Zakaat - Rules and modern issues

Zakaat – Right of the poor folk

It goes to the credit of Islam that it has reformed the thinking of the rich and affluent folk and gave them the viewpoint that the amount of Zakaat is the money of the needy folk being given back to them.  As given in this Hadith of Sahih Bukhari:

Translation: It is narrated on the authority of Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with them), he says:  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) told Hadhrat Ma’adh bin Jabal (May Allah be well pleased with him):  ……..You inform them that Allah has made charity obligatory on them, which will be taken from their rich folk and will be returned to their poor folk. (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 1496)

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said that the money will be returned to their poor folk.  With this, He has shown the rich folk that in the wealth being given to them by Almighty Allah, the poor folk also have their share.  Now, if any rich person helps a poor person or fulfills any of their needs, that rich person isn’t doing them a favor, but is in fact returning what was originally theirs.