Glimpses of Certain Aspects of Islam by Nasim.A.Jafarey - 14. Qura’anic Viewpoint about Charity and Austerity

Glimpses of Certain Aspects of Islam by Nasim.A.Jafarey

14. Qura’anic Viewpoint about Charity and Austerity

The unending quest for identifying and developing what constitutes an Islamic economic system has gone on for some time but there is as yet no consensus on how this system is to be organised in practical terms as an alternative to the other economic systems ranging from capitalism to communism. There can however be no doubt or dispute about two major elements of the Quranic view point about economic matters. These are charity and austerity which constitute the core of the Islamic way of life. These two crucial elements _ charity and austerity, it will be noticed _ are also inextricably linked with each other in the life of marl. A person who practices charity on a large scale must of necessity lead an austere life. The reverse is not entirely true, for it is possible for a Shylock to live austerely and yet give nothing away in charity. The fact however remains that it is easier for a person leading an austere life to spare some money for giving away in charity than it is for a spendthrift and it is perhaps for this reason that Quran lays so much emphasis on both charity and austerity.

Although there are a large number of verses in the Quran dealing with charity the most forthright directive about charity is perhaps contained in Verse 16 of Surah ‘Taghabun’ which says "So fear Allah as much as you can, listen and obey; and spend in charity for the benefit of your own souls; and those saved from the covetousness of their own souls, they are the ones that achieve prosperity". The vital significance of this Verse lies in the fact that it highlights the connection between man’s covetousness and the practice of charity and warns that until this covetousness Builder is conquered and got rid of man cannot achieve prosperity. An equally forceful directive about charity is contained in Verse 274 of Surah ‘Baqara’ which states "Those who in enchant spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their Lord. For them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve". It may be mentioned here, that according to one view, the fear mentioned in the above Verse is the fear of the end future, and the grief mentioned here is the regret about the past, the two most powerful causes of man's unhappiness in this world.

Charity again figures prominently in the famous Verse 177 of Surah 'Baqara', which defines true righteousness as opposed to the formal aspects of religion. It is strongly affirmed in this Verse that "It is righteousness to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the way farer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves". The important point to be noted in the above quoted Verse is that charity becomes righteousness only if it is practiced for the love of Allah and from no other motive such as display or for ensuring the recipients gratitude. For the in Islam the real intention behind any act is the true test of its merit.

In Verse Software 215 of the same Surah, the manner in which the act of charity is to be performed is dealt with. It is stated in that Verse that "They ask thee what they should spend (in charity) say whatever ye spend that is good". The clear directive is that only such things should be given in charity as are good, useful and valuable and not something which you consider useless and want to get rid of. Again from Verse 261 to Verse 274 of Surah 'Baqara' there is a long discourse about various aspects of charity which it is not possible to reproduce in this brief article. However the salient features of these Verses are that charity benefits your own soul and should be under taken to seek the face of Allah, that Allah knows all that you give in secret or public, that you should not cancel your charity by reminders of your generosity or by injury, and finally that the reward of those who give of their wealth is safe and secure with their Lord.

Finally a reference is invited to Verse 10 of Sura_e_"Munafiqun" which draws attention to the fact that only a limited time is available to man for dispensing charity in this world and if he does not avail of it, he may end up saying as stated in the above quoted Verse, "O! my Lord! why did thou not give me respite for a little while? I should then have given (largely) in charity, and I should have been one of the doers of good". However as stated in the Quran itself, this respite is granted to no one.

As stated earlier any person who for the love of Allah, practices charity systematically and on a large scale is not likely to adopt a high style of living and indulge in wasteful expenditure. However apart from this, the Quran specifically condemns all types of extravagance as in Verse 29 of ‘Sura_e_Nisa’ where it is stated "Ò! you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities". The same admonition is conveyed even more strongly in Verses 26 & Ravenfields 27 of Sura_e_Bane Israel where it is stated "But squander not (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift. Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Evil ones; and the Evil one is to his Lord (Himself) ungrateful". What stronger condemnation there could be of the extravagance and conspicuous consumption which we in Pakistan have adopted as our life style, than the above Verse which equote extravagances with ungratefulness to Allah and puts the extravagant unequivocally in the camp of the Evil one. The need for moderation in spending is also brought out in Verse 67 of Sura_e"Furqan’ where in describing the various characteristics of the true servants of Allah, mention is made of "those who when they spend, are not extravagant and not riggardly but hold a just (balance) between those extremes".

It may not perhaps be inappropriate to conclude this article with a brief reference to Islamic Socialism a term which was so much in vogue some time ago but is not talked about now. When this term was the subject of hot discussion almost a very possible interpretation and explanation of this term was advanced including the assertion that Islamic Socialism was a contradiction in terms. If it is accepted that the core meaning of the word ‘Socialism’ is complete public ownership of the means of production, then it will have to be conceded that Islam and Socialism do not go together. For there can be no doubt that Islam is totally pragmatic about the ownership of the means of production and both private ownership and public ownership are equally Islamic depending on the circumstances of each community at a certain point of time. However about the other aspect of Socialism, namely distributive justice, Islam is more emphatic than any type of Socialist theory. In other words according to the Quranic view point while man is free to produce wealth in any manner he can, as long as he remains within Course the parameters laid down by moral values, he can not and should not appropriate all his earnings for his own comforts and pleasures, but must distribute a substantial, in fact a very substantial, part of his earnings in the form of charity among other less fortunate human beings.

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15. Khutba-i-Hajjatul Wida

Index

Home Page

Preface

1. Theory & Practice of Islamic Socialism

2. Islamic Economic System

3. Islamic Financing

4. Quranic Commandments about Justice

5. The Quranic View-point about Tolerance

6. Interest on Production Loans : A case for Ijtihad

7. Moral Re-armament