CHAPTER FOUR

DEVOTIONAL ACTS
SWALAH (PRAYERS)
This is the second pillar of Islam.
Its importance ranks next to
Shahadah. It is a very special
devotional act which a Muslim is
called upon to perform five times
a day. It is among the most
honoured fundamentals of Islam.
Any Muslim who fails to observe
his prayers and has no
reasonable excuse is committing
a grave offence.
Allah says, "And perform
swalah and be not of the Al-
Mushrikiin.' (Q30:31)
99
The Prophet (S.a.w) says in a
Hadith that what separates a
believer from apostasy is simply
Swalah. Therefore, to neglect
prayers leads one to the risk of
becoming
a kafir. Therefore, prayers are
only beneficial to the individual
and they prove his loyalty to the
creator. So, if he performs it or
neglects it, that does not
increase or decrease anything in
Allah's dominion.
Significance of Swalah
a) It strengthens the belief in the
existence of Allah and develops
a sense of submission to Him.
b) It encourages punctuality,
cleanliness and purity.
c) It brings about the qualities of
patience, hope, confidence,
gratitude and
refinement.
d) It purifies the heart, develops
the mind, cultivates the
conscience and
comforts the soul.
e) It fosters the good and decent
elements in man, and
suppresses the evil
and indecent inclinations.
f) It is a proof of the true equality,
solid unity and universal
brotherhood of
Islam.
g) It creates a sense of duty and
responsibility in an individual.
h) It instills self-discipline e.g. self
control, perseverance,
contentment,
respect, love peace and
tranquility.
Conditions for Swalah (prayers)
1. One must declare his niyyah
(intention).
2. The body, garments and the
place of prayer must be free from
all forms
of impurity.
3. A Muslim should be decently
dressed. A woman must cover
herself completely except her
hands and face while a man
must cover himself from the
navel to the knees.
4. A Muslim must face the Qibla.
5. Prayers should be offered at
their stated times. Delays and
postponements should be
avoided.
6. One must be Mukallaf.
7. One must stand in Swalah
unless sick.
Arknus Swalah
Niyyat (intention).
Suratul - Fatiha is to be recited
correctly.
Ruku' should be
performed correctly.
I'tidal (standing posture)
after Rukuu'
Sujud (prostration) must be
performed correctly. To pause
between the two sijdas.
Julus (i.e. sitting for Tashahud).
To recite the Tashahud.
To recite Swalah 'ala Nabi
(for the Prophet (saw)).
To say the first salaam on the
right followed by the left side.
To maintain the sequence as
given above.
To maintain Tumaaninah in every
posture (pausing for a while).
Conditions that necessitates
ghusl
1. After a woman has given birth.
2. After the completion of post-
natal bleeding.
3. After sexual intercourse.
4. After the completion of
menstruation period.
5. After ejecting sperms whether
awake or asleep.
6. When a person dies.
Furudhul ghusl (Essential Steps
in ghusl) When performing ghusl,
a person must:-
a) Have niyyah (intention)
b) Remove any form of impurity
which is in his/her body before
taking bath.
c) Wash every part of his/her
body
including the hair up to the scalp
of his/her head.
Sunnah acts in ghusl
It is sunnah to do the following
when taking a ritual bath:
a) Start with Bismillah.
b) Perform wudhu.
c) Pass the hand all over the
body.

d) Wash the whole body three

times.
e) Start with the right side of the
body.
It is prohibited for a Muslim in the
state of janaba (state of impurity)
to do
the following:
a) Hold or touch the
Qur'an.
b) Read or recite the
Qur'an.
c) Perform prayers.
d) Enter the Mosque
e) Perform Tawaaf around the
Ka'aba.
A woman in her monthly periods
is not allowed to do the following:
a) Read or recite the
Qur'an.
b) Hold or touch the
Qur'an.
c) Pray.
d) Fast.
e) Engage in sexual intercourse
with her husband.
f) Enter the Mosque.
g) Perform Tawaaf around the
kaaba.
Twahara (Ritual Purity)
This is purity of the body, clothes
and place of prayer from all sorts
of minor and major impurities. A
worshipper can clean himself
from the major impurities through
ghusl (ritual bath) and wudhu
(ablution) in case of a
minor impurity.
Najsah (Ritual Impurity) This is
divided into four categories:-
a) Najasatul-Mukhafafa (light
najis)
b) Najasatul-Mutawasita (middle
najis)
c) Najasatul-Mukhaladah (strong
or concentrated najis) d)
Hadathul Akbar (heavy najis)
a) Najasatul-Mukhafafa (light
najis)
In this category, we have the
urine of a baby boy who has not
been fed on anything else apart
from milk. To clean it, one
sprinkles water on the affected
part.
b) Najasatul-Mutawasita (middle
najis)
In this category, we have najasat
like blood, vomit, pus, faeces,
urine, dead bodies of animals
(except fish, human and locust),
vomit, alcohol, madhy and wady.
To clean these impurities, one
ensures that he washes the
affected area in such a way that
there is no trace of smell, colour,
texture or taste.
c) Najasatul-Mukhaladah (strong
or concentrated najis)
In this category, we have najis
like wet parts of a dog or a pig.
To clean this najis, the affected
area is washed with clean water
seven times and
once with clean sand.
d) Hadathul Akbar (heavy najis)
A person is said to be in the state
of hadathul akbar when he has
janaba. A Muslim becomes a
mujnib if she/he:
Engages in sexual intercourse

Ejects sperms whether asleep or

awake Is in her menstruation
period (Heidh)
Is in her post-natal bleeding
(nifas)
Immediately after giving birth
In case of Hadathul Akbar, one
has to take
a ritual bath (ghusl) to purify
himself of the impurity.
Importance of Twahara
1. No swahah is accepted
without twahara.
2. Allah loves those who observe
cleanliness, therefore, Muslims
are encouraged to remain clean
all the time.
3. It is a command from Allah
and the teaching of our beloved
Prophet
(S.a.w).
4. Cleanliness keeps diseases at
bay.
5. It makes a person healthy.
6. We earn Allah's
pleasure and reward when we
observe cleanliness through
wudhu, bathing etc.
Wudhu (ablution)
Before offering any prayer, a
Muslim must be clean and pure.
It is necessary to wash the parts
of the body which are generally
exposed to dirt or dust. This
washing is called wudhu
(ablution). A Muslim is
therefore expected to have
wudhu whenever he/she wants
to perform swalah.
Performance of Wudhu
A believer must follow the
following steps in performing
wudhu:
a) Declare the niyyat (intention)
before taking wudhu.

b) Wash the hands up to the

wrists three times.
c) Rinse the mouth three times.
d) Cleanse the nostrils of the
nose by sniffing water into them
three times. Wash the whole
face, from the top of the forehead
to the bottom of the chin and
from ear to ear.
f) Wash the arms up to the far
end of the elbow starting with the
right arm
three times.
g) Wipe the whole head with wet
hands or any part of it.
h) Wipe the inner parts of the
ears with the forefingers and
their outer parts with the thumbs.
i) Wash the two feet up to the
ankles beginning with the right
foot three times.
j) Perform wudhu in the correct
order, as above.
Nullifiers of Wudhu, (Mubtilatul
wudhu)
Ablution is regarded null and void
if any of the following happens:
In case of a natural discharge
e.g. urine, stool, gas etc.
In case of flow of blood, pus and
the like from any part of the body.
If one vomits.
If one falls asleep except when
seated firmly on the ground.
Losing one's senses by
taking drugs, intoxicants or
madness.
Touching each other of the
mature
members of the opposite sex
when the
two can marry.
Touching of the private parts
whether they are his or of
someone else even if the other
person is dead.

Tayammum
This is an alternative to wudhu.
Allah says,
66
but if you are ill, or on a journey,
or one of you comes from the call
of nature, or you have been in
contact with women and you find
no water, then take for
yourselves clean sand/earth and
rub therewith your face and
hands..." (Q 5:6).
Reasons for Tayammum
1. When a person is sick and use
of water may cause him more
harm.
2. When there is no water
completely.
3. When the water available is
only enough for essential use like
cooking.
Condition for Tayamum
a) It must be done on clean or
unused sand or dust.
b) The time for that particular
prayer must have reached.
c) Tayammum for one prayer
should not be used for another
prayer, rather,
it should be done afresh.
Procedure of Performing
Tayammum
1. One must first have the niyyah
(intention) of performing
tayammum.
2. One strikes both hands slightly
on pure sand.
3. One shakes the hands off and
wipes the face with them once in
the same way as done in
ablution.
4. One strikes the hands again
and wipes the right arm to the
elbow with the left hand and the
left arm with the right hand.
Nullifiers of Tayammum
a) Tayammum is nullified by all
the things that nullify wudhu.

b) Sighting of water if the

tayammum was done due to
shortage of water.
c) Denouncing Islam (al-ridda).
TYPES OF SWALAH
There are four types of swalah.
These are:
a) Fardh 'ain (Obligatory)
These are the five daily prayers
performed by the believers on
Allah's command. To
neglect them is to incur
Allah's displeasure. They
can be performed in
congregation in the mosque or at
home provided there is an Imam
(leader) and a Ma'muum
(follower). A Muslim can also
offer it on his own at any suitable
place.
b) Fardh Kifayah (Collective
Obligation)
This is a social obligation on the
Muslim community of a town or a
village. This is an obligation on
the responsible members of the
Muslim community of that given
place. If some of the Muslims
present at the time perform it
then the rest of the community is
exempted from the duty. But if
none of them performs it, then all
of them become sinners. The
collective prayer that falls under
this category is called Swalatul
Janaza.
c) Sunnah (Optional)
There are some prayers which
were observed regularly by the
Prophet (SAW), and because of
that, they are regarded as
sunnah and highly
recommended. These include
witr, taraweh, tahiyyatul masjid,
qabliyyah and ba'adiyyah.
Allah says in Q59:7,
"And whatsoever the
Messenger
gives you, take it, and
whatsoever he forbids, abstain
(from it)."

d) Nafilah (Supererogatory)
Supererogatory means, that
which is done over and above
the normal duty. These prayers
are performed in addition to what
is required as obligatory. The
intention is to earn Allah's
pleasure by drawing closer to
Him. Examples of these prayers
are: Tahajjud, Thuhaa and
Tasbeeh
Nullifiers of Swalah
One's prayer is
considered null if he does the
following:
1. Shifts the position from the
direction of the qibla.
2. Laughing, talking, drinking or
eating while praying.
3. Neglects or avoids the
compulsory acts
of
prayer.
4. Exposes any of the
compulsory coverable parts of
the body.
5. Unnecessary movement while
praying.
6. Does anything that nullifies his
ablution e.g. discharging urine,
gas, blood, etc.
SWALATUL JAMAA'
(CONGREGATIONAL
PRAYERS)
Congregational prayer is highly
encouraged as being among the
important
Islamic practices. Muslims gather
together in the mosque for prayer
the Imam. Congregational
prayers are said by two or more
people.
Importance of Congregational
Prayer
behind
1. It makes worshippers
completely obedient to Allah as
they show obedience to the
Imam in the performance of the
various rituals
connected to it.

2. It makes them feel equal in the

true spirit of brotherhood when
they stand together, shoulder to
shoulder in rows. Thus the rich,
the poor, the powerful and the
downtrodden stand before Allah
in harmony as they
pray.
3. It helps the worshippers to
know each other and treat each
other as
members of a community.
4. Congregational prayer is
rewarded twenty seven times
more than individual prayer.
5. It creates the chance for
Muslims to meet five times every
day and renew their friendship
and brotherhood, discuss their
problems and find out the reason
for
anyone's absence.
ii)
SWALAH ON SPECIAL
OCCASIONS
i) Swalat ul-Iddain (the two Idd
prayers)
There are two Idd prayers
namely Idd-ul-Fitr (the feast of
breaking fast) and Idd-ul-
Adh'ha (the feast of the
great sacrifice). They consist of
two rakaah and are said in
congregation anytime after
sunrise and before noon. There
is no Adhan or Iqama in Idd
prayers. After the niyyah, the
prayer begins with Takbir i.e.
Allahu Akbar. The first
raka'ah consists of seven
takbirs while the second
raka'ah consists of five
takbirs.
Swalatul Musafir (the prayer of a
traveler)
Musafir is a Muslim who leaves
his home to go on a journey.
Islam being a realistic religion
has permitted a traveler to
shorten his four raka'ah
prayers to two rakaah. These are
dhuhr, Asr and Isha. The
act of shortening the prayer is
called Qasr. Fajr and Maghrib
prayers cannot be shortened and
therefore are performed as
usual. The mode of travel e.g. by
train, bus, air, boat, camel or on
foot does not matter. Shortening
of

prayers lasts as long as the

traveler is out of his home town.
The person wishing to combine
prayers should have the niyyat
(intention). Allah
says,
"And when you (Muslims)
travel in the land, there is no sin
for you if you shorten your prayer
if you fear that the disbelievers
may attack you, verily, the
disbelievers are ever unto you
open enemies." (Q 4:101).
Swalatul Musafir can be
performed in two ways:
i)
ii)
Jam'u taqdeem which is to
bring forward a prayer e.g.
bringing forward Asr and praying
it at dhuhr time together with
dhuhr or bringing forward Isha
and praying it at Maghrib time
together with Maghrib.
This means that he can pray two
rakaah of dhuhr and two of Asr at
dhuhr time or three rakah of
Maghrib and two rakaah of Isha
at Maghrib time.
Jam'u taakhir: This means
postponing of prayer e.g.
postponing dhuhr and praying it
with Asr at Asr time or Maghrib at
Isha time together with Isha. It
should be noted that Maghrib
prayer cannot be shortened and
therefore has to be performed in
full while Isha can be shortened
to two rakaah.
Tahiyyatul Masjid
This is a two raka'ah
prayer
performed by a Muslim whenever
he enters the mosque before he
sits down. One must make
niyyah (intention) like in any
other prayer before performing it.
Mosques are houses of Allah and
therefore this prayer is an act of
salutation in the court of the
Almighty.

The Prophet (SAW) is reported

to have said, "When
anyone of you enters the
mosque,
he should perform two
raka'ah before he sits
down."
(Bukhari and Muslim)
However tahiyyatul masjid for the
mosque of Makkah is to go round
the Ka'bah seven times
(Tawaaf)
Dhuhaa
This is a two raka'ah or
four raka'ah prayer that is
offered
between sunrise and noon. The
Prophet (SAW) offered two
raka'ah and sometimes
four raka'ah.
It is reported by Abu Sa'id
al Khudhri (R.A.) that sometimes
the Apostle of Allah (SAW)
offered dhuha with such
needfulness and constancy that
we used to say he would now,
never omit it and, sometimes he
gave it up that we used to say he
would, now, never offer it.
(Tirmidhy).
Qabliyyah
These are sunnah prayers
performed before the fardh
prayers. They vary on the fardh
prayer e.g. two or four rakaah
before dhuhr, Asr and Isha and
two before fajr.
depending
Baadiyyah
These are Sunnah prayers
performed after the fardh prayers
e.g. two raka'ah after
dhuhr or Jum'a,two
raka'ah after maghrib and
two raka'ah after Isha
prayers.

Ibn Umar (R.A.) said, "I

prayed with the Prophet (S.a.w)
two raka'ah after dhuhr,
and two raka'ah after
Jum'a. But with Maghrib
and Isha, he (the Prophet
(S.a.w)) prayed at his house.
(Bukhari and Muslim).
Taraweeh Prayers
This is a special sunnah prayer
which is performed in the month
of Ramadhan. It is performed
after Isha prayer. They consist of
eight to twenty raka'ah
offered two by two with a short
break between each four units.
The Prophet (S.a.w) performed
this swalah in the mosque three
times and his companions
prayed behind
him. He then stopped offering it
in the Mosque for fear that it
might be made obligatory but
continued offering it in his house.
During Abi Bakar Siddiq's
time, he offered this swalah in his
house. When Umar Ibn Khattab
was the Khalifa, he ordered the
Muslims to perform it in
congregation.
Swalatul Kusufayn (Prayers of
the two eclipses)
During the eclipses of the sun
and the moon, it is traditional to
perform two raka'ah
prayers. These eclipses are
natural phenomena and Muslims
are advised to pray this swalah.
The Prophet (S.a.w) advised
Muslims not to connect human
incidents, affairs and world
events with eclipses, since the
sun and the moons are two of
Allah's signs, but on such
occasions they should hasten to
prayer.
Swalatul Istisqai (Prayer for rain)
Imam Bukhari relates that once
the Prophet (S.a.w) went out into
the open with the congregation to
pray for rain. He performed a two
raka'ah prayer

with his congregation, reading al-

Fatiha in a loud voice. Allah
responded to his prayer and
there was a heavy down pour
which ended the long drought.
Sujud (prostration)
Allah says,
"And unto Allah (alone)
falls, in prostration whoever is in
the heavens and on earth,
willingly or unwillingly, and so do
their shadows in the mornings
and in the afternoons."
(Q13:15).
There are three types of sijdah:
i) Sijdatul Sahw (prostration of
forgetfulness)
If a worshipper makes a mistake
in the performance of a prayer or
unknowingly omits a verbal
obligatory recitation, he adds
what is called Sijdatu-sahw at the
end of the prayer, just before the
first salutation to make
amendments in it. This consists
of two sijdahs with a sitting in
between and reciting the
salutation thereafter. While in
each sijdah, he should glorify
Allah who neither sleeps nor
forgets. If an Imam makes a
mistake, he should make sijdahs
with the whole congregation
following suit. The two sijdahs
are performed at the end of the
last Tashahud before giving
salaams.
ii) Sujud-a-Tilawa (prostration of
recitation)
There are places in the
Qur'an where a Muslim
comes across sijdah while
reading or reciting. A Muslim is
enjoined to prostrate once in the
same manner as is done in a
normal swalah. In sijdah one has
to ask for dua. This sijdah ends
without salaam.
iii) Sujud-u-Shukr
This sijdah is to express
gratitude to Allah in making one
accomplish something
worthwhile in his life e.g. getting
a new baby, passing in an
examination, getting a promotion,
escaping danger narrowly etc. It
is performed to show our
appreciation to Allah for the
favours he has bestowed upon
us. A Muslim performs this sijdah
immediately he gets information
about his success in any of the
worthwhile ventures.
Allah says,
...give thanks to Allah and
whoever gives thanks he gives
thanks for the good of his own
self..." (Q31:12)
ZAKAT (ALMS)
Zakah is the third pillar of Islam.
It ranks next in importance next
to swalah. The word zakah is
derived from "zaka"
which means to increase or
become pure. Technically, zakat
means the poor due which a
person gives in the form of alms
in order to purify his property and
heart by obtaining Allah's
blessings.
Allah has endowed the world
with people who are less
fortunate. He (Allah) therefore
tests the well-to-do Muslims on
whether they spend all their
wealth solely for their own
comfort and luxury or set aside a
portion of it for the sake of Allah
and thus help the poor and the
needy in the society. Zakah,
thus, distinguishes persons on
their readiness to purify their
wealth in the
way of Allah. Allah says,
"O you who believe! Spend
of that which we have provided
for
you, before a Day comes when
there will be not bargaining, nor
friendship, not
intercession..." (Q2:254).
Types of Zakat
i) Zakatul-Maal
This is obligatory alms
commanded by Allah on Muslims
who have the means to distribute
a portion of their savings among
the poor and the needy.
ii) Zalati;-Fitr
This is zakat that is given out
during the month of Ramadhan
and should comprise of any
staple food e.g. rice, corn, flour
and dates that is used in a given
locality. It is unanimously agreed
by Muslim authorities that
zakatul-fitr should be paid before
going out for Idd-ul-Fitr prayer or
even a
day or two before the Idd day.
iii) Sadaqa
This is charity that is not
compulsory. It is a voluntary
contribution to help the poor and
needy in the society and for other
social welfare purposes. The
amount is not fixed and therefore
depends on the individual.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
ZAKAT AND SADAQAH
Zakat is a pillar of Islam while
Sadaqah is not a pillar of Islam
but an act of charity.
Zakat is compulsory for all
Muslims who qualify to pay it
while Sadaqah is not
compulsory.
There is a minimum amount on
which zakat is payable (Nisab)
while there is
no fixed rate for sadaqah.
Zakat is payable only on savings
that have been in one's
possession for one
year while sadaqa can be paid
on any amount that has been in
one's
possession for a day, month or a
year.
Zakat is payable to specific
Muslims recipients while there
are no specific recipients for
sadaqah
Conditions for Zakat payment
One must satisfy the following
conditions before giving out
zakat:
a) One must be a Muslim
b) One must be a free man and
not a slave
c) One must be sane
d) One must possess wealth or
property which has attained
nisab. e) The property must have
been in one's possession
for a full year f) One must be
mature.
Allah says,
"The alms are only for the
fuqara (the poor), and masikin
(the needy) and those
employed to collect it, and for
those whose heart have been
inclined, and to free the captives,
and for those in debt, and for
Allah's cause, and for the
wayfarer, a duty imposed by
Allah. And Allah is All-knower, All-
wise."(Q9:60).
We therefore learn from the
above verse that zakat is given
to:
i)
These are the poverty stricken
people who cannot raise 50 per
cent of
their basic necessities of life.

ii)
The Needy (Al-Masaakin)
These are people who can raise
50% of their basic needs but
have to be assisted with the rest
of their requirements.
iii)
The Collectors (Al-Aamilin)
These are the collectors, the
accountants, the clerks, the
distributors and the cashiers,
whose salaries are supposed to
be paid from zakat.
iv) Those whose hearts have
been inclined (Al-
Mu'allafatul Qulub) These
are the ones who have
embraced Islam and to whom
gifts are given in order to keep
them steadfast. Some of them
might be abandoned by relatives
and need help to settle down.
v) Fi-Riqab (Those in Slavery)
This category includes Muslim
hostages or prisoners of war who
require to be freed from captivity
through payment of ransom
money.
vi) The Debtors (Al-gharimin)
These are those who through no
fault of their own have incurred
debts and are
unable to settle them. Those who
are in debts through
extravagance or luxury are not
supposed to be included in this
category.
vii) In the Cause of Allah (Fii-
Sabilillah)
These are those in Jihad in the
way of Allah i.e. to spend a
portion of zakah on all those
endeavours which promote
Islam, like propagating it.

viii) The Wayfarers (Ibn Sabil)

These are the Muslims who are
far from their homes and need
assistance for their travel if the
journey is for a lawful purpose.
Items on which Zakat is Payable
There are five categories of
items on which zakat is payable.
These include: 1. Money, gold,
silver and mineral produces.
2. Domestic animals, whose
meat is used
for food e.g. goats, sheep, cows,
camels etc.
3. Agricultural produce.
4. Merchandise and other goods
of trade and industry.
5. Valuables or commodities dug
out or discovered treasure.
There are other items on which
zakat is not payable or are
exempted from zakat. These are:
a) Private houses.
b) Machines or engine used for
manufacturing goods and all
other capital
items.
c) Animals used for
transportation e.g. donkey
d) Ladies' jewelleries and
ornaments
e) Clothing for daily use,
domestic furniture, weapons or
tools.
f) Books which are not for trade.
Differences between zakat and
tax
Zakat is payable to Allah while
tax is payable to the government,
the ruler or the king.
The rate of zakat is very low
while the rate of tax is very high
and can go up to 60%.
One cannot evade zakat and get
away with it because Allah is All-
knowing All-wise while one can
illegally evade tax and get away
with it because it is possible to
deceive the tax officers and
either pays less or nothing at all.
Zakat is taken from the rich and
given to the poor while tax is
taken from both the rich and the
poor and given to the state.
The rate of zakat is fixed up to
the Day of judgment while the
rate of tax fluctuates as it is
always changing.
Zakat is an act of worship and
one gets pleasure in giving it
while tax is not an act of worship
and one desires no pleasure in
giving it.
Zakat is paid on savings only
while tax is paid on gross salary
or net profit.
Importance of Zakat
1. Zakat purifies the wealth of the
giver.
2. It purifies the heart of the
contributor from cruelty,
selfishness and greed for wealth
as well as the heart of the
recipient from envy and jealousy.
3. Zakat relieves the suffering of
the needy and the poor by
affording them
some subsistence.
4. It cultivates a sense of social
responsibility to the contributor
and a feeling of security and
belonging to the Ummah on the
part of recipient. 5. Zakat aims at
developing and establishing a
self-
supporting Ummah so that the
poor and the needy lead a
decent life.
6. It is a major form of worship
and a duty to Allah who will
recompense the giver with divine
rewards and increased wealth.
7. Zakat is mentioned 82 times in
the Qur'an side by side
with Swalah.
Allah says,
"Those who spend their
wealth in the cause of Allah, and
do not follow up their gifts with
reminders of their generosity or
with injury, their reward is with
their Lord. On them shall be no
fear, nor shall they grieve."
(Q 2:262)
Zakat and integrity
In appreciating the role that zakat
plays in promoting integrity,
Muslims believe that all wealth
belongs to Allah and that man is
just a trustee. The
worldly wealth is due to the
bounty of Allah and therefore
Allah tests those Muslims who
are well-to-do with their wealth. A
Muslim, therefore, is supposed to
distinguish between what is right
and lawful and hence create a
society that is honest and morally
sound.
Muslims are also encouraged to
avoid Israaf and all other forms
of extravagance. That is why the
Institution of zakaat trains the
rich to cultivate social
responsibility and foster
humanitarian values in their
minds.
Zakat therefore fosters integrity
in the personality of the Muslims
whose actions are geared
towards pleasing Allah by giving
freely from their wealth thus
creating a society based on
mutual love and honesty.