FIGHTING THE ZAKAAH WITHHOLDERS
The tribes of Murrah, ‘ Abs, Tha’ labah Ibn Sa’d, and Kinanah, assembled at Abraq and Dhul Qissah close to Madeenah, and sent a deputation to Abu Bakr As-Sideeq, may Allah be pleased with him, to tell him that with the passing away of the Prophet , peace and blessings be upon him, they be exempted from paying Zakaah. Abu Bakr consulted his advisers. Almost all the eminent companions around Abu Bakr advised that as the Muslims were hemmed in by danger from all sides, it was expedient that the demand of the tribes should be accepted so that there was no defection from Islam. Even ‘ Umar Ibn al-Khattaab, may Allah be pleased with him, known for his strong attitudes, favored the acceptance of the demand of the tribes, in view of the impending danger.
The question became a matter of great concern for Abu Bakr. He was conscious of the gravity of the situation, and was aware of the danger to which the Muslim community was exposed. But he did not overlook the other side of the picture.
Abu Bakr felt that the very basis on which the demand had been raised was open to attack. It was incorrect to hold that Islam was a matter of agreement between the Prophet and the tribes, and that after his passing away this agreement had abated and was open to revision. Islam is a covenant with Allah, and as Allah exists, the passing away of the Prophet after the fulfillment of his mission did not in any way, affect their allegiance to Islam. Islam meant total faith, and such faith could not be made subject to any conditions.
As regards the demand for the exemption from paying Zakaah, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, felt that if he conceded to the demand, that might ease the situation temporarily, but that could in turn lead to other demands, and after having accepted one demand it would be difficult to refuse other demands. If any concession was once given in consideration of tribal loyalties, that would be subversive of the solidarity of Islam. Abu Bakr fell that as the successor of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, it was his duty to safeguard Islam, and as such he could not follow a policy of appeasement likely to compromise Islam in any way.
Another consideration that weighed with Abu Bakr was that Zakaah is not a levy subject to political considerations; it is an imperative injunction ordained by Allah, and equated with Salaah.
The matter of fact position was that where Almighty Allah and the Prophet left any matter to the discretion of the community, the community could lake such action as might he necessary on the basis of expediency, but where the command of Allah or the Prophet is definite and conclusive, it is absolute and mandatory, and it could not be compromised or modified because of any considerations of necessity or expediency. Alter considering all aspects of the case, Abu Bakr came to the conclusion that lie had no jurisdiction to grant an exemption from Zakaah, and that as the successor of the Prophet , peace and blessings be upon him, it devolved on him to enforce the command of Allah in letter as well as in spirit, and not to seek to modify it for one reason or the other. Abu Baler’s judgment, therefore, was that under the circumstances, he had no option but to refuse the demand of the tribes. This conviction strengthened his determination to stand firm, and to refuse to compromise Islam.
Abu Bakr took ‘Umar and other companions into confidence. ‘Umar tried to insist on his previous advice of giving the concession, but as Abu Bakr unfolded his arguments step by step, all the companions came round to the view that the truth was what Abu Bakr said.
When on the following day, Abu Bakr met the delegation of the tribes, he explained to them the philosophy of paying Zakaah. He brought home to them the point that he had no jurisdiction to grant any concession in respect of a matter which was a mandate of Almighty Allah. He explained to them that if they professed Islam, they had to observe all the injunctions and dictates of Islam in toto. There was no halfway house in Islam, and it was not permissible for them to pick and choose Islam according to their whims and caprices. Islam had either to be rejected or accepted, and there was no room in Islam for any compromise on fundamentals. Abu Bakr argued that Zakaah being a fundamental injunction of Islam had to be paid with good grace, and any refusal to pay Zakaah implied apostasy. In unequivocal terms Abu Bakr declared: “By Allah! I will fight those who distinguish between Salaah and Zakaah (obligatory charity), because Zakaah is the compulsory right to be taken from one’s property (according to Allah’s Commands). By Allah, if they refuse to give me even the cord used for hobbling the feet of a camel, which they used to pay as Zakaah at the time of Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, I would fight them for withholding it.” Then ‘ Umar said, “By Allah there was no doubt that Allah guided Abu Bakr’s heart towards the decision to fight them, which I later found was the truth.”
(Source: Biographies of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.)
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