In view of the Caliph, Fadak had different rules from taxes, like booties
obtained without fighting (Fayy) and bloodshed from the infidels and other
monies; on the contrary he had independent view regarding them and its
recipients.
He regarded the monies as property of God and regarded himself as trustee
of Muslims and gave to whoever he liked and spend it any way he liked. Thus, as
Maula Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) says:
“Till the third man of these people stood up with heaving breasts between his dung and fodder. With him children of his grand-father, (Umayyah) also
stood up swallowing up Allah’s wealth like a camel devouring the foliage of
spring…”1
He gifted it to his relatives although all Muslims were equal in that, property
in which every individual of the Islamic society and every petitioner and deprived
had a specified right. And it is not lawful in Islamic Shariah to take away the
right and give it to another.
Regarding booties, it is narrated from the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) that:
“One-fifth of that property belongs to God and four-fifth to the warriors; and
no one among them is worthier than others, and an arrow, which you brought out
from your side, you don’t have preference with relation to it from your Muslim
brother.”2
Whenever war booty was brought to the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), he
distributed that same day and gave two shares to the married and one share to the
bachelors.3
The established practice regarding tax monies was that the folks of every
house, as long as there is a needy person among them, were given preference in
Sadaqah. And the discretion given to persons regarding monies was only for
collecting it and not to transfer it to the capital; on the contrary they were
supposed to collect it from the wealthy and spend it on poor at that same place.
In the advices of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) to Maaz, when he was
sent him to Yemen to call the people there to Islam and Prayer, it is mentioned
that when they accept it, you should say:
“Indeed, Almighty Allah made taxes obligatory on your wealth, that it
should be collected from your rich and given over to your poor.”4
And it is mentioned in the letter of Maula Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) to
Qutham bin Abbas, when he was the governor of His Eminence in Mecca:
“Beware of the Public Treasury. Spend its money on the poor people of your
province. Find them out (if they do not come to you) and meet their necessities. If
any surplus amount is left over after such expenditure, send the amount to the
centre so that it may meet the requirements of the poor throughout the State.”5
When Abdullah bin Zamaa, during the Caliphate of His Eminence, came to
him and sought funds, he said:
“These things are not for I and you, they are only booty of Muslims and
those, who carry weapons. So, if you participated in battles with them, there is a share for you; otherwise what they have obtained is only for them.”6
Funds were brought to Maula Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) from Isfahan. He
divided it into seven parts and one bread was in surplus; he divided it into seven
pieces and placed each piece in every share. After that he drew lots among people
that who would take his share first.7
And before all this is the practice of Almighty Allah in Holy Quran
regarding monies; like the statements of Allah, the Mighty and the High:
1.
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَأَنَّ لِلهِ خُمُسَهُ وَلِلرَّسُوْلِ وَلِذِي الْقُرْبِي وَالْيَتَي وَالْمَسْكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ
“And know that whatever thing you gain, a fifth of it is for Allah
and for the Apostle and for the near of kin and the orphans and
the needy and the wayfarer.”8
2.
إِنَّمَا ٱلصَّدَقَـٰتُ لِلْفُقَرَآءِ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينِ وَٱلْعَـٰمِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَٱلْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ وَٱلْغَـٰرِمِينَ وَفِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ ۖ فَرِيضَةًۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ (٦٠)۞
“Alms are only for the poor and the needy, and the officials
(appointed) over them, and those whose hearts are made to
incline (to truth) and the (ransoming of) captives and those in
debts and in the way of Allah and the wayfarer; an ordinance
from Allah; and Allah is knowing, Wise.”9
3.
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
“And whatever Allah restored to His Apostle from them, you
did not press forward against it any horse or a riding camel, but
Allah gives authority to His apostles against whom He pleases,
and Allah has power over all things. Whatever Allah has restored to His Apostle from the people of the towns, it is for
Allah and for the Apostle, and for the near of kin and the
orphans and the needy and the wayfarer.”10
This was the practice of Almighty Allah and the Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.a.); but the Caliph – Uthman – forgot what was mentioned in Holy Quran
and deviated from what Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) had said about monies, and
opposed the practice of his two predecessors and became remote from justice and
equity.
He gave preference to the children of his degraded clan, who were fruits of
accursed tree in the Book of Allah, who committed mischief and nonsense; and
imbibed liquor and committed transgression; from transgression till the accused
and one, who swears too much and is debased, one, who picks faults much and he
criticizes others11 and gave them preference over all companions, elders and pious
ones of Ummah.
From the property of Muslims, he gave loads of gold and silver without any
kind of measure to each of his relatives. And chose them over others and even
relatives of Prophet. No one dared to practice enjoining of good and forbidding
evil, because of his harsh treatment to one, who rose up against this.
For them was humiliation, expulsion and lashing. A lash, more severe than
lash of Umar12 and he was accompanied with lash and staff13 ; note the conduct of the Caliph with regard public property: