WAR AGAINST ZAKAT

REFUSAL

The Quran repeatedly calls the Muslim an Ummah (community).The appellation,i.e

the Ummah,by its very definition, presupposes unity, integration and solidarity, not only
in external organization but also on the idealogical. The Quran does not mean by this
nomenclature a nominally united group-united externally but split up internally.It exhorts
the Muslims to remain united and to keep away from schism and disagreement. The
prophet after his arrival at Medina formed political purposes a larger community which
consisted of the Jews as well. This larger community was shortlived and the non-muslim
were eventually excluded from the Islamic community. Now, the solidarity of the Islamic
community rests on certain fundamental which can be broadly categorized into law,
dogma, and rituals. These formal institutions give an external shape to the community.

The Quran talks of the Muslim brotherhood as a blessing from God. Since there was
no idealogical disagreement among the Muslims during the time of the Prophet, such as
appeared in later times, this idealogical cohesion was vital binding force. The Quran
repeatedly talks of the Muslim brotherhood and exhorts them to cooperate with each
other. This moral teaching of the Quran for external and internal unity gave a new
momentum to the integration of the community. The ideological cementing force during
that time of the Prophet was the Quran and the Sunnah. As Allah has stated very clearly
in Al-Quran:

The need of integration was actually felt when, during the caliphate of Abu Bakr a
number of tribes refused to pay zakat to the state. They believe that zakat only be paid to
Rasulullah for his used. Abu Bakr, took the situation seriously and decided to fight with
them. He worried because they would influence other Muslims too. Zakat is compulsory
to every Muslim. Zakat is one of the basic pillar of Islam and it is stressed many time in
the Quran and Sunnah.

The non-payment of zakat was very serious for Abu Bakr, but Umar and some other
Companions viewed the situation from a different angle. As the people were neo-
Muslims, they wanted to treat them with leniency. Umar is reported to have remarked:
“How do you fight with the people while the Prophet has said: I have been commanded to
fight with people until they utter “ there is no God but Allah”. But Abu Bakr did not agree
with him. He considered those who refuse to pay zakat as apostates and he replied: “ By
God, I shall fight with a man who separates what the Prophet had united” .

There are different versions of Abu Bakr’s reply to Umar, and his determination to
fight with such people is of capital importance for the purpose of inquiry as to how the
legal definition of a Muslim developed in later history. Umar seemingly desired to save
the community from disintegration, and wanted to include in it the persons who refused
to pay zakat .But to Abu Bakr, putting the community on a solid basis and following the
practice of the Prophet’s time were more important than integration. This model practice
(Sunnah) in the later ages proved to be the unifying force of the community prior to the
emergence of the principle of ijma’. Umar changed his stand and ultimately agreed with
Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr gave battle to these tribes and brought them to submission. However
Abu Bakr did not attack them without warning them first. He sent envoys to the zakat
refuser to see if they were still Muslim or not.

From this we conclude that, in the early days of Islam ideological integration was
emphasized even at the cost of Muslim tribes. Abu Bakr exercised his leadership of the
Muslims to maintain the security of Islam. Nowadays, zakat is obligatory upon Muslim
who are capable to pay zakat during Ramadhan month.
 ISLAMIC LEGAL
SYSTEM

IJTIHAD OF THE COMPANIONS:

WAR AG AINS T ZA KA T REFUS AL

LECTURER :
MR. TAJUL ARIS AHMAD BUSTAMI

GROUP MEMBERS:
1. ATIQA NURANITH (0733096)
2. ‘AWATIF AHMAD BASHIR (0819622)
3. HIDAYATUL AIDA MAHMUD (0816264)
4. AMALINA RAMDZAN (0823168)
5. NUR FARHANA (0829596)