POVERTY TRAP IN NIGERIA: THE INSTITUTION OF ZAKĀH AS A PANACEA

POVERTY TRAP IN NIGERIA: THE INSTITUTION OF ZAKĀH AS A PANACEA

By

SURAJU, Saheed BadmusDepartment of Islamic Studies

College of the Humanities

Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin

08055758746/ 08189060612

[email protected]/[email protected]

Abstract

It is obvious that Nigeria, as a country, is faced with extremelydifficult problems of poverty despite the abundance wealth whichshe is blessed and endowed with. Majority of Nigerians arewallowing in abject poverty despite the series of programmes andapproaches launched by the government at all levels to alleviatethe existing high rate of poverty in the country. Theseprogrammes, which were being sponsored with huge amount of money,have failed to ameliorate the situation. This means that, Nigeriahas lost directions to the right measure of poverty alleviation.Hence, this paper looks into the historical trends of poverty inNigeria and the various policies and programmes initiated by thegovernment to tame this endemic malady. It reveals thatconcentration of wealth to some minorities in the country is thebedrock of poverty. The paper then concludes by suggesting andpresenting the Islamic institution of Zakāh as a divine panacea tothe problem of insufficiency and inadequacy of the basic needs oflife; such as food, clothing and shelter.

Keywords: Institution, Nigeria, Panacea, Poverty, Zakāh

Introduction

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One of the major reasons for poverty in any nation or society

is the confinement of its wealth or resources to the hands of some

people without circulating it to others. Nigeria, among other

nations that are living in abject poverty, is blessed with a lot

of human and material resources. There is no state in Nigeria

except that it is endowed with one or two natural resources that

can suffice its inhabitants from hunger and starvation (Ali,

2011). The country is naturally endowed with cash crops, food

crops, forests, livestock and fisheries (Boomie, 2002). Among the

resources (minerals) available in the country are: Marble,

Tentalite, Cassiterite, Dolomite, Lead Zinc, Salt, Kaolin,

Limestone, Iron-ore, Glass-sand, Gem stones, Bentonite, Gold,

Silver, Coal, Bitumen and so on (Ali, 2011). Surprisingly, all

these resources have not brought about changes to both the economy

of the nation and the standard of living of the citizens because

they are being controlled by some set of people who are believed

to be the “higher class citizens”.

Thus, Nigerians believed to be lower class citizens are

living by the theory of the survival of the fittest which means

that only those that can manoeuvre their ways in the economic

struggle will live comfortably while those that cannot will

continue to wallow in poverty. This has become a serious

challenge and threat to both the government and the individual in

the area of national growth and development.

It is against the above backdrop that the trends of poverty

in Nigeria and the various policies initiated by the governments

to ameliorate the suffering of the masses in the country shall be

discussed. Also, the Islamic approach to rectify this anomaly as

well as the practical ways this can be implemented shall be

discussed.2

To accomplish this, the paper is divided into sections: the

abstract, the introduction, the conceptual definition, the trends

of poverty in Nigeria, the successive government effort at

alleviating poverty, the effects of poverty on Nigerians, the

Islamic approach to eradicating poverty through the institution of

Zakāh and the conclusion.

Conceptual Definition

It is pertinent at this juncture to briefly examine some

concepts which are integral to this discussion so as to enhance

the understanding of this topic. The concepts are trends, poverty,

institution, panacea and Zakāh.

Trends: A general direction in which a situation is changing

or developing. It could be economic, social or political trend.

Poverty: According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

(2000: 901,910), it is the state of being poor while poor means

having very little money or not having enough money for basic

needs. It is insufficiency of means relative to human needs. In

the opinion of the United Nation (Wikipedia, 2012), poverty is the

lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in the society.

It means not having enough food and clothing for a family, not

having a school or clinic to go, not having the land to grow one’s

food or a job to earn one’s living, not having access to credit,

etc. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of

individuals, households and communities. It also means

susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living in a

marginal or fragile environment without access to clean water and

sanitation. In the submission of Atanda (2009:34), poverty is the

neediness, lackness, insufficiency, beggary, want and inadequacy

of basic needs of life and existence.

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Institution: A custom or system that has existed for a long

time among a particular group of people. It is also any structure

or mechanism of social order and cooperation governing the

behaviour of a set of individual within a given community.

Panacea: Something that will solve all the problems of a

particular situation. It is a solution or remedy for all

difficulties.

Zakāh: It is an Arabic word from the root Za-ka-a (Cowan,

1974), which indicates two basic meaning; one relating to purity

and someone or something from evil deeds and characteristics as

well as filth sins while the other is growth which is increase and

progressive development in strength towards maturity and to expand

in capacity in order to fulfill those beneficial functions for

which one is created (Abu Salmān, 2013). According to Abdalati

(1996: 95), it is the annual amount in kind or cash which a Muslim

with means must distribute among the rightful beneficiaries. It is

the act of setting aside a portion of your wealth for the needy

and poor (Al-Maududi, 1985:197).

The Trends of Poverty in Nigeria

Poverty has been a serious challenge to its victims in

Nigeria. It has humiliated and demoralized them as well as made

life worrisome for them to habitate. In his submission on this,

Ukpong (1996) as quoted by Adibe (2012) says:

Poverty has earned recognition in the extent of itsravaging society and the affairs of humanity at theinternational, national and local levels… The needexists now for urgent actions towards its eradicationand control… Indeed, poverty is a snare. It isdehumanizing…

As regards the trends of poverty in Nigeria, it has been

noted that eighty per cent (80%) of Nigerians lives in abject4

poverty which gives rise to societal corruption of all kinds, thus

making it difficult to be checked and controlled. Corruption has

become a policy nationally approved indirectly at the federal,

state and local levels of the Nigerian system of government, as a

result of poverty. The majority of Nigerians are living under $1

per day which denotes inequality in income distribution. While

half (1/2) of the citizens live under $2 daily as two-thirds (2/3)

are struggling to survive under $1.25 per day. Thus Nigeria, as

claimed by Popoola and Olaniyan (2011), is rated among the 25

poorest countries in the world. According to El-Rufai (2011),

poverty has been in the country around fifty years ago when the

nation’s economic growth bypasses the poor and benefits a narrow

band of Nigerians.

Moreso, poverty has become a cancer that has eaten deeply

into all the sectors in the country and affected the efficiency of

these sectors be it educational, social, health or economic

sector. It has made it difficult for Nigerians to differentiate

between lawful and unlawful means of acquiring wealth. They are

unable to satisfy their basic needs of life because wealth is

concentrated in the hands of the minority.

Moreover, the standard of education is drastically low as a

result of poverty which hinders the good performances of the

students. According to Adebayo (2005), the nation’s educational

sector remains in a state of doldrums. Majority of the students

depend on machineries to pass their examinations as many schools

lack conducive academic environment for their students despite the

exorbitant fees they charge on each student which in most cases,

parents cannot afford. And in the case of the free education in

some states, classrooms are over crowded with pupils or students

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which brings no fruit because such classrooms are usually

difficult to manage.

In addition, as a result of the high level of poverty in the

country, unemployment rate is increasing vastly which has given

rise to increase in armed robbery and kidnapping, which have

become a quick alternative way of alleviating poverty for robbers

and kidnappers who are unemployed and poor. A lot of people,

especially the youths, are engaging in money rituals using either

their parts of the body or others’ in order to relieve themselves

of the distress of poverty.

The social amenities in the society are outdated and risky.

Globally, Nigeria has been ranked third on the list of countries

that their citizens have inadequate water supply and sanitation

facility (Business Day, 2012). This made Igali, the Permanent

Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources to lament thus:

Nigeria has obtained third position as one of theworld’s poorest countries in gaining access to water andsanitation… The challenge is critical as women andchildren trek long distances to fetch water from streamsand ponds which are most times contaminated.

Furthermore, the manifestation of poverty in Nigeria occurs

in various sectors such as health where many hospitals cannot

boast of adequate infrastructure and this has affected the

deliverance of adequate health services. This trend has also

manifested in the lives of many Nigerian graduates who are

aimlessly roaming the street with nothing to lay their hands upon

as only few of them are able to secure government jobs while the

majority are struggling to get private jobs.

The energy factor is nothing to write home about. Most

industries have closed down due to lack of adequate energy supply

while some have shifted their bases to other neighboring

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countries. According to Ogunyiola (2011), only 10% of the rural

households and 40% of the country’s total population have access

to uninterrupted electricity. The trends have been statistically

reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as cited by

Webby (2012) thus:

a. In 1980, 17.1 million people were in abject poverty

b. In 1985, 34.7 million people were in absolute poverty, i.e.

43%

c. In 1992, 39.2 million people were in abject poverty

d. In 1996, 67.1 million people were in absolute poverty

e. In 2004, 68.7 million people lived in absolute poverty

f. In 2010, 112.47 million people were victims of abject

poverty

In 2013, as claimed by Hamzah and Suraju (2013:4), the

percentage of people living in complete poverty have increased to

64% of neighbourhood due to the number of people that were

displaced by the 2012 flood disaster which affected 30 out of the

36 states in the country. This, perhaps, may continue to increase

if nothing is done to check it as reported by the BBC News (2012)

that the National Bureau of Statistics had predicted such.

To this end, the Nigerian government has tried to initiate

several policies, programmes and strategies targeted at

alleviating the problems of poverty but instead of ameliorating

the suffering of the masses, they rather aggravate the people’s

worries and sorrows.

Governmental Approach to Eradicating Poverty in Nigeria

Seeing the threat poverty has been posing on the standard of

living of Nigerians and political stability as well as economic

growth of the nation, Nigeria’s governments had been embarking on7

series of initiatives to combat poverty, the enemy of progress.

The war against poverty had started as far back as 1972 during the

regime of General Yakubu Gowon. He initiated the National

Accelerated Food Production Programme (NAFPP) and the Nigerian

Agricultural and Cooperative Bank (NACB) which he devoted to

agricultural services. However, these policies turned out to be an

elephant project. Thus, the struggle against poverty continues.

In 1976, the then military government headed by General

Olusegun Obasanjo came out with another policy tagged Operation

Feed the Nation (OFN) which was publicised among the rural

farmers. The policy was financed with huge amount of money and

effort so as to get the rural farmers educated on farming skills.

According to Chinedu and Ogwu (2008), the success of this

programme was only in creating awareness of food shortage and the

need to tackle the problem.

Another programme was put in place after the failure of

Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) by Alhaji Shehu Shagari in 1979.

Shehu Shagari’s Green Revolution Programme was charged with the

duties of reducing food importation and increasing local food

production. However, the programme ended up in wasting two billion

naira tax payers’ money in 1983 (Chinedu and Ogwu, 2008).

Besides, during his reign in 1984, General Muhammad Bukhari

initiated another policy of Go Back to Land with variations in

different states of the country in order to suit their needs.

Although the programme recorded some achievement, it did not last

long due to government overthrow by the military coup (Salisu,

2011).

In 1986, General Ibrahim Babangida introduced a programme

tagged the Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure

(DFRRI) which was meant to provide good roads, electricity,8

drinkable water and toilet facilities for those living in the

rural areas. This programme could not achieve its aims and

objectives due to the lack of effective standard for project co-

ordination and harmonization between the policy, i.e., DFRRI, and

the government (Ekong, 1997:558-559). General Babangida also

established the National Directorate for Employment (NDE) to

create employment opportunities for the youths. This NDE

programme, according to Lewu (n.d), had four main programmes:

Vocational Skills Development, Special Public Workers, Small Scale

Enterprises and Agriculture. He also established financial

institutions like People’s Bank of Nigeria (PBN) and Community

Bank, but both did not live to their expectations. Likewise, his

wife, Mariam Babangida, organised Better Life Programme for the

rural women which later became a programme for the rich women

while the rural women were dying of hunger, thirst, child labour,

diseases and so on.

Furthermore, in 1993, the Family Support Programme (FSP) and

the Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP) were set up by

the then Military President, General Sani Abacha and his wife, who

took the country as a means of acquiring wealth for their family.

It was reported by Tell Magazine (1998) as quoted by Chinedu and

Ogwu (2008) thus:

FSP gulped over N10 billion of tax payers’ money at atime her husband, Abacha, was retrenching happilesscivil servants nationwide.

All the aforementioned programmes were established during the

period of military governments in Nigeria before the inception of

civilian governments.

In the democratic era of President Olusegun Obasanjo, some

programmes were also introduced to combat poverty that is

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dehumanizing the citizens. Some of these programmes include

Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP) in the year 2000 and National

Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) in the year 2001 which was

used to replace PAP when it failed to improve rural

electrification and water supply as well as creating job

opportunities. Also, Universal Basic Education (UBE) and National

Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) were

established.

The efforts did not stop with the government alone. The non-

governmental organizations also contributed their own quota in

reducing poverty in the country by establishing different

programmes in different states of the nation which include the

Grassroots Empowerment Network (GEN), the Life Above Poverty

(LAPO), Health System Development Fund (HSDF), Country Women

Association of Nigeria (COWAN), The Transparency in Nigeria (TIN)

and so on (Atanda, 2009 and Adebayo, 2005).

Despite all these fascinating but money-consuming policies,

Nigerians are still wallowing in unstable electricity, undrinkable

water supply, uncirculated health care services and education,

income inequality, political instability, bad roads, etc., which

have caused and brought unpalatable effects on both individuals

and the society at large.

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Effects of Poverty on Nigeria

i. Poverty has led many Nigerians to commit infanticide and

abortion even though they know their illegality but they have

been forced to perpetrate these evils as a result of poverty.

ii. Insecurity is the order of the day in Nigeria. Innocent

people are being killed in the nooks and crannies of the

country. Series of kidnapping have been reported with huge

amount of money demanded as ransom.

iii. Poverty has promoted violent unionism, industrial

strikes, hooliganism, robbery and house-breaking.

iv. Poverty has led many Nigerians, especially the youths

into money rituals through which many citizens have been

reported missing and if eventually found, they are either

dead or useless for themselves, their families and the

society.

v. Due to extreme poverty, bribery and corruption has become the

order of the day to majority of the citizens.

vi. Prostitution, on the part of the female youths, has

become a means of accumulating wealth from the minority who

are controlling the nation’s wealth and resources.

It should be noted here that, the poverty victims do the

above mentioned points to relieve themselves of the distress and

humiliation of this endemic malady. Hence, it is high time Nigeria

implemented the right measure of bridging the gap between the rich

and the poor in order to allow the circulation of wealth in the

society.

Islamic Approach to Poverty Alleviation

In Islam, it is believed that Allah has not created man to

live in absolute poverty. He does not recognise poverty and

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suffering as well as laziness as confirmed by the following

Quranic verses:

He it is Who made the earth subservient to you; so walk inthe paths thereof and eat of His provision. And to Himwill be Resurrection (Q67:15).

Also in Q2:268, Allah confirms this as He says:

Satan threatens you with the prospect of poverty and bidsyou to be niggardly whereas God promises you Hisforgiveness and bounty; and God is infinite, all-knowing.From the above quoted verses, it can be deduced that Islam does

not condone poverty and laziness as they are from Shaitān as

promised and Allah has warned the believers not to give in to its

temptation by avoiding his paths and taking him as manifest enemy.

The Qur’ān says:

O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and good on theearth, and follow not the footsteps of Shaitān. Verily, heis to you an open enemy. Q 2:168.The above verse is a clear proof that Islam encourages and

commands man to find a lawful means of avoiding poverty and

insufficiency as well as commanding him not to trek the paths of

evil in alleviating or eradicating poverty which are done through

unlawful sources of earning like bribery and corruption, robbery,

cheating, looting, prostitution, rituals, embezzling public funds

and so on. This can further be strengthened by the prayer of the

Prophet (S.A.W) against poverty when he said:

O Allah! I seek your protection from infidelity andpoverty (Abu Dawud, and Vol.4/324).

In another narration, it reads thus:O Allah! I seek Your protection from poverty,insufficiency and debasement (Abu Dawud, vol. 2/91).Moreso, it is an indisputable fact that man is not equal

physically and economically as planned by Allah. By this, the

strong has been commanded to cater for the weak and the rich to

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show mercy on the poor. In order to realize this, Islam has laid

down some measures through which the weak, handicapped and the

poor can be assisted in lawful and honourable ways. These measures

include the institution of Baitu’l-Māl (Public Treasury), Kharāj (Land

Tax), Jizyah (Poll Tax), Sadaqah (Voluntary Charity). However, the

focus of this paper is on the institution of Zakāh as a mechanism

for dealing with poverty as a catastrophe.

Zakāh as a Panacea for Poverty in Nigeria

Zakāh as an institution is legalised in Islam for the purpose

of taking care of the less-privileged ones who cannot afford their

basic needs. It is a means of decentralising the wealth and

resources of the country. By this, the wealth and resources are

circulated to the nooks and crannies of the nation justly. Through

the institution of Zakāh, the security of a nation and individual

as well as resources or properties can be developed and sustained.

Thus, Zakāh, according to Al-Azhariy as quoted by Qardawi (1994:

1/38):

purifies and cleanses the soul of the poor as well asincreasing him in provision and sustenance… Zakāh notonly purifies the property of the contributor but alsopurifies his heart from selfishness and greed. It alsopurifies the heart of the recipient from envy andjealousy as well as hatred to the contributor.From the above quotation, it can be inferred that Zakāh can

be a means to put an end to insecurity of lives and properties

which are caused by poverty due to the selfishness, greed and

miserliness of the rich people towards the poor. Thus, the

institution of Zakāh can be used as a solution to these ludicrous

attitudes if collected from the right personalities and

distributed to the rightful beneficiaries who have been mentioned

in the Glorious Qur’ān thus:

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Alms are for the poor and the needy and those employed toadminister the funds and for those whose hearts have been(recently) reconciled (to truth); for those in bondage andin debt; in the cause of Allah; and for the wayfarerordained by Allah. And Allah is full of knowledge andwisdom (Q9:60).Moreover, the sole aims of this institution in Islam is to

promote standard welfare in the society, to reduce if not

eliminate the suffering of the masses, to fix love and cooperation

among the people, to reduce or eliminate tyranny, hatred, poverty

and crimes as well as ignorance by providing necessary facilities

that will assist in achieving these aims (Siddique, 2008: 137).

The Prophet has been reported to have said on the authority of Ali

that:

Allah has enjoined upon rich Muslims a due to be takenfrom their properties corresponding to the needs of thepoor among them. The poor will never suffer fromstarvation or lack of clothes unless the rich neglecttheir due. If they do so, Allah will surely hold themaccountable and punish them severely (Recorded byTabrani), quoted from (Sambo and Hijab 1998:97).It can be concluded based on the above quoted Hadith that the

poor and the needy will not be dehumanized by poverty in a society

if the institution of Zakāh is established and grounded.

Similarly, it will provide job opportunities for both the weak and

the strong in the society, thereby ameliorating people’s condition

of hardship occasioned by poverty.

Collection and Distribution of Zakāh

The collection and distribution of Zakāh can be done through

the following means based on the content of Q9:103 which reads:

“Take alms of their wealth and make them pure and clean…”. This is

also based on the practice of Prophet Muhammad, his Companions and

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the explanation of the Muslim Scholars. Thus, it can be done by

either of the following:

a. The Islamic State: This is a state that is governed by the

rules and regulations of Islam in line with the Qur’ān,

Sunnah and the consensus of the Muslim Scholars. It is the

responsibility of this state to collect and distribute the

Zakāh by the order of the Imām, i.e., the leader of the state

or his deputy (Al-‘Uthaymin, 2007:3/9). This is why the

Prophet, as the head of the state, said:

Surely, Allah has ordained on them sadaqah (i.e.,Zakāh) to be taken from the rich and distributed tothe poor (Bukhari, Hadith no 1548).

This, according to Shacarāwī (2009: 203), is the best because

it saves the recipient from being humiliated or disgraced if it is

to be taken or collected individually from the rich. However, in

the absence of an Islamic state then the Islamic scholars are

charged with those responsibilities.

b. The Islamic Scholars: The Islamic Scholars are the heirs of

Prophet. Thus, it is incumbent on them to find a way of

collecting and distributing Zakāh in their locality just as

they struggle to build mosques in every locality for Salāh

(prayer) in a secular environment. The Islamic scholars

should form a body of trustees or Muslim Councils of Affairs

as it is done in Ghana (Shaanin Zongo, 2011). The membership

should be based on the following qualities:

Sincerity Honesty Knowledge Dedication and DevotionThis responsibility on the Islamic scholars calls for the

coalition of the Muslim organizations so as to make it a reality.

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However, it becomes the duty of individual rich Muslims to

deducted their Zakāh by themselves and distribute it in the absence

of this body of trustees.

(c) Individual Distribution: This is allowed in the absence of

the first two categories mentioned above. However, it will

not bring out the aims and objectives of the institution of

Zakāh in the society. It also shows the degeneration of the

concept and practice of Islamic Baitu’l-Māl as well as the

decline in the practice of Islamic Law (Rahmatullah, 2010).

It should, however, be noted that collection of Zakāh is not

only from money but also from gold, silver, copper, livestock,

farm produce, merchandise for business, shares and bonds, rented

houses and shops and so on (Oloso, 2008: 123-127). All these

assets of Zakāh are expected to reach a certain limit technically

known as Nisāb which differs based on the various assets. The nisāb

is to be owned continuously for a period of one lunar year from

which the payable amount of Zakāh (i.e., 2.5% if it is money, gold

or silver) is deducted and disbursed to the rightful

beneficiaries. And in the case of farm produce that has reached

nisāb (i.e., 5 awsuq), 5% will be given out if it is an irrigated

land and 10% of the land or farm is watered by rain (Ismacil,

1997:1/482). On the cows that have reached thirty in number, the

Zakāh is a year old calf and in every forty cows, a two-year old

calf will be taken as Zakāh.

The Zakāh to be given on sheep or goats is a sheep or goat if

it is between 40 and 120 sheep. And when it reaches 200 sheep, the

Zakāh is 2 sheep. Then, in every additional hundred of sheep or

goats there is one additional sheep to the Zakāh while the Zakāh

of a camel is presented below in a tabular form as explained by

Hallaq (2007: 602-606) and Al-Qardawi (1994): 16

Livestock

Range ofthe Nisābin number

Rate of Zakāh

Camel 5-9 I sheep/Goat.10-14 2 sheep/ Goats.15-19 3 sheep/Goats.20-24 4 sheep/Goats.25-35 A year old she-camel that the mother is pregnant

(Bint Makhād).36-45 A two year old she-camel that the mother is

milky (Bint Labūn).46-60 A three year old she—camel that can carry load

and be ridden (Hiqqah).61-75 A four year old-she-camel that is going to five

years (Jadhacah).76-90 2, two year old she-camel that the mother is

milky (Bintā Labūn)91-120 2, three-year old she-camel that can carry load

(Hiqqatān).121 and above

In every 40 camels, a two year old she-camel andevery 50 camel a three year old she-camel.

It can be deduced from the above table that the animal to be

given out as Zakāh is the female species so as to reproduce for

the recipient who, by this, can also posses numbers of cattle.

Thus, self-dependence, sufficiency and development will be

promoted and enhanced (Hamzah and Suraju, 2013:10).

Zakāh Distribution Scheme

The Qur’ān has laid down eight (8) categories of people that

benefit from the institution of Zakāh in other of preference

according to Q9:60. This, along with the explanation of the

Islamic scholars, forms the basis for Zakāh Distribution Scheme.

These beneficiaries of Zakāh are:

i. Al-Fuqarā’ – The poorii. Al-Masākīn – The Needyiii. Al-cāmilīna calayhā – The Collectors and Distributors iv. Al-Mu’allafatu Qulūbuhum – Those whose hearts are made to

embrace Islam.

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v. Fi-r-Riqāb – Emancipating the slavesvi. Al-Ghārimīn – The Debtorsvii. Fis-Sabīlillahi – In the cause of Allahviii. Ibnu-s-Sabīl – The Wayfarer

On the above list of beneficiaries, the Islamic scholars have

explained how Zakāh can be distributed in a way that the aims and

objectives will be utmostly and justly achieved.

With regards to Fuqarā’ and Masākīn, the majority of Islamic

scholars, which include Imām Mālik, Shāfici and Hambali, defined

Faqīr (the singular of Fuqarā’) as the one who has no wealth or

income for himself and his dependents (Az-Zuhayli; 2007: 3/296).

According to Ismacil (1998: 1/496), a Faqīr is a person that has

nothing to eat from a day or a year. While a Miskīn is the one who

has wealth and income but not sufficient enough for his life and

dependants (Al-cUthaymin, 2007:68). In the opinion of Hanafi School

of thought (Al-Kāsānī, 1989:2/125) both Faqīr and Miskīn are

similar in meaning and condition with peculiarities.

Undoubtedly, it is these two categories that are being used

in the society as the agents of insecurity and violence. This is

because a hungry man is an angry man. Hence, Zakāh can be given to

prevent the people in these categories from creating incongenial

atmosphere for others. By this, they need to be given continuously

till they meet their basic needs or assist them in buying tools

and instruments for their vocational skills so as to be self-

employed.

More so, the institution of Zakāh can be used to create job

opportunities for the jobless Nigerians in different locations

under the third category of zakāh beneficiaries. This, in Quranic

usage, is called al-cāmilīna calaihā – The Zakāh workers – which are

divided into two units; Collectors unit and Distributors Unit.

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According to Qardāwī (1994), these two groups receive Zakāh not

because of their need, but for the services they render to both

the institution and the society (Az-Zuhayli, 2007: 3/298).

Furthermore, this institution can be used to stop people,

with bad intentions against Islam and the Muslims, from executing

their evil thoughts. This category of people, according to Az-

Zuhayli (2007), includes both the Muslims who are weak in faith

and the non-Muslims whom their goodness or wellbeing is expected

for the community or their evils are being afraid of.

In addition, the proceeds of Zakāh can be given to those in

captivity so as to liberate them since slavery is against the

nature of humanity. However, the absence of slavery in the

contemporary world makes some Islamic scholars to conclude that

these Zakāh proceeds should be allocated to the Muslim prisoners

of war who have been enslaved under the disbelievers’ government

(Al-Qardawī, 1994) or those who have been jailed because of their

inability to pay their fines (Saminu, 2012:46).

Moreover, the institution of Zakāh will also serve as a

relief for Nigerians who are in debt which are incurred with

acceptable and genuine reasons under Sharī‘ah. According to Ismacil

(1997: 1/500), the debt should be incurred for a recommended act

and not to commit sins such as drinking alcohol, smoking cigarette

or India hems and so on. In his own submission, Saminu (2012: 46)

gives some other provisions, for using Zakāh proceeds to pay off

the debt of the debtors, thus:

i. If the debtor is liable to be imprisoned for not repaying

his debt.

ii. If the debt is to achieve social reform such as the money

paid as blood money (ad-Diyah) or compensation for damages

19

shouldered by a person to bring reconciliation between two

or more people.

iii. If it is a debt incurred by guaranteeing the repayment of

another person’s debt.

Under the seventh category, the proceeds of zakāh can be used

to cater for the social amenities of the masses such as

construction of good roads, building of hospitals, schools and

mosques, even though it is the opinion of the minority (Ismacil:

1997:1/501 and Oloso, 2008:128). According to Al-Qaradawi (n.d.

61-70), the phrase “fi sabīli-’l-llahi” which means Jihad as agreed upon by

the four schools of thought is a wide term that may be

educational, social, economic, political and journalistic. Thus,

Zakāh can be spent for the well being of the people in a society,

especially in the absence of physical war. In his opinion, al-cUthaymin (2007:69) postulates that it can be given to the students

of Islamic knowledge to buy books, clothes and pay school fees and

so on.

The institution of Zakāh can also be used to meet the need of

a traveller who needs money to complete his journey or return him

to his destination. However, some conditions have been laid down

by the Islamic scholar before giving Zakāh to a wayfarer. These

include:

a. The journey should not be in the disobedience of Allah

(Ismacil: 1997:1/501)

b. If the traveller becomes poor on his journey (Oloso,

2008:128)

c. If there is nobody to borrow him money at the period.

From the above discussion, it can be concluded that, the

institution of Zakāh is capable of taming Nigerians’ poverty if

20

judiciously implemented. Some countries of the world like Saudi

Arabia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Qatar, and so on have always practiced

this. Thus, Nigeria can borrow a leaf from these countries in

order to sustain her economy. By implementing the institution of

Zakāh, wealth and resources will flow from higher concentration to

lower concentration. It will also save the lower class citizen

from the injustice of paying tax from their insufficient salaries

and not enjoining any social amenities or welfarism from the tax

collectors.

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Conclusion

It has been established from the discussion so far that

majority of the Nigerians are wallowing in absolute poverty since

independence as a result of the concentration of wealth and

resources in the hands of the minority in the country.

Furthermore, the paper has examined the efforts of the government

in combating poverty which have not yielded any fruitful result

other than embezzlement of funds. The institution of Zakāh has

been presented and suggested as a divine panacea to this endemic

malady. The ways to or of what? and those that can benefit from

the scheme have equally been extensively discussed.

It is against the above that this paper is recommending that

the government should constitute a committee which should comprise

the Islamic scholars, representatives from farmers and bankers

association as well as businessmen at the three levels of

government, i.e., Federal, state and local levels. The committee

should be saddled with the responsibility of deciding the kinds of

people to be in each category of the beneficiaries of Zakāh. For

instance, the first category which is al-Fuqarā’ – the poor- may

include the orphans, widows, old age both man and woman, those

affected with any disaster, especially fire or water and so on

while the second category may include sick person in the hospital

who needs to settle their hospital bills and the like. This

spelling out of those that fall under each category will assist

the smooth distribution of the Zakāh without any form of

injustice.

The committee should think of empowerment scheme for those

beneficiaries that have acquired some vocational skills by

assisting them in getting machines or instruments of their skills

so as to be self independent and free from collecting Zakāh in the22

subsequent years. It should also think of organizing seminars,

workshops and trainings to cater for and empower those that have

no vocational skills so as to relieve them of dependence on

others.

With the above scheme, we hope the suffering of the masses

will be ameliorated and there will be both individual and national

development.

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