The Circulation of Wealth - Surah Al-Hashr 59:7

Explanation:

There are so many benefits to be taken from this beautiful verse. The first segment of this verse states that the poor have a right to the war booty. This is a unique feature of the Islamic Justice System. In most systems the war booty is distributed only among the soldiers, yet in Islam the poor and weak have a right to be cared for and protected, thus Zakah, Zakah Al-Fitr, Sadaqah and a portion of the war booty have all been assigned as the rights of the poorer segment of the community.

The reason for this is stated in the next part of the verse, “so that it(wealth) is not circulated among the rich among you only,” This shows a major difference between Islam and Capitalism. Capitalism is founded upon greed and survival of the fittest. Everybody is only interested in their own material success, even at the expense of others. Thus, in a Capitalistic society, there are large divides between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’.

Islam shuns this mentally and teaches us to love for our brothers what we love for ourselves, and that Allah has provided enough for everybody to be well-off. Thus a Muslim works hard to attain Halal wealth, while at the same time helps others do the same as well.

Finally, this verse mentions an important principle of Fiqh: the importance of the commands and prohibitions of the Messenger (peace be upon him). Whatever the Messenger commands us to do is obligatory and whatever he prohibits is Haraam. This is one of the most explicit evidences of the importance of the Sunnah/Hadith as a source of Islamic Law.

Source: Verse of the Day Collection by Abu Muawiyah Ismail Kamdar