50 |
Cf. Majd-ad-din Ibn
al-Athir, Nihayah, III, 180: "The person who has
to pay the charity tax (zakah) considers it an
illegal impost" (like the many other illegal imposts levied by
the government at that time, which he is unwilling to pay. He
suspects the ruler of keeping it for his own purposes, instead
of using it as prescribed by the religious law.) Cf. also the
version of the tradition quoted by al-Mas'udi, Muraj
adh-dhahab, IV, 169: "My nation will continue to be
well off so long as it does not consider faith a gratuitous gain
and the charity tax an impost." Cf. also Ibn Durayd, Mujtana
(Hyderabad, 1362/1943), p. 33. |