Zakah in the Islamic State:
A Very Brief Description

Before Mu'adh (RAAH) took a governorship in Yemen, the Prophet (SAAW) instructed him not only to teach new Muslims about Islam, but collect zakah "from the wealthy among them and give it to the poor." This only confirms the importance of zakah as one tool the Khilafah uses to serve its citizens. However, zakah, being a pillar of Islam, is taken only from Muslims and given only to Muslims; needy non-Muslims get help in other ways, including access to economic opportunity.

An ayah from Surat at-Taubah defines the people who get zakah:

Sadaqat (that is, zakah) are only for the poor (fuqara'), the needy (masakeen), people who collect the funds, those "whose hearts are to be reconciled," captives needing to be freed, the debtors (gharimeen), and in the cause of Allah, as well as travelers… (TMQ, ayah 60)

"Al-fuqara'" are the poor we openly recognize. They might have income, but it does not cover basic needs, such as food, clothing or shelter. Islam gives these people help until they can earn enough money themselves.

"Masakeen," on the other hand, possess nearly nothing, but stay quiet and do not ask for anything. Unlike welfare departments in the US, the Department of Zakah under the Islamic state considers it a duty to seek out the needy and help them when discovered. Unlike life under capitalism, being poor in Islam is not a curse or the consequence of sin or stupidity. If anything, it brings reward from Allah, because others get the chance to help the poor and needy for His sake. At the same time, however, the poor have little desire overall to "game" the system as they do nowadays. Instead, they want to find means to make a better living for themselves, so that they too can live better and help others, earning even greater thawab.

The case of the "gharimeen" is very interesting. These are people who suddenly have had to face a very big debt that they cannot pay. Such a debt can arise out of a difference between Muslimeen, or from one's own affairs. An example might be someone injuring someone else with his own car and having to pay for injuries and other damages. In modern times, we try to speak of "Islamic insurance" vs. "non-Islamic insurance; but we do not realize that Allah has already provided for these issues: under the Khilafah: there is no place for insurance companies or their destructive influence on the political and economic system! In our present state of intellectual poverty, though, we look for answers in kafir ways and try to force them to be compatible with Islam.