Zakah Wealth Tax in Islam

Zakah fund exceeding Rs  200 Billion in India is an exaggeration without authentic statistics


Sums added by rich Arab Govts may have inflated the figure  but all such sums  do not form as Zakah funds  

I give one real example from a rich guy in my neighbourhood.

His total Zakah fund per annum is approximately  Rs 12 lakhs

But he does not distribute  the whole 12 lakhs as per the Islamic Shariah

How much does he do distribute?

here it is

To people knocking at his door asking for alms and sadaka

He pays ranging from Rs 10 to 500 and the total distributed that way is Rs 10,000

He pays Zakah to his poor relatives first cousins, second cousins, nephews, nieces uncles, aunts, blood brothers and sisters and similar relatives and the number does not exceed 30 and each on an average he pays Rs 2,000  that is, Rs 60,000 

To institutions such as Muslim orphanages and similar may be

About 50 institutions each receiving Rs 2,000 and hence the total    Rs1,00,000

And if the three are added up the total Zakah paid by him is………….Rs 1,70,000

AND NOT 12 lakhs that he is obligated to pay

This is the case with far too many people who are compelled by Shari rules to pay Zakah

Conclusion Many of us do not pay in excess but we are basically stingy and hard fisted when it comes to parting away with what Islam considers charity

There may be very few exceptions of genuinely charitable people who may pay more than their entitled share

I think it is an easily observable fact in many Muslim countries Muslims are basically good at practicing all other acts of Rukun Islam such as Solat, Sawm(fasting) and Haj but when it comes to the accurate calculation of Zakah and its distribution we are stingy, selfish, grudging, tightfisted and uncharitable

I am not sure about this , but I have heard  a few times on the Jumah Qutbah that  on the Yawmudden( day of judgment) Allah would not give much weight to all other acts of Ibadah of the rich but to his paying Zakah

How many rich are well disciplined in paying the right amount of Zakah at the right time?