خُذُ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةٌ تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِمْ
“Take alms out of their property, you would cleanse them and purify them thereby.”1
And that Sadaqah has come in form of common noun and the ‘min’ of
discrimination is used. It shows that what is taken is a part of total wealth and not
all of it. In addition to that the minimum taxable amount of gold, silver and
animals is fixes; thus the remaining property is lawful for the owners.
Abu Zar himself has stated traditions regarding rules of Zakat, traditions,
which Bukhari and Muslim and others, who have written Sahih books and also
Ahmad and Baihaqi and others have narrated. If after giving Zakat, spending
were obligatory then what is the meaning of limiting Zakat to minimal taxable
amounts? This is absolutely clear for all Muslims, what to say about Abu Zar,
who is vessel of knowledge and well versed with the holy Sunnah.
If after paying Zakat, anyone has some obligatory expenditure, which he has
not made, then what is the meaning of success with which Allah, the Mighty and
High has described the believers and said:
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ (١) ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى صَلَاتِهِمْ خَـٰشِعُونَ (٢) وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ ٱللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ (٣) وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِلزَّكَوٰةِ فَـٰعِلُونَ (٤)
“Successful indeed are the believers, who are humble in their
prayers, and who keep aloof from what is vain, and who are
givers of poor-rate,”2
…and if Abu Zar has even slightly diverged from divine command, a
deviation, which disrupted the social system and destroyed peace, or if it had
been opposed to the mission of Islam, indeed, Maula Ameerul Momineen (a.s.)
would have been the first to forbid him and turn him away from his evil intention
and Abu Zar with regard to His Eminence was as obedient to the shadow of a
person, but His Eminence forbid him on the contrary: “You were infuriated for
the sake of Almighty Allah, so repose hope from one, for whom you were
infuriated.”
He also said: “By God, I went to bid farewell to Abu Zar only for the sake of
Allah;” and he said to Uthman: “Adopt piety, indeed, you have banished a
righteous Muslim, due to which he passed away.”
Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) is one, who recognizes anger and enmity for the
sake of Allah, one, who was not afraid of any condemnation in the path of God.
Whatever he did or said was with truth and truth was him.
Do you think that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), in spite of knowing that
at the end of his life, Abu Zar will abandon religion by such invalid calls, yet praised and introduced him as one having lofty qualities and exalted his rank in
public and mentioned his positive qualities? The Prophet is remote from this.
فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًۭا لِّيُضِلَّ ٱلنَّاسَ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ (١٤٤)
“Who, then, is more unjust than he who forges a lie against
Allah that he should lead astray men without knowledge? Surely
Allah does not guide the unjust people.”3
قُلْ هَلْ عِنْدَ كُمْ مِنْ عِلْمٍ فَتُخْرِجُوهُ لَنَا
“Say: Have you any knowledge with you so you should bring it forth to us?”4
إِذْ تَلَقَّوْنَهُ بِالْسِنَتِكُمْ وَتَقُوْلُوْنَ بِأَفْوَاهِكُمْ مَّا لَيْسَ لَكُمْ بِهِ عِلْمٌ
“When you received it with your tongues and spoke with your mouths what you had no knowledge of.”5
مَا لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ وَلَا لَا بَابِهِمْ
“They have no knowledge of it, nor had their fathers.”6
وَإِن تُطِعْ أَكْثَرَ مَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يُضِلُّوكَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ (١١٦)
“And if you obey most of those in the earth, they will lead you
astray from Allah’s way; they follow but conjecture and they
only lie.”7