It's been over seven months, with 45,000+ civilians killed in P41estine the majority of whom are women and children. Similarly with Muslims worldwide (Burma, Kashmir, Uygurs in East Turkestan etc..), and the silence of "Muslim" rulers is deafening. The only solution is for Muslims to mobilize their armies and unite under a single umbrella of Khilafah, which is the promise of Allah SWT. If you are in a position of power, please raise your voice. If you can't do much, please consider donating to Palestine Red Crescent Society or any other charity organisations which you truly trust, JazakAllah khairan.

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Economic system

Economic system (105)

This book of the economic system in Islam is a precious intellectual Islamic fortune, rarely matched. It is the first book which crystallises, clearly and obviously, in this century, the reality of the economic system of Islam in this period in an explicit fashion.

It explains the Islamic view of the economy and its objective, how to own property and increase it, how to spend and dispose of it, how to distribute the wealth amongst the citizens in society and how to establish a balance within it.

It explains the types of properties (private, public and State property) including the property due to the Bait ul-Mal and the areas over which it is spent.

It explains the rules of lands, whether ‘Ushriyya or Kharajiyya, and what is obliged in them of the tithe (‘Ushr) or land tax (Kharaj) and how to utilise, cultivate and allocate and also how to transfer them from one owner to another.

It also discusses the different types of currencies (Nuqud) and what occurs in them of Riba, exchange and what is obliged from them of Zakat.

Finally it discusses the foreign trade and its rules. The sole sources in adopting the rules mentioned in this book are the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger [1] and what they directed to, namely analogy and Ijma’a as-Sahabah. No other source is taken in adopting these economic rules.

The book introduces the reality of the capitalist and socialist, including (communist) economic systems and their refutation, explaining their defects and contradiction with the economic system of Islam. This book was reviewed prior to printing the new edition with only minor corrections. Careful attention was spent in reviewing all the Ahadith mentioned which were proven according to their narrators in the books of Hadith.

This book, to its credit, has created amongst Muslims a great awareness of the Economic System in Islam. We ask Allah that He  spreads its favour and enables Muslims to place its rules into action in a State ruling them exclusively with that which Allah  has revealed.

23rd Safar 1410 Hijra

23/9/89

Monday, 02 January 2017 20:57

21.4 Zakat

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Zakat funds are one of the funds that are placed in the Treasury. Zakat is different from the other funds in regards with its collection, in regards of with its collected amounts and in regards with its spending. In regards with its collection, it is collected from the properties of the muslims only and not from the non-muslims. It is, as well, not a general tax, rather one of the pillars of Islam. Besides that, it is a property, paying of which achieves a spiritual value, like the prayer, fasting and the hajj, and it is an individual obligation paid by the Muslim.

Yet the levying of Zakat does not proceed in conformity with the needs of the State, nor according with the interest of society as is the case with all the other types of funds levied from the Ummah. It is rather a specific type of fund that must be paid to the Treasury, whether there was a need for it or not. The muslim is not absolved of the duty to pay the Zakat when it becomes due on his wealth. Its payment is obligatory on the Muslim who owns the Nisab (minimum amount eligible for Zakat), after deducting his debts and his needs. Zakat is not an obligation upon the non-Muslim. It is however an obligation upon the adolescent and the insane, because At-Tirmidhi reported on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Amru that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “He who acts as guardian for an orphan who has property, let Him trade in that property and not leave it until the Sadaqah devours it”, meaning that He should not leave it until it all perishes from paying Zakat upon it. As Zakat is an obligation upon the wealth owned by the individual, it is therefore a monetary worship and not a physical worship.

As for the amount levied, this is a specific amount which does not increase or decrease. It has been determined as a quarter of the tenth (2.5%) in gold and silver and the commercial commodities. The amount is levied from a specific sum, which is the Nisab or over. The Nisab equates to either 200 silver Dirhams or 20 gold Miskals. The gold Miskal is equal to a Shari’ah approved dinar, whose weight is 20 carats, which is equal to 4.25 grams of gold. Hence, the Nisab would be equal to 85 grams of gold. As for the silver dirham, it is equal to 2.975 grams, thus the Nisab of silver would be 595 grams of silver. If the amount was less than the Nisab, nothing would be taken from it. As for the Rikaz (ore etc..), its Zakat is a fifth. For cereals, such as wheat and the like, and cattle, such as camels, cows and sheep, the Scholars have explained the amount of their Nisab and what should be taken from them in detail.

As for the disposal of Zakat and the areas of its expenditure, these have also been determined by a specific limit; thus it could not be paid except for the eight categories Allah (swt) mentioned in the Qur’an. Allah (swt) says:

“The alms are only for the poor, and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled and to free the slaves, and the debtors, and for the way of Allah (Jihad) and for the wayfarers.” [At-Tauba: 60] As for the poor, they are those who have money, but their expenses are higher than what they own. The needy are those with no money and no income. Allah (swt) says:

“Or the indigent (miskeen) in the dust” [Al-Balad: 16]

As for those employed for it, they are those who levy and distribute the Zakat. Those whose “hearts have been reconciled” are those the State deems appropriate to give them from the Zakat as an incentive to establish them firmly in Islam. Those in bondage are the slaves; they are given money so that they can be freed. This category is not existent today. Those in debt are indebted who are unable to pay off their debts. In the way of Allah means Jihad; whenever “in the way of Allah” is mentioned in the Qur’an, coupled with spending, its meaning is Jihad. The wayfarer is the traveller who has been cut off. It is forbidden to pay off from the Zakat funds to any other than from these eight categories, and it is also forbidden to spend it upon the economic matters of the State. If none of the eight categories can be found, the Zakat fund should still not be spent on any other area; rather it should be kept in the Treasury and then paid out to the eight categories whenever the need arises. The Zakat should be paid to the Imam or his deputy, for Allah (swt) says:

“Take alms from their properties so that you might purify and sanctify them” [At-Tauba: 103]

Also because Abu Bakr demanded Zakat from them; the Sahaba agreed with Him on this and He did not ask them whether they were paying their Zakat to the poor or not. When they refused to pay Zakat to him, He fought them. It is the Imam who pays it to those eligible. Even if the governors are unjust, Zakat should be handed to them. It has been reported on the authority of Suhayl Ibn Abu Salih that He said: “I came to Sa’ad Ibn Abu Waqqas and said to him: “I have some money on which I must pay Zakat, and these people are as you can see, so what do you suggest I do?” He said: “Pay it to them.” So I went to Ibn Umar and He said the same; then I went to Abu Hurayra and He also said the same thing. Then I went to Abu Sa’id and He also said to me the same thing.” (mentioned by the writer of Al-Mughni). Zakat must never be given to a Kafir whether He were a Dhimmi or otherwise, because the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to Mu’adh Ibn Jabal when He dispatched Him to Yemen: “Inform them that Allah has imposed upon them a Sadaqah in their wealth, to be taken from their rich and rendered to their poor,” narrated by Bukhari on the authority of Ibn Abbas. Hence, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had specified that it should be spent on their poor and that it has been imposed upon their rich. It is, however, permitted to donate to the Kafir a voluntary Sadaqah, for Allah (swt) says:

“And they give the food, despite their need of it, to the indigent (miskeen), the orphan and the captive” [Al-Insan: 8]

and all the captives at the time were Kuffar.

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Monday, 02 January 2017 20:57

21.3 The State Budget

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Each year, the democratic states draw up a general budget for their State. The reality of the budget in the democratic State is that the budget itself is issued in the shape of a law known as the Budget Bill or Law for such and such year, which Parliament then approves and enacts it as a law once it has been debated, including the appropriations of the Budget one by one, and the sums assigned to each item. Each appropriation is in fact an integral part of the Budget and these are voted on as a whole, and not individually. Hence, Parliament can either accept or reject it outright, even if it reserves the right to debate it item per item and sum per sum at the debating stage. The law of the Budget is formed of several articles, one of which is drawn up to show the funds that are earmarked for the State’s upcoming expenditure in the financial year for which the Budget has been drawn up. Another article is drawn to show the State’s estimates with regard to the revenues of the coming financial year. Other articles are drawn in order to earmark the expenses of certain institutions, while yet other articles are drawn in order to estimate the revenues of certain institutions. Also, certain articles are drafted in order to give the Chancellor a host of mandatory powers. In each article a reference is made to a table that includes the sections of the Budget, outlining what each article contains in terms of expenditures and revenues, then in each column the items of the section are listed; then the overall sums of each item in the section are listed in the table. It is on this basis that the Budget is drawn up each year, with slight alterations introduced each year, according to the various events. There are also a host of peripheral changes in the budget of each democratic State, and this is also according to the various events.

As for the Islamic State, she does not draw up an annual budget because the matter does not require a specific law for the budget each year. The budget does not get proposed to the Ummah’s Council, nor is the Council’s opinion sought. This is because the budget with all its articles and sections, and the funds included in each of them, is law in the democratic system. It is a law for one single year. The law in the democratic system is enacted by Parliament, and that is why the matter is required to be proposed to Parliament for ratification. The Islamic State does not need this, because the Treasury’s revenues are levied according to the Shari’ah rules stipulated by text and they are paid out according to the Shari’ah rules stipulated by text. All of these are permanent Shari’ah rules; hence, there is absolutely no room for opinion seeking with regard to the revenues and with regard to the expenditures. The sections in the budget are formed of permanent sections that have been determined by permanent Shari’ah rules. This is as far as the Budget sections are concerned; as for the appropriations of the budget and the amounts included in each appropriation as well as the matters for which these amounts are allocated in each appropriation, all of this is down to the opinion and the Ijtihad of the Khalifah. This is because it is part of looking after people’s affairs, which Shari’ah had conferred upon the Khalifah to decide based on what He deems fit; and his order is binding and must be executed.

Therefore, there is no room in Islam for the State to draw up an annual budget, as is the case in the democratic system, whether this is with regard to its sections, its appropriations its items or the amounts required for each item or each appropriation. This is why no annual budget is drawn up for the Islamic State, though she has a permanent budget for which the Shar’a has determined its sections for both revenues and expenditures. The Khalifah reserves the right to determine the appropriations and their items, whenever it is required without linking that to a particular period.

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Monday, 02 January 2017 20:56

21.2 The Expenditures of Bait ul-Mal

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The expenditures of the Bait ul-Mal are based upon six principles:

1. The expenditures for which the Treasury acts as custodian, and these are the Zakat funds. These will be paid to those eligible subject to availability. If the funds were available to the Treasury in the Zakat section, they would be paid to those among the eight categories mentioned in the Qur’an as their right. These funds must be paid to them. However, if these funds were not available, this waives their payment to those eligible; i.e. if the funds were not available to the Treasury in the Zakat section, then none of the eight categories would be given any money from the Zakat fund and the State would not have to borrow any money pending the levying of Zakat.

2. The expenditures which are due on the Treasury by way of “I’aalah” i.e. financial support and with regard to undertaking the duty of Jihad; such as spending on the destitute, the indigent and the traveller, and such as the spending on Jihad. The eligibility of this expenditure is not subject to availability, for it is a right that must be fulfilled whether funds were available to the Treasury or not. Hence, if the funds were available, they must be paid at once. However, if the funds were not available and if it were feared that a serious hardship would be caused by delaying the payment, the State should borrow the money at once, pending its collection from the Muslims, and then pay it back. If it were not feared that a hardship would be caused, then the principle: “It is delayed to the time of ease” would apply. Hence, payment would be deferred until the funds are levied and then they would be paid to those eligible.

3. The expenditures which are due upon the Treasury by way of “Badal” i.e. recompense or allowance, meaning that the funds are owed to people who rendered a service to the State, they took money for their services; such as the salaries of soldiers, civil servants, judges, teachers and the like. Hence, such payments are also not subject to availability. These are rights that must be fulfilled regardless of availability or scarcity i.e. whether the funds were available in the Treasury or not. If the funds are available, they should be paid immediately; if they are not available, the State would be obliged to make them available by taking whatever is needed from the Muslims. If it is feared that a serious hardship would be caused by delaying the payment, the State should borrow the money at once, pending its collection from the Muslims and then pay it back. If it were not feared that a hardship would be caused, then the principle: “It is delayed to the time of ease” would apply. Hence, payment would be deferred until the funds are levied and then they would be paid to those eligible.

4. The expenditures that are due on the Treasury, and whose payments are due by way of “Maslaha” i.e. welfare and “Irfaq” i.e. public utilities, however without recompense; in other words the payments are spent on a host of utilities without any returns or revenues, such as roads, water services, mosques, schools, hospitals and any other similar utility whose availability is considered a necessity and whose non availability would cause hardship to the Ummah. Hence, the payment for these utilities is not subject to availability of funds. Rather they are an obligatory liability regardless of availability or scarcity. So, if the cash were available to the Treasury, it should be then spent on these utilities; and if it were not available in the Treasury, the onus would be shifted to the Ummah; thus whatever is required for such projects in terms of finance would be collected from the Ummah in order to meet the costs, then the Treasury would spend on these projects. This is because any expenditure by way of welfare and without a return, and whose non-payment would cause a hardship would be a binding expenditure whether the funds are available or not. If the cash was available to the Treasury, it becomes a duty upon the State to spend on these utilities and the duty would be waived off the Muslims, But if it was not available, then the onus would be on them to provide it for the Treasury and consequently it becomes a compulsory expenditure on the Treasury.

5. The expenditures that are due upon the Treasury, and whose payments are due by way of “Maslaha” i.e. welfare and “Irfaq” i.e. public utilities, and without recompense; however, the scarcity of which would not cause hardship to the Ummah, such as the building of another road while a road exists, or the building of a hospital while another exists and is capable of providing adequate service, or the building of a road for which people can find an alternative road nearby or anything similar. In this case, the spending on such projects would be subject to availability only. Hence, if the funds were available to the Treasury, they should then be spent on such projects; otherwise, the duty of such expenditure on the Treasury would be waived and the Muslims would not be obliged to meet the costs of such projects, because in essence, they are not obligatory upon the Muslims.

6. The expenditures that are due upon the Treasury by way of emergency, such as famine, flood, earthquake or attack by an enemy. The payment of such expenditure is not subject to availability; rather the onus is upon the State to provide such money regardless of availability or scarcity. If the cash is available, it should be paid immediately, and if it was not, then the obligation would shift to the Muslims; in this case the money should be levied from the Muslims at once and it should be placed in the Treasury in order to spend on them. If it was feared that a delay in levying the money could cause hardship, the State must in this case borrow the necessary money and place it at the disposal of the Treasury, then pay out the money at once to those eligible and pay off the debt from what it collects from the Muslims later.

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Monday, 02 January 2017 20:56

21.1 Revenues of Bait ul-Mal

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The permanent revenues of the Bait ul-Mal are: Booties (Fai’), Spoils (Ghana’im), Land Tax (Kharaj), Head Tax (Jizya), the different types of public property revenues, the revenues of the State properties, the tithes (Ushr), the fifth of the hidden treasure (Rikaz), the minerals, and the properties of Zakat. But the Zakat properties are kept in a special place in the Bait ul-Mal, and they are not spent except for the eight categories mentioned in the Qur’an, and nothing of them should be spent for other than the eight categories, whether the State affairs or the Ummah’s affairs. But the Khalifah is allowed to spend them, according to his opinion and Ijtihad, for whom He sees fit of the eight categories. He has the right to give them to one or more of these categories, or to all of them. The revenues of the public properties are also kept in a special place (hold) in the Bait ul-Mal, and are not mixed with others, because they are owned by all the Muslims, from whence the Khalifah spends them, within the Shari’ah rules, in the interest of the Muslims according to his opinion and Ijtihad.

The other properties, which belong to the Bait ul-Mal, are all gathered together, and spent on the affairs of the State and the Ummah, on the eight categories and on anything that the State decides. If these properties meet the needs of the citizens, that is well and good; otherwise the State levies taxes upon the Muslims in order to accomplish what is required of it in terms of looking after their affairs. In regards to the way these taxes are enacted, it should be done according to the obligations which the Shar’a put upon the Muslims. So concerning duties which are obligatory upon Muslims to carry out and which require expenses from the State for their execution, the State has the right to levy taxes from the Muslims so that it can execute them.Whereas those issues which are not duties upon the Muslims, such as the repayment of the debts of the dead, the State is not allowed to levy taxes in order to pay them off. If it had funds available in the Bait ul-Mal then it would carry this out, otherwise the State is not obliged to do so. Therefore, the State has the right to collect taxes in these instances, in which case it has to proceed as follows:

1. To meet the expenses due upon the Bait ul-Mal for the poor, the needy, the wayfarer and in the carrying out of Jihad.

2. To meet the expenses due upon the Bait ul-Mal as compensation, such as the expenses of the employees and the provisions of the army and the like.

3. To meet what is due upon the Bait ul-Mal in the form of services and utilities, such as the construction of roads, production of water, building of mosques, schools and hospitals and other things whose establishment are considered necessary for the Ummah and without which she would be harmed.

4. To meet the expenses due upon the Bait ul-Mal that arise in the form of necessity, such as emergency incidents like famine, floods, earthquakes, an attack by an enemy and the like.

5. To levy taxes to meet debts which the State incurred in order to carry out an obligation due upon all the Muslims, from any of the four cases mentioned above or whatever may have resulted from them, or any matter obliged upon the Muslims by Shar’a.

Other revenues which are kept in the Bait ul-Mal and spent upon the affairs of the citizens are the tenth (customs) collected from the citizens of countries at war with the Muslims, or which have treaties, and the properties which are of the public property or the State property, or the property which is inherited from those who had no inheritors.

Concerning the revenues of the Bait ul-Mal which exceeds the expenses due upon on it; if this excess came from booties then it is spent as grants which are given to the people. If the extra comes from Jizya or Kharaj, it is kept to meet the requirements of any emergencies which may fall upon the Muslims, and it should not be waived from those who are obliged to pay, because the divine law has put the Jizya on everyone (non-Muslim male, mature and able to pay), and the Kharaj on the land according to its capacity. If the extra came from Zakat it is kept in the Bait ul-Mal until any of the eight categories has demands upon it, whereupon it is spent on them. If the extra came from that which is due upon Muslims, then it would be dropped and they are excused from paying.

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Monday, 02 January 2017 20:56

21 Bait ul Mal (The State Treasury)

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The Bait ul-Mal is the authority responsible for every income (revenue) or expense, which the Muslims are entitled to. Therefore, every property (Mal) that the Muslims are entitled to, and whose owner is not assigned, is assigned to the Bait ul-Mal, even if its owner as a category was assigned. Once the property was received, then by its receipt it is added to the rights of the Bait ul-Mal, whether the property actually entered into its possession or not, because the Bait ul- Mal is an authority and not just a place. And every right, which is due to be spent on the Muslims interests, is a right upon the Bait ul-Mal. If it was spent in its specified area then it becomes added to the expenses of the Bait ul-Mal, whether it left its hold or not. Because that which reached the governors of Muslims, or is spent by them, then the law of the Bait ul- Mal applies to it, whether as revenue or expenses.

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Monday, 02 January 2017 20:55

20 Factories

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The factory, in its essence, is one of the individual properties. It is one of the things which is allowed to be owned by individuals. It has been confirmed that individuals used to own factories at the time of the Prophet (pbuh), such as those for manufacturing shoes, dresses (clothes), swords and other goods. The Prophet (pbuh) consented to them and He had the Minbar manufactured by them, which indicates that the individual ownership of factories is allowed. But the Hukm (divine rule) of the factory is decided by the nature of the material which it manufactures, and the evidence of this is that the Muslims are prohibited to possess factories that produce wine, according to the Hadith which states that Allah (swt) cursed the one who presses (grape to make) the wine and the one who orders this to be done. So the prohibition of pressing wine is not prohibition of pressing as such, rather it is prohibition of pressing wine specifically. Thus, pressing is not Haram (prohibited), rather it is the pressing to produce alcohol which is the Haram (prohibited) matter. Accordingly, the prohibition of the alcohol factory results from the prohibition of the materials it produces. In this way, it appears that the rule of the factory is the same rule of the material it produces. Therefore, factories have to be examined: if the materials produced by them are not of the public properties, then theses factories are of the individual properties, such as the factories of sweets, textiles, carpentry and the like. However, if the factories were for manufacturing materials which are of the public property, such as the factories of minerals which process the uncountable (undepleted) minerals, then it is allowed for them to be owned publicly, due to the material which the factory produces, be it gold, silver, iron, copper or petrol (oil), in the same way that the rule of the alcohol factory follows the rule of alcohol in prohibition. These factories are also allowed to be owned by the government, since the State is obliged to produce these minerals on behalf of the Muslims, for the purpose of their interest. These factories are also allowed to be owned by individuals, where the State can hire them for a certain amount, which is agreed upon. However, the ownership by individuals, of the tools and factories does not allow them to use them in producing these uncountable (undepleted) minerals for themselves, because these minerals are public properties for all the Muslims. Nor is any individual allowed to own them to the exclusion of others, but they are allowed to rent them to the State for a certain defined amount, where the State uses them to produce these minerals. As for the factories which treat iron and transform it to sheets, the car factories and the like, whose materials are of the individual ownership, any individual is allowed to own them, because the materials which they produce are not from the materials of the public property. Therefore, every factory whose manufactured product is of the public property, is allowed to be owned publicly, or by the State or by individuals from whom the State is allowed to hire. Likewise, every factory whose manufactured product is of the private property, is allowed to be owned by individuals because this is from the individual ownership

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Monday, 02 January 2017 20:55

19 Secluding (Hima) The Public Benefits-Utilities

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There is a right for all the people to benefit from the public utilities, for the purpose for which they are designated. They should not be used except for the purpose for which they are designated. Thus, it is not allowed to use a road for the purpose of a recess (parking for a break), nor parking to trade, nor anything that the road did not exist for. This is because the road exists for the purpose of travelling upon it; unless it were to be used in such a way that does not interfere with travelling; and this marginal use is evaluated as that which does not cause harm or difficulty for passers by. Rivers also should not be used for other than the matter, which they exist for. So if a river exists for irrigation, as would be the case for example with a small river, then it should not be used for navigation (shipping), while if it exists for both matters, like the Nile and Tigris, it may be used for both.

Also no one is allowed to designate for himself anything from the public utilities, like the pastures, Masjid and seas. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “There is no seclusion (Hima) except for Allah and His Messenger,” narrated by Abu Dawud through Ass’ab ibn Jathama. The origin of seclusion (Hima) to the Arabs was that their chief, when He camped in a fertile place, would let a dog bark at the top of a high place, and wherever the voice of the dog reached on all sides, that area would be protected for him, and no one would be allowed to send his cattle (flock) to graze inside it, while He was still able to graze his flock with other people in other places. So the sanctuary (Hima) is the protected place, and it is different from the allowed (Mubah) place. Thus, Islam prevented people from secluding any of the public things for their own use to the exclusion of the others. Accordingly, the meaning of the Hadith is that no one is allowed to protect (for one’s use) any of those things, which belong to all Muslims, except Allah and His Messenger, for only they have the right to protect any of these things they deem appropriate. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) acted in accordance with this, so He protected some places. It is narrated from Ibn ’Umar, “that the Prophet (pbuh) protected the (land of) Naqee’a for the horses of the Muslims,” narrated by Abu Ubayd in the book of Al-amwal (properties) i.e. the Prophet (pbuh) protected a place called an-Naqee’a i.e. a land which was thoroughly soaked with water and was therefore fertile, it was 20 farsakh (a measure of length) from Al-Madina. So people were prohibited from inhabiting this dead (uncultivated) land, thus the pastures could grow, and special flocks were allowed to graze whilst others were prohibited. What is meant here is that He reserved it for the horses used in Jihad in the way of Allah. The Khulafaa of the Prophet (pbuh) after Him also protected land – ’Umar and Uthman protected some of the public places, and this matter became known to the Sahaba and none of them denied it, so it became an Ijma’a-as-sahaba (concensus of the companions). It was also narrated from Amir ibn Ubaydullah ibn az-Zubair from his father, that He said: “A Bedouin came to ‘Umar and said: ‘O Ameer of the believers, this is our country on which we fought in jahiliyyah (days of ignorance) and became Muslims on it, so why do you protect it?’ ‘Umar bowed his head and started to blow and twist his moustache, as He used to twist his moustache and blow when something worried him. When the Bedouin saw Him doing that, He repeated what He had said to him. Then ‘Umar said: “The property (Mal) belongs to Allah, and the human beings are servants of Allah. By Allah had I not been charged with that in the way of Allah (FeesabeelIllah) I would not have protected one handspan of the land,” narrated by Abu Ubayd in Al-amwal.

The prohibited protection mentioned in the Hadith includes two matters: the first is the dead (uncultivated) land, which is allowed for the person to inhabit and take from. And the second is the protection of the things which the Prophet (pbuh) made the people associates in, like the water, pastures and fire; for example where someone designates a canal of water to irrigate his plants and prevents others from doing the same. Ahmed narrated from Iyas ibn Abd that He said: “Do not sell the excess water as the Prophet (pbuh) forbade selling water.” Hisham narrated from Al Hassan, that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever prevented the excess water to prevent with it the excess pasture, Allah will prevent Him of His bounty on the Day of Judgement”, narrated by Abu Ubayd in Al-amwal. Thus it becomes clear that the State is allowed to protect the dead (uncultivated) land, and that which enters into the public property, for anything that it considers to be in the interests of the Muslims, on condition that it does not cause harm to anybody.

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Monday, 02 January 2017 20:54

18 Nationalised Property is neither Public nor State Property

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Nationalisation is one of the practices of the Capitalist system, which is the transferral of individual property to State property, if the State viewed that there was a public interest which required the ownership of this property (by the State), which is originally owned by individuals. The State is not obliged to undertake nationalisation; rather it is free to nationalise if it chose to, or to leave the property as it was without nationalisation. This behaviour is different from that regarding the public property and State property, which are according to the rules of Islam, consistent with the nature of the property and its description, and it is so, irrespective of the view of the State. Thus the reality of the property has to be examined; if there was a right of all Muslims in it, then it would be a State property and she should own it. But if all the Muslims had no right in it, then it remains an individual property, which the State should not own. And if the property is of the community utilities or of the minerals, or its nature does not allow its individual ownership, then it becomes naturally a public property and the State cannot keep it as an individual property. If such property was not of the category of public property, then it has to remain as an individual property, and the State absolutely cannot nationalise it, nor can it own it against the will of its owner, unless He accepted to sell it to the State as He would sell to any individual, and the State bought it from Him as any individual would buy it. Thus the State cannot own the properties of individuals by force, under the pretence of the public interest, even if it paid its price; this is because the individual’s properties have to be respected and protected, and no one is allowed to commit aggression with regards to them even if it was the State. If this took place, the aggression would be considered eligible to be a subject of complaint, which the individual owner could submit to the Mahkamat al- Mathalim (court of unjust acts), allowing his complaint to be settled (and the unjust act removed). This is because the Khalifah has no right to take anything that is under the authority of anybody, except by a known and confirmed right. The State also cannot keep any part of the public or State properties in the hand of an individual under the pretence of the public interest, because the interest of the properties has been determined by the Shar’a when it identified the public property, State property and the individually-owned property.

Thus, it becomes clear that property owned by nationalisation is not considered to be of the public property, nor of the State property, or is it of the divine rules; it is rather one of the patches of the capitalist system.

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Monday, 02 January 2017 20:54

17 State Property

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There are properties that do not fall under public property, rather they are included in the individual property, because they are things which can be owned by individuals, like land and moveable property. However, the Muslim populace have a right in connection to them. Therefore, these things are not from the individual property, nor are they from the public property. Thus they are State property. The State property is that property in which the Muslims masses have a right, and its management is left to the Khalifah who may assign some of it to them according to what He deems as appropriate. What is meant by his management of this property is that He has the authority over it to dispose of it. This is what is meant by ownership; because the meaning of ownership is that the individual has an authority over that which He owns. Thus, every property whose expenditure is subject to the opinion and Ijtihad of the Khalifah, is considered as State property. The Law Giver has made certain funds State property, where the Khalifah has the right to dispose of them according to his opinion and Ijtihad, such as the booties, Kharaj (land tax), Jizya (head tax) and the like; this is because the Shar’a did not determine the the area in which they may be spent. But where the Shar’a determined the funds should be spent, and did not leave it to the Khalifah to decide according to his opinion and Ijtihad, then this property does not belong to the State; rather it belongs to the area specified by the Shar’a. Therefore, the Zakah is not considered a State property. It is rather the property of the eight categories assigned by the Shar’a. The Bait ul-Mal is the place where the funds will be kept so as to be spent on the designated areas.

Although the State manages the public properties and State property, there is a difference between them. With reagrds to those which belong to the public property, the State has no right to assign or give its origin (body) to anyone, though it has the right to allow the people to take of it based upon an arrangement which enables all of them to benefit from it. This is different from the State property, where the State has the right to give it all to certain individuals and not give to others, and it can prevent all individuals from having it, if it viewed that caring for their affairs necessitated that it is not given to them. So the water, salt, pastures and town parks are not allowed to be given to individuals absolutely, although all peoples can benefit from them, such that the benefit will be for all of them without specifying anyone in particular to the exclusion of others. Al-Kharaj could be spent only on the farmers to the exclusion of others, so as to solve the farming matters. The State is also allowed to spend it on buying weapons only, where it does not give anybody anything of it. In this way, the State dispenses of it as it views to be in the citizens’ (i.e. the Ummah’s) interest.

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Monday, 02 January 2017 20:54

16 Public Property (Al-Milkiyyah Al-Ammah)

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Public property is the permission of the Lawgiver to the community to share the use of the asset. Assets which are public property are those which the Lawgiver stated that as belonging to the community as a whole, and those which He prevented the individual from possessing any of them singularly. This is categorised in three types:

1. That which is considered a public utility, so that a town or a community would disperse in search for it if it were not available.

2. The uncountable stores of minerals.

3. Things which, by their nature, would prevent the individual from possession.

With regard to the public utilities, they are everything that is generally considered as a utility by the people. The Prophet (pbuh) explained them in the Ahadith by their description rather than by enumerating them. Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Muslims are partners (associates) in three things: in water, pastures and fire,” reported by Abu Dawud. Anas narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas adding, “and its price is Haram (forbidden).” Ibn Majah narrated from Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Three things are not prevented from (the people); the water, the pastures and the fire.” This is an evidence that people are partners (associates) in water, pastures and fire, and that the individual is prohibited from possessing them. But it is noticed that the Hadith mentioned them as three, and they are Jamid (non-derived) names, and there was no mentioning of Illah (reason) in the Hadith. The Hadith did not include Illah (reason), and this could imply that these three things are the only ones which represent public property with no consideration given to their depiction for the community’s need for them. However, if one scrutinised the issue He would find that the Prophet (pbuh) allowed the possession of water in At-Taif and Khaybar by individuals, and they actually possessed it for the purpose of irrigating their plants and farms. Had the sharing (association) of water been just because it is water and not because of the consideration of the community’s need for it, then He would not have allowed individuals to possess it. So from the saying of the Prophet (pbuh), “Muslims are partners (associates) in three things: in water, pastures and fire” and from his permission to individuals to possess the water, it can be deduced that the Illah (reason) of partnership in the water, pastures and fire, is their being of the community utilities that are indispensable to the community. So the Hadith mentioned the three (things) but they are reasoned as being community utilities. Therefore this Illah (reason) goes along with the reasoned (rule) in existence and in absence. So anything that qualifies as being of the community utilities is considered a public property, whether or not it was water, pasture or fire i.e. whether it was specifically mentioned in the Hadith or not. If it ceased to be of the community utilities, even if it was mentioned in the Hadith like the water it would not be a community utility, it would rather be of the things which can be possessed individually. The criteria for determining things to be a public utility is that it is anything which, if not available to the community, whether the community was a group of bedouins a village, city, or a State, would cause them to disperse in search of it, then it would be considered of the community utilities, like the water sources, forests of firewood, pastures of livestock and the like.

With regards to minerals, they are of two kinds: one is of a limited quantity that is not considered significant. The other is of an uncountable quantity. As for the first type it can be an individual property, owned singularly and treated like the hidden treasure (Rikaz) where a fifth of it is paid to the Bait ul-Mal. Amr ibn Shua’ib narrated from his father, from his grandfather that the Prophet (pbuh) was asked about the Luqatah (article picked from the road) He said: “That which was picked from the publicly used road, or the village, you have to announce it for one year, if anyone demands it, give it to him, and if not, it would be yours; but if it is found in sites of ruin, then a fifth of it and of the hidden treasure (Rikaz) has to be paid to the Bait ul- Mal”, narrated by Abu Dawud.

As for the uncountable quantity which cannot be normally depleted, it is a public property and should not be possessed individually due to what At-Tirmidhi narrated from Abyadh ibn Hammal that He came to the Prophet (pbuh) and asked Him to grant Him a salt laden land, and He granted it to him. And when He left, one person in attendance with the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Do you know what you granted him? You granted Him the uncountable water (Al-‘udd)”. He (pbuh) then took it away from him.” He compared it (in this Hadith) with the uncountable (Al-‘Udd) water because it does not deplete. So this Hadith indicates that the Prophet (pbuh) granted the salty mountain to Abyadh ibn Hammal, which means that it is allowed to grant a salt mine. However, when He realised that it was of the permanent or continuous mines which are nondepletable, He reversed his grant and took it back thereby prohibiting its ownership by individuals as it is a public property. What is meant here is not the salt, but rather the salt mine. The evidence for this is that when He knew it was non-depletable He prohibited its private ownership, despite the fact that He knew it was salt and that He had initially granted it. So its prohibition was due to its being non-depletable. Abu Ubayd said, “With regards to his (i.e. the Prophet) granting to Abyadh ibn Hammal of the salt (found) in Ma’reb, then taking it away from him, He did it considering it as a dead (unused) land which Abyadh was going to revive and cultivate. When the Prophet (pbuh) realised it included uncountable (‘Udd) water, which contains non-depletable material like the water of the springs and wells, He revoked it, because it is the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) in relation to pasture, fire and water, for which people are all associates in possession. So He disliked the limiting of possession to one person to the exclusion of others.” Since salt was of the minerals, the Prophet (pbuh) change of mind about its granting to Abyadh is considered a reason (Illah) for the prohibition of its ownership by individuals, i.e. that it is an uncountable (‘Udd) mineral mine, not because it comprised uncountable (‘udd) salt. It appears from examining this Hadith that the reason (Illah) for preventing the grant of the salt mineral mine is because it was uncountable (‘Udd) i.e. not depleted. It appears from the narration of Amr ibn Qais that the salt in this incident is a mineral (mine) because He said, “the mine (mineral) of salt”. It appears from the words of the jurisprudents, that they considered the salt of the minerals, so the Hadith would be related to minerals and not to salt specifically.

With regards to Abu Dawud’s narration that the Prophet (pbuh) granted Bilal ibn Al-Harith Al Muzni the minerals (mines) of the Qabaliah; and also what Abu Ubaid’s narrated in his book (Al Amwal) from Ikrimah that He said: “The Prophet (pbuh) granted Bilal such a land from such a place to such a place, and that which existed in it of mountains or minerals”, this Hadith does not contradict the Hadith of Abyadh. This Hadith is rather to interpret that these minerals which the Prophet (pbuh) granted to Bilal were limited, and thus allowed to be granted, as the Prophet (pbuh) did when He first granted the salt mineral to Abaydh. This Hadith should not be interpreted as a permission to grant such minerals in absolute terms, because it would then contradict with what the Prophet (pbuh) did when He took back the minerals which He granted when He realised it was uncountable (‘Udd), and not normally depleted. So the minerals which the Prophet (pbuh) granted are to be interpreted as being limited and they (easily) deplete.

This rule, that the uncountable and undepleted minerals are considered a public property, includes all minerals, whether they on the surface of the earth where people may reach and use them without great effort, such as salt, coal, sapphire, ruby, and the like. Or whether they were of the subsurface minerals, which are reachable only with work, like the minerals of gold, silver, iron, copper, lead and the like. And also whether they are solid like crystal, or fluid like oil. All of them are minerals, which are included within the meaning of the Hadith.

As for the things whose nature prevents them from coming under the domain of individual ownership, they are the assets which consist of the public utilities. Although they fall within the first category because they are from the community utilities, they differ however from it in respect of their nature which prevents them from being possessed by individuals. Water, for example, could be possessed by individuals, but this is prohibited if the community cannot manage to live without it, unlike the case with roads which certainly cannot be owned by any individual. Therefore, although the evidence for this category is that the divine reason (Illah) is applicable to it and that it is from the community utilities, however its nature indicates that it belongs to the public property. This category includes roads, rivers, seas, lakes, public canals, gulfs, straits and the like. Also included are things like Masjid, State schools, hospitals, playgrounds, shelters etc.

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