Tefekkür Signs for those who reflect
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M8

Wealth, charity, fair trade, and the ban on exploitation

Wealth in Islam is a trust: earned fairly, shared — the needy have a right in it, not a favour — and kept moving, "so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you" (59:7). Charity multiplies "like a seed [of grain] which grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains" (2:261), and cheating in trade is condemned (83:1–3).

مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنۢبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِى كُلِّ سُنۢبُلَةٍ مِّا۟ئَةُ حَبَّةٍ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يُضَٰعِفُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ۝٢٦١

mathalu alladhīna yunfiqūna amwālahum fī sabīli l-lahi kamathali ḥabbatin anbatat sabʿa sanābila fī kulli sunbulatin mi-atu ḥabbatin wal-lahu yuḍāʿifu liman yashāu wal-lahu wāsiʿun ʿalīmun

The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed [of grain] which grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies [His reward] for whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.

2:261

Translation: Saheeh International

  • Woe to those who give less [than due], Who, when they take a measure from people, take in full. But if they give by measure or by weight to them, they cause loss. 83:1–3

    Arabic text and transliteration

    بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ ۝ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ٱكْتَالُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ ۝ وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَو وَّزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ

    waylun lil'muṭaffifīna · alladhīna idhā ik'tālū ʿalā l-nāsi yastawfūna · wa-idhā kālūhum aw wazanūhum yukh'sirūna

  • And what Allah restored to His Messenger from the people of the towns - it is for Allah and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and orphans and the [stranded] traveler - so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you. And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty. 59:7

    Arabic text and transliteration

    مَّآ أَفَآءَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ مِنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْقُرَىٰ فَلِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْيَتَٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَٰكِينِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ كَىْ لَا يَكُونَ دُولَةًۢ بَيْنَ ٱلْأَغْنِيَآءِ مِنكُمْ ۚ وَمَآ ءَاتَىٰكُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَىٰكُمْ عَنْهُ فَٱنتَهُوا۟ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ

    mā afāa l-lahu ʿalā rasūlihi min ahli l-qurā falillahi walilrrasūli walidhī l-qur'bā wal-yatāmā wal-masākīni wa-ib'ni l-sabīli kay lā yakūna dūlatan bayna l-aghniyāi minkum wamā ātākumu l-rasūlu fakhudhūhu wamā nahākum ʿanhu fa-intahū wa-ittaqū l-laha inna l-laha shadīdu l-ʿiqābi

  • O you who have believed, indeed many of the scholars and the monks devour the wealth of people unjustly and avert [them] from the way of Allah. And those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah - give them tidings of a painful punishment. 9:34

    Arabic text and transliteration

    ۞ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ ٱلْأَحْبَارِ وَٱلرُّهْبَانِ لَيَأْكُلُونَ أَمْوَٰلَ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْبَٰطِلِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَكْنِزُونَ ٱلذَّهَبَ وَٱلْفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنفِقُونَهَا فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

    yāayyuhā alladhīna āmanū inna kathīran mina l-aḥbāri wal-ruh'bāni layakulūna amwāla l-nāsi bil-bāṭili wayaṣuddūna ʿan sabīli l-lahi wa-alladhīna yaknizūna l-dhahaba wal-fiḍata walā yunfiqūnahā fī sabīli l-lahi fabashir'hum biʿadhābin alīmin

If you want to go deeper

5min read

What it means

Zakāh and ṣadaqa. Zakāh is the obligatory annual alms, usually 2.5% of savings above a threshold (niṣāb) held for a lunar year. The root means "purification" and "growth". Ṣadaqa is voluntary charity. Ribā is usury or interest on loans, forbidden in the Quran (2:275–280).

What the Quran says

Charity that multiplies (2:261). "The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed [of grain] which grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies [His reward] for whom He wills" (2:261), Medinan.

Righteousness includes giving (2:177). "[True] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah… and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah" (2:177). Giving "in spite of love for it" is named before prayer.

Cheating in trade (83:1–3). "Woe to those who give less [than due], Who, when they take a measure from people, take in full. But if they give by measure or by weight to them, they cause loss" (83:1–3), Meccan.

Wealth must not circulate only among the rich (59:7). "And what Allah restored to His Messenger from the people of the towns — it is for Allah and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and orphans and the [stranded] traveler — so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you" (59:7). The verse is about fayʾ, property gained without fighting (here, from the Banu Nadir), and how it was divided. Using its principle as a general rule against concentration of wealth is a scholarly extension, and should be labelled as one.

Hoarding (9:34). "And those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah — give them tidings of a painful punishment" (9:34), Medinan.

Neglecting the poor (107:1–3). "Have you seen the one who denies the Recompense? For that is the one who drives away the orphan And does not encourage the feeding of the poor" (107:1–3), Meccan: denying religion is shown in how one treats the poor.

The law: what the four schools hold

Zakāh on worn jewellery. For the Hanafi school, zakāh "is obligatory when the nisab is sufficient", whether the jewellery alone or together with other wealth reaches it; for the Maliki, Shafiʿi and Hanbali schools, on permissible adornments that are worn, "zakat is not obligatory" (Mufti of the Federal Territory, Malaysia, citing al-Qaradawi). The named works of each school have not yet been consulted. Monzer Kahf, an economist of Islamic finance, notes that jewellery kept as a store of wealth rather than worn is widely treated as zakatable (IslamOnline).

The niṣāb. "The renown nisab for gold is 85 grams" (Mufti of the Federal Territory; IslamOnline). The silver niṣāb (commonly given as 595 grams) was not confirmed in a source.

Mortgages for Muslims in the West. The European Council for Fatwa and Research, at its fourth session (27–31 October 1999), reaffirmed that interest is forbidden but allowed a Muslim in Europe to take a conventional mortgage if they do not own a house and cannot buy one without a loan, "until" Islamic alternatives are available. Its grounds: a need (ḥāja) can be "elevated to a necessity (ḍarūra)" when it causes hardship, under the maxim "Necessities make the unlawful lawful", and renting would restrict where Muslims can live — for example near a mosque or school (Kamali). Yusuf al-Qaradawi endorsed the ruling. Many other scholars reject it; their arguments have not yet been consulted.

Student loans. The Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA), in a 2011 fatwa by Dr. Main Khalid al-Qudah, holds that "the default is the forbiddance of interest-based loans", but allows a student loan as an "urgent necessity" if all alternatives (scholarships, grants, work-study, subsidised loans) are exhausted, the loan is the only way to study, only the needed amount is borrowed, qualified scholars assess the need, and it is repaid as soon as possible. The necessity "removes the sin even though the ruling of impermissibility remains."

Pensions. Rulings on pensions have not yet been consulted.

What research shows

Zakat programmes report people lifted out of poverty, but the evidence is weak. [Mixed.] Indonesia's national zakat agency BAZNAS reports that in 2024 zakat programmes lifted 1,350,227 people out of poverty, including 721,748 from extreme poverty, measured by an annual "Zakat Impact Assessment survey" against five poverty standards. The summary does not explain how the effect was attributed to zakat, gives no comparison group, and its provider breakdown (adding to about 1,486,920) does not match the total. These are self-reported programme figures, not independent evaluations.

In daily life

Calculate zakāh each year: savings, gold and silver above the niṣāb, business stock; 2.5%. Ask a local scholar which school's rule on jewellery you follow.

Check your trade. Correct weights, honest descriptions, fair prices, no hidden defects (83:1–3).

Give "in spite of love for it" (2:177): something you would rather keep, not only what is left over.

If you have a mortgage, student loan or pension, find out what the scholars you trust say, look for Islamic alternatives, and avoid the guilt-driven extremes of either ignoring the question or despairing over it.

For the heart and mind

If you are poor or in debt, the Quran names you as having a right in the wealth of others, and tells creditors to give time to debtors in hardship (2:280). Zakāh is for you; asking for it is not shameful. Debt advice services in your country can help with practical steps.

If you already have an interest-bearing loan and feel you are sinning, you are not alone, and scholars differ on the conditions under which it is excused (the European Council; AMJA). Talk to a scholar you trust about your situation, and do what you can to reduce interest.

Questions readers ask next

Do I owe zakāh on my jewellery?

In the Hanafi school, yes, once it reaches the niṣāb; in the Maliki, Shafiʿi and Hanbali schools, not on jewellery that is worn.

What is the niṣāb?

85 grams of gold (or its value). The silver figure was not confirmed here.

I have a mortgage — am I sinning?

Interest is forbidden. The European Council for Fatwa (1999) allowed a mortgage for a first home in Europe under strict need; others disagree. Ask a scholar about your case.

Is a student loan allowed?

AMJA (2011) allows it only as a last resort, under strict conditions.

Does zakāh actually reduce poverty?

Indonesia's agency reports large numbers, but without independent evaluation; the evidence is not strong.

Does 59:7 forbid inequality?

It is about fayʾ; using it as a general economic principle is a scholarly extension.

Sources

  1. Saheeh International via the site's Tanzil data — 2:261, 83:1–3, 59:7, 9:34, 2:177, 107:1–3.
  2. Mufti of the Federal Territory (Malaysia), "Irsyad al-Fatwa Series 38: Zakah for Women's Adornments", https://muftiwp.gov.my/en/artikel/irsyad-fatwa/irsyad-fatwa-umum-cat/1980-irsyad-fatwa-series-38-zakah-for-women-s-adornments.
  3. IslamOnline, "Zakah on jewelry: scholars' debate", https://fiqh.islamonline.net/en/zakah-on-jewelry-scholars-debate (gold niṣāb; Monzer Kahf).
  4. Mohammad Hashim Kamali, "Jurisprudence of Minorities (Fiqh al-Aqalliyyāt) Revisited", Islam and Civilisational Renewal 7:1, pp. 120–123, https://www.icrjournal.org/index.php/icr/article/download/287/271/1321 — the 1999 European Council ruling on mortgages.
  5. AMJA, fatwa 85172, "Student loans", Dr. Main Khalid al-Qudah (8 November 2011), https://www.amjaonline.org/fatwa/en/85172/student-loans.
  6. BAZNAS (Indonesia), "Zakat and Poverty Alleviation Report BAZNAS RI 2024" — summary, https://puskasbaznas.com/publications/officialnews/2178-zakat-and-poverty-alleviation-report-baznas-ri-2024.
  7. Curry et al., "Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor," J. Exp. Soc. Psychol. 2018
  8. Dunn, Aknin & Norton, "Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness," Science 2008
  9. Ibn ʿĀshūr, Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿa al-Islāmiyya; Jasser Auda, Maqasid al-Shariah as Philosophy of Islamic Law
  10. Mahmoud El-Gamal, Islamic Finance: Law, Economics, and Practice (Cambridge University Press, 2006)
  11. TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, "Vakıf", "Zekât", "Hisbe"