The Duties of the Zakat Giver - 1
The worship of zakat and charity is not merely the removal of wealth from one's hand; it is a process in which the giver must purify his inner world from arrogance and miserliness.
The worship of zakat and charity is not merely the removal of wealth from one's hand; it is a process in which the giver must purify his inner world from arrogance and miserliness. The text examined focuses, as the fifth duty, on the concepts of "reminding of favor" and "causing harm." The basic argument is that the zakat giver must not invalidate his worship by boasting of the good he has done (mann) or by offending the other party (adhā). A true donor should act with the awareness that God, not he himself, is the Provider, and should recognize that the needy person has in fact offered him an opportunity to do good.
A. Reminding of Favor and Causing Harm: Two Obstacles That Invalidate Worship
The source text defines two basic behaviors that destroy the spiritual gain of good deeds:
- Mann (Reminding of Favor): Constantly mentioning the good done, making the other party feel indebted, and thereby extracting a return or reputation. In the text this is described as the person's "playing the role of God's attribute of Provider (Razzāq)" and carrying a hidden claim to divinity.
- Adhā (Causing Harm): Reproaching the recipient for his poverty, scolding him, or humiliating him before others. The inward dimension of harm is the giver's looking down on the needy person in his own heart.
B. Reversal of Roles
The most basic perspective offered for raising the quality of worship is this: The true doer of good (muḥsin) is the poor person.
- If there were no needy person, the zakat giver would not find the opportunity to cleanse his wealth and purify his soul from miserliness.
- The poor person is the one who lifts the "eternal indebtedness" burden from the zakat giver.
- The zakat giver is in fact returning the trust that belongs to God to its true owner (or to His deputy).
C. Treatment of Diseases of the Heart (Knowledge and Action)
Two methods are recommended for escaping the feeling of reminding of favor:
1. Knowledge (ʿilm): The awareness that zakat is in fact the payment of a debt, that all wealth belongs to God, and that giving only one-fortieth is not a great achievement but an occasion for shame.
2. Action (ʿamal): The giver's acting with shame and humility. The text presents keeping the hand below when giving charity or giving through bank transfer while concealing one's identity as modern and effective methods.
Key concepts
- Concept
- Definition
- Mann
- Reminding the other party of what was given and making him feel indebted.
- Adhā
- Belittling or hurting the other party because of his poverty.
Study questions
What are the two basic behaviors that "invalidate" the worship of the zakat giver?
Reminding of favor (mann) and causing harm (adhā).
According to the source text, what is the fundamental danger underlying the feeling of "mann"?
The person's playing the role of God's attribute "Provider" and making a kind of claim to divinity.
When does a good deed grow in God's sight?
The more a person makes that good deed small in his own eyes, the greater it becomes with God.
What spiritual reality is intended by the "hybrid car" example?
Behavior governs the heart; just as the battery fills as the wheel turns, sadāqah given with humility gradually erases the feeling of reminding of favor in the heart and transforms it.
Why should a person not even expect supplication from the one he helps?
Expectation of supplication is also a kind of expecting a return and may place a spiritual burden (reminding of favor) on the other party. ---