08 Nov 2021 By Know Muslim
The style of the teachings of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
You may be aware that during the days of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم government officials used to call upon the public to collect Zakat (obligatory tax) from them. In those days possessions consisted mainly of cattle including camels, goats. cows, etc. While deputing his officers on this work the 'Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to furnish them with a letter containing instructions as to how they were to discharge their duties. The letter also contained this direction:
This means that the collectors were to collect the amounts of Zakat personally at the doors of the people.
They should not sit at some place to trouble the people taking their Zakat to the collectors. He صلى الله عليه وسلم used to advise them as under:
This means that a man who is not honest in collecting the Zakat, i.e. he is collecting more amount or quantity
(of the animals, etc.) than was due, is committing a sin equal to the sin of the one who is not paying his Zakat.
This the collectors of Zakat are being warned not to wrong the payers by receiving from them even a penny
more than the due amount, because if they did they would be called to account on the Day of Judgment. 011 the other hand, the payers of Zakat were addressed thus:
The collectors of Zakat will visit you. Take care that they do not leave you displeased. You should please them
and should not do them anything to make them displeased, because they are in fact my emissaries and representatives. To displease them would be to displease me صلى الله عليه وسلم .
Thus. the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has reminded each one of his responsibilities and duties. He صلى الله عليه وسلم did not incite the payers of Zakat to make an agitation against the collectors of Zakat that they might not usurp their rights, nor were they advised to form an association which usually becomes a source of contention between the two.
The Shari-ah has laid great emphasis 011 discharging duties honestly because everyone is accountable for every action before Almighty Allah. He should, therefore. prepare himself for giving an account in the Hereafter. The entire
philosophy of religion consists in this principle and not that everyone should be demanding his rights from others and should at the same time be unmindful of his own obligations and responsibilities.
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