Interpretation of the Almighty’s saying:
﴿ Alms are only for the poor and needy, and those who work for them and whose hearts are reconciled… ﴾
God Almighty saying: Alms are only for the poor and needy, and those who work for them, and those whose hearts are reconciled, and for freeing slaves and debtors, and in the path of God, and for the wayfarer, as an obligatory duty from God is All-Knowing, All-Wise ﴾ [التوبة: 60].
Meanings of the words contained in the verse[1]:
God Almighty says:( It is only charity) That is, zakat is not earned and given only (for the poor)They are people of poverty or need, and despite their need, they abstain from begging people and submitting to them in this situation. (And the poor) They are the needy and submissive to the people when they ask for them. (and those who work on it) They are the ones who strive to collect it from its people and give it to those who deserve it. They give it with effort, whether they are rich or poor. (And whose hearts are reconciled) They are a people who used to come to the Messenger of God – may God bless him and grant him peace – who had converted to Islam, and the Messenger of God – may God bless him and grant him peace – would be willing to give them alms, so if he gave them alms and they received good from it, they said: This is a good religion, but if it were otherwise, they blamed him and abandoned him. (And in the necks) They are the clerks, (And the debtors) They are the ones who borrowed debts other than disobeying God, and then found no redress in sight or honor. (And for the sake of God) Meaning: And in spending in supporting God’s religion, His way, and His law, which He has legislated for His servants by fighting His enemies, and that is the invasion of the infidels. (And the wayfarer) He is the traveler who passes from one country to another. (an obligation from God) That is, an oath that God has apportioned to them and made obligatory on the wealth of those who have the wealth (And God is All-Knowing)In the interests of His creation in what was enjoined upon them, and in other matters, nothing is hidden from Him. Based on his knowledge, he imposed what was imposed of charity, and the benefit it contained (wise) In His management of His creation, no defect enters into His management.
Among the benefits of the verse[2]:
* It is one of the most important of the verses. God, in His great wisdom and His exalted past rulings, has allocated some people wealth to the exclusion of others, as a blessing from Him to them, and He made it a thank you for that to give them a share to give to those who have no money, on His behalf, Glory be to Him, the Most High, in what He has guaranteed by His grace to them in His saying: And there is no living creature on earth except that God provides for it. ﴾ [هود: 6].
* Among them is its indication that no one has a right to charity except for these eight categories, and this is unanimously agreed upon among the scholars.
And from herGod made charity in two meanings:
One of them: Block the status of Muslims, such as the poor and needy.
The second: Helping and strengthening Islam. Whatever is aiding Islam is given to the rich and the poor. Like the Mujahid and the like, and from this section the author is given.
Among the benefits of the verse:
Recommending and purifying those with money; As God Almighty said in another verse: Take charity from their wealth to purify them and purify them with it. ﴾ [التوبة: 103].
* Among them: The purifier is described as being a benefactor to people, striving to deliver good things to them, and averting evil from them.
* Among them: The obligation of zakat necessitates the attainment of one thousand; That is: the meeting of affection between Muslims, and the elimination of hatred and envy from them.
* Among them: God named the eight types to indicate that charity does not go from these types to others, not as an obligation to divide it among the eight types, so whichever type of them is given is sufficient; As Hudhayfah – may God be pleased with him – said regarding the meaning of the verse: Paying attention to the meaning for which zakat has been prescribed, which is that it is intended to fill one’s character and meet the need, and this meaning is present in one category.
* Among them: The poor is more in need than the poor; Since the beginning occurred with its mention, the most important verse was given precedence over the important.
alert: Anyone who does not have enough money to suffice him or his family is one of the poor and needy.
* Among them: That zakat must be owned; Because the Lord, Glory be to Him, mentioned it with the word “lam” in His Almighty saying: (Alms are only for the poor and needy.).
* Among them: It is permissible to transfer zakat from the country of money; Due to the general meaning of the verse and its generality, even if it is restricted to necessity, it is good.
* Among them: Those who work on it, who collect it, memorize it, write it down, and so on, are given zakat, even if they are rich. In general, God Almighty says: (and those who work on it)This is according to the correct opinion.
* Among them: Paying zakat to those working on it.
* Among them: Anyone who is busy with some of the work of Muslims is permitted to receive wages for it. By analogy with workers taking zakat.
* Among them: Giving to those whose hearts are reconciled – whether they are Muslims or infidels – from zakat. Everyone who is expected to give him a benefit or ward off harm will be given from zakat. Ibn Taymiyyah said: There are two types of people whose hearts are reconciled: the infidel and the Muslim. The infidel is either expected to benefit from his gift, such as his conversion to Islam, or to protect him from harm if he is only warded off by that. The obedient Muslim hopes to receive a benefit as well from his gift. Such as his good conversion to Islam or the conversion of his counterpart to Islam, or collecting money from someone who only gives it out of fear, or to spite the enemy, or preventing his harm from Muslims if he does not refrain from doing so except that.
benefit: Giving for the general interest of Muslims takes precedence over giving for a need. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, divided the spoils of Hunayn between the reconciled people of Najd and the freedmen of Quraysh, and he did not give the immigrants and the Ansar anything that he gave them. So that he may attune their hearts to Islam, and attune them to it for the general benefit of the Muslims, and those to whom he did not give are better in his eyes, and they are the masters of God’s pious saints, and the best of God’s righteous servants after the prophets and messengers, and those among them whom he gave were those who apostatized from Islam before his death, and most of them were rich, not poor. If giving for a need had taken precedence over giving for the public good, the Prophet – may God’s prayers and peace be upon him – would not have given to these rich people. The obedient masters of their clans, and he leaves the giving of those he has of the Muhajireen and Ansar who are more needy and better than them!
* Among them: Helping those who seek office, ransoming prisoners, and freeing slaves, and this is the strongest of the sayings in meaning
God Almighty says: (And in the necks).
* Among them: Paying off the debt of debtors, even if it is large; In general, God Almighty says: (And the debtors)Unless they are guilty of disobeying God Almighty, they will not be given anything until they repent.
* Among them: It is permissible to buy weapons for the mujahideen to advance the word of God.
* Among them:Removing the embarrassment from the wayfarer; The law does not oblige him to borrow if he is rich in his country, but rather it is given from zakat. For the whole verse (And the wayfarer)And God knows best.
[1] looks: Tafsir al-Tabari, (11/513-530).
[2] See: Ahkam al-Qur’an by Ibn al-Arabi, Al-Ilmiyyah Edition (2/519) Tafsir Al-Razi: Keys to the Unseen, Al-Ilmiyyah (16/84)Tafsir Al-Razi: Keys to the Unseen, Al-Ilmiyyah (16/81), Tafsir Al-Qurtubi (8/168)The legal policy in reforming the shepherd and his flock – T. Al-Imran – T. Alam Al-Fawa’id (1/53), Al-Fatawa Al-Kubra by Ibn Taymiyyah, (4/225), Majmo’ Al-Fatawa by Ibn Taymiyyah, (25/45), Facilitating the explanation of the provisions of the Qur’an for distributors, (3/350, 358), Interpretation of the Jalalayn, (p. 250), Al-Ikleel fi Istibat al-Tanzil (p. 142).