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Neighbours in FaithUniversity of Bedfordshire

Ahmed Ehtesham Uddin- PhD Candidate at UCL, Institute of Education – University of London.- National Zakat Foundation (NZF)

November 2015

ahmed.uddin@nzf.org.ukwww.nzf.org.uk

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“Men, though separate, need one another. Without knowing, each serves the other”

- 10th century Arab poet, al-Mutanabbi.

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Economy – What guidance do our faiths give us about how we should create, share and use wealth.

Title:

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Inherited Inequality- “Society is becoming ever more fragmented as the very rich pull away from the rest”.- Economist: Thomas Piketty’s book Capital in the 21st

Century.

- Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett in their book The Spirit Level state that after a certain point of development, how well a society performs is dependant not on how wealthy it is but on how equal it is.

- Muslim jurist called Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi (767 — 820 CE) - existing socio-economic order in that society is preserved

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The role of Zakat?The third pillar of Islam: a religious financial obligation; an amount due on the wealth and income of a Muslim, to be given to the poor and needy and other purposes as specified in the Quran.

It is not an act of charity and it is not a tax.

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Zakat in the Qur’an•The word Zakat mentioned 32 times.

•Conjoined with prayer (Salah) 28 times.

Recipients: 9:60

Poor Needy Those whose hearts are to be

reconciled

Zakāt Administrators

Emancipation of slaves

WayfarerDebtors In the way of Allah

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Worldwide Zakat Flow

•No real data on the annual worldwide Zakat flow, but Islamic financial analysts estimate that over £130 billion is given as both mandatory and voluntary alms in the Muslim world each year.

• That’s approximately 15 times more than global contributions to humanitarian aid in 2011.

• Just Giving – most charitable ‘religious’ group.

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Gift: the unreciprocated gift - Sociologist Marcel Mauss (1872-1950) - He argues that gifts of any kinds are signs

of status and assert one’s status of being superior to individuals that receive the gift.

- Mauss believed that is the uninterrupted exchange of gifts between individuals that creates stability in society. A breakdown of this cycle or flow of exchange of gifts signals a challenge to the status quo. (Singer, 2008)

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Al-Mawardi and Reciprocity •11th century Islamic scholar: Al-Mawardi in the Book of Right Conduct in Matters Worldly and Religious

•Zakat prescribed to comfort the poor and thus free them from hatred, isolation, despair and envy.

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Continued...•When to give, how much to give and whom to give to. •They have the responsibility of giving willingly and whole-heartedly. •Most importantly they should not part with any money for the sake of a reciprocal benefit and must not remind people of their generosity (Benthall et al, 2003:16).

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Manner of Islamic Giving…

“Believers! Do not nullify your acts of charity by stressing your benevolence and causing hurt as does he who spends his wealth only to be seen by men and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day. The example of his spending is that of a rock with a thin coating of earth upon it: when a heavy rain smites it, the earth is washed away, leaving the rock bare; such people derive no gain from their acts of charity. Allah does not set the deniers of the Truth on the right way.” (2:262 - 264)

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“If you disclose your almsgiving, it is well; but if you conceal them and give them to the poor, that is better for you.” (2:271)

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To avoid the concept of Muassian reciprocity, there is a great emphasis in Islam and reward on giving charity in secret as it preserves the dignity of those who receive the charity, and also prevents the giver from being boastful or seeking praise.

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Maimonides

• In the Jewish tradition we find in the works of Maimonides, the twelfth century Andalusian philosopher writes about similar concepts of not shaming the recipient.

• Maimonides works has laid the foundations of modern principles of enlightened charity by asserting that the highest form of giving was to help the poor to rehabilitate themselves, thus encouraging self-reliance. (Benthall et al, 2003:17)

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Eight levels in giving charity (tzedakah)On an ascending level, they are as follows:

• 8. When donations are given grudgingly.

• 7. When one gives less than he should, but does so cheerfully.

• 6. When one gives directly to the poor upon being asked.

• 5. When one gives directly to the poor without being asked.

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• 4. Donations when the recipient is aware of the donor's identity, but the donor still does not know the specific identity of the recipient.

• 3. Donations when the donor is aware to whom the charity is being given, but the recipient is unaware of the source.

• 2. Giving assistance in such a way that the giver and recipient are unknown to each other. Communal funds, administered by responsible people are also in this category.

• 1. The highest form of charity is to help sustain a person before they become impoverished by offering a substantial gift in a dignified manner, or by extending a suitable loan, or by helping them find employment or establish themselves in business so as to make it unnecessary for them to become dependent on others.

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Apathy

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Reference• Benthall, J., Jourdan, J (2003). The Charitbale Crescent.

London: I.B.Tauris. 9.• Mattson, I. (2003). Status Based Definitions of Needs. In:

Bonner, M., Ener, M. and Singer, A Poverty and Charity in Middle Eastern Contexts. New York: SUNY. 31-48.• (O'Toole, G. (2014). UK Muslim charities shift focus to local

aid.Available: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/07/uk-muslim-charities-shift-focus-local-aid-20147229022190995.html. Last accessed 10th Feb 2015.)

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Q&A!

Ahmed Ehtesham Uddin- PhD Candidate at UCL, Institute of Education – University of London.- National Zakat Foundation

November 2015

ahmed.uddin@nzf.org.ukwww.nzf.org.uk