Reading Comprehension Zakat Versus Proverty

READING COMPREHENSION

ZAKAT VERSUS PROVERTY

Islam considers poverty as the most dangerous enemy, because the poverty of ummah will bring about various crimes. From early time the messenger of Allah reminded his ummah to fight against poverty by all means. Islam hereby cammands its ummah to live properly regarding clothing, food, education and all aspects of life. In the Islamic society no muslim is allowed to live in hunger, to be naked or to stay under the bridge.

Therefore, Islam teaches four ways to overcome the poverty. The four ways are first : EMPLOYMENT, second : ASSISTANCE OF THE STRONG TO THE WEAK, Third : ZAKAT and Fourth : GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS FROM THE STATE FUND.

Nevertheless, not all people get chance to enjoy the first way, the second way nor the fourth one, so the third way namely Zakat is the only way which enables them to enjoy the riches of Allah in the world of which in same time safe guards them from the poverty endangering their religion and life existences.

We know Islam never prohibits its ummah to be rich people, but on the contrary, it suggests them to help others with their riches.

When there are many rich muslims in the Islamic Society, Muslim people will be strong in economy and welfare in life. If we pay attention to the existence of muslims community insome places all over Indonesia, there is an extreme difference between the rich and the poor. This constitutes non Islamic condition, because some rich people don’t pay their zakat, while the zakat is given to the other posts such as the contructionof mosques, schools, streets and the likes, where as the main post namely the needy people who deserves the right more than the other posts is ignored. This habit is clearly not relevant with the Islamic doctrine. We must realize that with zakat it is hoped that poverty can be removed in our country !.