Paying Zakat is Your Duty — Don’t Insult the Poor
By: Muhammad Burhanuddin Qasmi
Dear Wealthy Muslims,
Zakat is one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam — an obligation (Fardh) as essential as offering Salah and fasting during the month Ramadhan. It is your personal duty to identify those eligible to receive Zakat and ensure it reaches them through your own effort and resources. Allah (SWT) has favored you with wealth, placing you among the givers rather than the receivers of Zakat or charity. He has raised your hands to provide, while He could just as easily have left them outstretched to seek.
When a needy person or a madrasa representative comes seeking Zakat, they are, in fact, easing your burden — helping you fulfill your Islamic obligation. If you have something to give, extend it with humility and kindness. If you are unable to give, decline with gentle words and a respectful attitude.
However, it is neither Islamically permissible nor morally acceptable to insult or belittle those who approach you in need. Likewise, flaunting your generosity through staged photographs or videos diminishes the dignity of those receiving Zakat. They accept your contribution out of necessity, not by choice. No one embraces poverty willingly, nor finds comfort in dependence.
Remember, the wealth you possess today is a trust from Allah — one that could change hands at any moment. Arrogance over present wealth and health is both senseless and sinful. If you cannot maintain patience and show due respect to the poor — who are also human beings and the crown of creation — it is better to refrain from this drama of showing off altogether.
I write these words after witnessing a deeply upsetting incident today. A wealthy individual mistreated people who came to his door seeking Zakat. He and his staff behaved in a manner that defied both reason and compassion. What shook me most was the sight of an elderly woman, tears streaming down her face, humiliated and in distress due to the harsh abuse she endured. She appeared weak and she was also keeping Fast.
If such a person prays and invokes Allah’s wrath, no amount of wealth — even if it encompassed the riches of the entire world — would be enough to compensate for the harm inflicted.
If you cannot give with dignity and respect, it is better to halt your distribution than to degrade fellow human beings and tarnish their self-worth.
