Powered by UITechs
Get password? Username Password
 
Menu << Go Back Home New Questions Popular Questions Ask a  Question

Taxes Other than Zakah
Question asked by ..
Posted on: Saturday, July 31, 2010 - Hits: 2265


Question:
There is a Hadīth which says that a Muslim govt. cannot ask its residents for any taxes other than Zakāh. On the other hand, we see that our so called Muslim governments seem to be running on the money collected through taxes. Is it religiously binding on us to pay these taxes? If not, then what should be the attitude of a pious person in this regard?

Answer:
We are bound by the Sharī‘ah to follow and show obedience to the law of the land unless the situation arises in which obeying this law stops us from obeying the Sharī‘ah itself.

In the situation you have referred to, the government is not stopping us from paying Zakāh (in which case one can refuse to obey the directive and face the consequences as well); it is asking us to comply with its own interpretation of the directives of Zakāh. One group of scholars, it should be borne in mind, hold the view that taxes besides Zakāh can be imposed by an Islamic state. Our duty is to follow the state interpretation in letter and spirit and at the same time, if possible, to convince people in favour of our interpretation in a particular matter. If the majority accepts this view, it will become the law of the land.

Until such a stage is reached, a person who believes that Zakāh is the only tax a Muslim government can impose on its Muslim citizens can deduct his Zakāh from the amount of tax and pay the balance as Zakāh. If the amount of taxes exceed the Zakāh he is liable to pay, he may not pay any Zakāh.

wassalam


Dr Shehzad Saleem


Counter Questions
Counter Question Comment
You can post a counter question on the question above.
You may fill up the form below or click here to send via email.
Title
Detail
Name
Email


Note: Your counter question must be related to the above question/answer.
Do not use this facility to post questions that are irrelevant or unrelated to the content matter of the above question/answer.

Share |


Copyright Studying-Islam © 2003-7  | Privacy Policy  | Code of Conduct  | An Affiliate of Al-Mawrid Institute of Islamic Sciences ®
Top    





eXTReMe Tracker