Zakat and economic wellbeing

The author discusses the categories of individuals to whom Zakah is distributed in Islamic law and he describes the guidelines of giving to each group. The first two terms discussed are joined as al-fuqara' wa'l-masakin. These are individuals in poverty and needing assistance. Al-'Amilina 'Alayha includes the officials who distribute and administrate the zaka fund--they are paid regardless of their financial status. Al-mu'llafatu Qulubuhum refers, most jurists hold, to a certain group who lived in Mecca during the Prophet's time. Fi'l-riqab are those who need funds to buy their freedom from bondage. Al-gharimin are debtors. Zaka may be spent Fi Sabil Allah, in the selfless causes for the pleasure of God. Ibn al-Sabil refers to wayfarers. Zaka, as the author sees it, is a means of preserving the community--not simply a means of aiding beggars. The author indulges in a discussion of zaka as a means of providing economic sufficiency in situations where it is lacking. While non-