Who are the poor needy bondage.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
(May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
Dear
brother Burhan
As
Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh
Can you please give some practical examples to understand
the term "the poor, and the needy, for those in bondage" as mentioned in below
verse?
Allah
Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verse 60:
60
Alms are for the poor, and the needy,
and those employed to administer the (funds), for those whose hearts have been
(recently) reconciled (to the Truth), for
those in bondage and in debt, in the Cause of Allah, and for the
wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah and Allah is full of Knowledge and
Wisdom.
(There may be some grammatical and spelling
errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
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Answer:
Who are the poor
needy bondage
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His
help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide,
and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear
witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear
witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His
Messengers.
1.
‘Fuqara’ or poor
One who does not have enough even to fulfill one’s basic
needs like food and/or clothing, or the basic needs of one’s family, will be considered
to be amongst the ‘fuqara’ or poor.
2.
‘Miskeen’ or needy
The literal meaning of a ‘miskeen’ is one who is weak or
desperate. A ‘miskeen’ or needy person
would be one who might have enough to fulfill theirs and their family’s basic
needs; but a situation or desperation has befallen them which they are unable
to fulfill. For example, one amongst
their family is sick and one cannot afford their treatment, or one is unable to
pay one’s housing costs, or one is unable to pay their children’s basic
education fees, etc.
3.
‘Riqaab’ or the freeing of slaves
The literal meaning of the Arabic term ‘riqaab’ is ‘neck’
or the freeing of slaves. Because
slavery is basically non-existent in this day and age, the scholars and jurists
in Islam are of the opinion that if one has taken on a debt which one is unable
to fulfill, and the debtor is bonded to work for his creditor until the debt is
fulfilled…such a person would fall under the category of ‘riqaab’.
4.
‘Garimeen’
An example of one who fall under this ‘garimeen’ category
of ‘zakah’ would be one who is serving a sentence because one is unable to pay
the prescribed fine; ie. one was sentenced by law to serve 1-year in jail for a
crime he committed and fined US$1,000.00.
If the person is unable to pay the fine, he would have to spend an
additional 6-months in jail….such a person would fall under the ‘garimeen’
category.
Another example of ‘garimeen’ would be one who stood
guarantee for the debt of another, and the person who actually took the debt
dishonored the debt, and the creditors or the law are now holding the one who
guaranteed the debt to fulfill his guarantee.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only
due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me
alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is
the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan