’ on his property excepting the infidels.” God says “Woe to the infidels who do not pay the zakat’2.”
We must bear in mind that one is not free from his obligations if he pays the ‘zakat’ to those who are not entitled to receive it. O momins, pay what you have been enjoined upon to pay to none but the Imams. Let me bring it to your notice that in this matter none of your opponents is a greater enemy of yours than you yourselves. If you conquer your-selves you will have no diffi- culty in the discharge of your duty. God says “Your own self is the evil-dictator 3.” The Pro phet says “Passion is a kind of a deity which is wor- shipped by people.” God says in this connection “Don’t you see those people who take their passions to be their god 4.” Again the Prophet says “The ‘zakat’ does not come out of the of the ‘momins’ unless he relieves himself from the clutches of seventeen devils, every one of whom holds him back and orders him not to pay.” God says “Behold, you are those who are invited to expend part of your subsistence for the support of Gqd’s religion; but there are some of you who are niggardly and who- ever is niggardly, is niggardly to wards his own soul. God is self-sufficient and you are needy. If you turn back, He will substitute another people in your stead who shall not be like you r,”
In conclusion, Ó momins, subdue yourselves. Do not allow your selves to come in the way of the discharge of you your duties. You must realise that you have to pay only a small portion of what God has given you and that too is God’s property which He has entrusted with you. There is no way out of it. He says “You must remember that of whatever you earn one-fifth belongs to God and the Prophet 2.”This is applicable to everything that you acquire by way of spoils in the war or what you earn by business or by man- nual labour or what you get from the Imams themselves in the form of remuneration for your work. You have to take out the ‘khums’ of everything that you have acquired by these means. It matters little whether what you have got is much or small. It is your duty to pay the ‘khums’ to the Imams or those who are appointed by them to receive it on their behalf. May God help us and you in the discharge of this duty. May He forbid us from being treacherous to the Prophet