Archive by Author

However, there will always be people who do not give too much importance to piety and thus will break an agreement whenever it suits them. To counter such people, there must be a legal apparatus to enforce any deals that they may willingly sign.   Senturk, Omer Faruk. “Charity in

Justice (‘adl) means to divide two things equally or keep the balance. The Qur’an uses it for justice in all matters, and Islam teaches the believers to be fair in their dealings, as we read in: God commands you to deliver trusts (all public affairs, duties and posts and p

This concept of social justice is achieved by giving people a better understanding of their individual duties in society and the reward thereof, as provided by Islam. The Messenger made education, being the measure and touchstone in this context, obligatory upon every Muslim, both men

Broadly speaking, human rights center on equality and freedom. Caliph ‘Umar reprimanded the governor of Egypt, whose son had struck a Copt (an Egyptian Christian), with the following instructive words: “Why have you enslaved men who were born free by their mothers?”

Islam avoids extremes in order to maintain social balance and order. Therefore, monopoly and cut-throat competition are disapproved. Islam’s essence is justice for all, which enables people to lead a good and happy life while, at the same time, strengthens the bonds of human bro

The second important duty of servanthood is zakat. God’s Messenger, who depicts prayer as Islam’s pillar or support, describes zakat as its bridge (Canan, ibid., 6:346), for zakat not only brings the social strata closer to each other and fills in the gaps between them and

Zakat must be paid by every free Muslim, man or woman, who has a nisab (the required amount of wealth). As for the insane and children who have a nisab, if their wealth is under disposal or in circulation, their guardians pay it on their behalf. If a person dies before paying it, it m

Nisab is conditioned by the following: Nisab is the amount of wealth remaining after meeting all expenses for such vital necessities as food, clothes, housing, and a mount. Thus, one does not have to pay zakat on what he or she needs to make a living, such as tools or machines related

The Nisab and Zakat for Gold, Silver, and Other Jewelry. The nisab for gold is 20 dinars (approximately 90 grams) and for silver is 200 dirhams (approximately 600 grams), both being owned for one year. The due on them is one-fortieth of their value. Any additional amount is to be calc

Scholars have divided property into two categories: hidden (kept at home, such as money, gold, and silver) and property kept in the open (e.g., animals and farm products). During the Prophet’s lifetime and that of the caliphs, zakat was collected by officials appointed for that