Empowering the poor using Zakat

Ameer Harnah :
Zakat means poor-tax. It is a compulsory social obligation. The recipients being the poor and the needy persons of the society in general, Allah has warned the defaulters of severe punishment in the hereafter.
The State will collect Zakat from the rich and the well off persons @ of taka 2.50 per hundred once in every year, preferably in the month of Ramadan or any other month as preferred.
But in the country where State does not take the responsibility, the rich will pay Zakat individually. Anyone having the wealth in cash or kind equivalent to the price of 52 tolas of silver is under obligation to pay Zakat.
Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam. The four others are Namaj (Prayer), Roza (Fasting), Hajj (Pilgrimage) and Jihad (striving hard for justice in the society and end of exploitation of man by another).
There are 27 verses on Zakat. It relates to the economic matter. In the wealth of the rich, the poor has a share and that is why zakat has been made compulsory.
During the dawn of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad (SM), appointed officials to collect Zakat from the rich and the amount so collected was utilised for alleviation of poverty. But it is not followed in most of the Muslim countries. For years in our country, lungi and shari are distributed, sometimes with prior announcement. It, in fact, destroys the very noble purpose of Zakat. Many clothe stores hang banners, writing, “Zakat’s sari and lungi are cheaply sold here.”
In this connection, it is to be stated here that Zakat cannot be given in kinds, but in cash.
Zakat is payable to eight categories of men (Ref: V-60, Surah Towba). They are the poor, the needy, the orphans, the officials collecting Zakat, the neo-Muslims, the captives seeking freedom, the debtors, the travelers and the warriors fighting in defence of Islam and the State
It has already been said that the very purpose of Zakat is to reduce economic disparity between man and man. As Allah warns the defaulters of severe punishment (Ref: V -180, Surah AI Imran, Verses 34 and 35, Surah Tawba) and narrates the description of the punishment, the State may make law to punish the defaulters. The hoarding of gold and
silver has been denounced. If we take it for general term, the hoarding of any kind of food and non-food items that creates artificial crisis has been prohibited in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad (SM) said, a man might stockpile (Qurbani) meat for maximum three days; implicitly food items cannot be stored for more than three days.
But very few pay Zakat as per law. Man thinks that wealth will make him immortal. Nay it is wrong. He will rather be hurled into the fire of hell, kindled- (Verse No.6, Surah No. 104).
It is necessary to motivate people to pay Zakat. The work of motivation should be done through a process, which we may learn from a Hadith.
The Prophet Muhammad (SM) advised Muaz bin Jabal (RA), the Governor-designate to Yemen, that he should first invite the people of Yemen to embrace Islam. After that, he would ask them to perform Salat (prayer) five times a day. When they would be accustomed to it, you would ask them to pay Zakat on their wealth. The amount so collected should be utilized for the improvement of the economic condition of the poor-(Bukhari Sharif in Bengali, Hadith No. 1045)
Rules of payment of Zakat:
*One goat for per five camels upto 24.
*One camel of 2-yr old for 25 to 35 camels
*One camel of 3-yr old for 36 to 45 camels
*One camel of 4-yr old for 46 to 60 camels
*One camel of 5-yr old for 61 to 75 camels
*Two camels of 3-yr old for 76 to 90 camels
*Two camels of 4-yr old for 91 to 120 camels
*One camel of 3-yr old for first 40 and then
 extra one camel of 4-yr old for camels when camels exceed 120.
*No Zakat on cow upto 29 in number
*One cow of two years old for 30 cows to 39
*One cow of three years old for 40 cows to 59
*One cow of one year old and two goats for 60 cows
* As regards goat, no Zakat up to 39 in number
*One goat of one year old for 40 to 120 goats
*Two goats of one year old for 121 to 200
*Three goats of one year old for 201 to 399
*One goat per hundred for 400 and above.
Zakat on crops amounts to one-tenth thereof if produced in spring, flood and rain waters. But if it is produced in irrigated water, then one-twentieth. In this regard, the minimum quantity of produced crops should be 30 maunds. However, if anyone wants to pay Zakat, even if the condition does not fulfill, he can do it.
Zakat is payable @ of Taka 2.50 per hundred by him who possess 52 tolas of silver or equivalent amount in cash or in kind. Perhaps in order to keep match with the value of silver in Mecca some 1400 years ago, the quantity of silver has been raised in our country. There is no Zakat on immovable properties but when those are commercially used, there is Zakat on the income, or for selling a piece of land or producing crops.
In case of a man having bank loan or any other loan, he will have to pay Zakat after deduction of his loan amount from his wealth. As for example, if a man is sanctioned house building loan repayable in five years in 20 equal installments, in that situation, the Installment amount for the year shall be deducted from the wealth. But if a man is sanctioned loan repayable in 12 months, that too shall be deducted first and then Zakat will have to pay.
One day the Prophet Muhammad (SM) was traveling accompanied by Hazrat Abu Dhar Giffari. He suddenly stopped and said to Giffari: Do you know who the worst sufferers are? The Prophet paused for a while and then said that the rich people as they will not pay Zakat properly.
After Hazrat Abu Bakar (RA) became Caliph of Islam, several tribes refused to pay Zakat. The Caliph called them and said: If you do not pay Zakat, I shall declare war on you because you cannot make difference between Salat and Zakat-Bukhari Sharif.
One day a man asked the Prophet how he would enter paradise. The Prophet said:
Worship Allah, ascribe not partner to Him, establish Salat, pay Zakat and maintain ties with kindred-Bukhari Sharif.
Apart from Zakat, the rich Muslims or who can afford will pay an amount to the poor and the needy. The amount will be as per present market rate the price of one kilogram and 750 tolas of course flour. It is compulsory and payable on any day in the month of Ramadan without fail. Allah says in the Quran: And woe to polytheists, (and) those who give not the Zakat and those who are disbelievers in the Hereafter-Verses-6,7 of Surah Fussilat.