Mufti Menk – The Third Pillar of Islam

			Then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says he is zeca the giving of Zika. So if we look at
that explanation of Zika, we will come to find that Allah subhanho wa Taala has mentioned a snuff as
nerf a categories of deserving causes or people who will be given that particular cap. And this is
why we say that it's not something that is totally voluntary, but rather, it has a compulsory side
to it. The minute your wealth exceeds a certain amount known as nisab, and you've had it for an
entire year. These are your savings and certain type of wealth that you've had access. If you've had
it for more than a year, you need to give a small amount of it to towards the categories that Allah
		

			has asked you to give towards.
		

			And if you don't, you would actually be sinful. So Allah subhanho wa Taala explains it to us by
saying
		

			could mean Amalia him sada cotton Tata, Hiro whom what was the key him beha take from their wealth,
a sadaqa a charity take from their wealth, a charity that will purify them, it will purify them, and
it goes to show that the connection of man to wealth is such that sometimes it comes between us and
Allah subhanho wa Taala. Some people when they earn money, they want so much of that money that they
forget whether it is halal or haram, Allah subhanho wa Taala says, the wealth belongs to Allah, we
will decide what you can do with the wealth, what you cannot do with the wealth, how you can earn
it, how you cannot earn it.
		

			So it is absolutely important to know that the how we've earned it was halaal. And how we spent it
was halaal as well. Some people are very conscious of how they earn the money. But they tend to
forget, when they're spending the money, they think, well, it's my money, so I can use it as I wish.
No, you're not allowed to use it as you wish you cannot buy that which will displease Allah or pay
for that, which will displease Allah subhanho wa Taala you cannot use your money in a way that will
displease Allah subhanho wa Taala. So remember, it is about buying or earning, sorry, earning and
spending both of those. And when we have access, we should not get so connected to it, that we
		

			forget those who are in need or the causes in need. Therefore, we need to give. So the charity that
Allah subhanho wa Taala speaks about. And the giving that Allah subhanho wa Taala speaks about is
absolutely important. It is considered a pillar of Islam. Imagine to take out from your wealth and
give to a lost cause is known as a pillar of Islam. If you do not do that, unfortunately, the whole
building comes crashing. So it's not like, okay, there are five pillars of Islam, perhaps, you know,
I believe in three of them, my building, my structure will be okay. No, none of us would like a
broken window in our own houses. So imagine a person who has a whole section of the house that's
		

			already gone, would you live in it? The answer is no. So in the same way we'd like to repair and
make sure that everything is, you know, watertight, everything is soundproof or whatever else, we
have the best system, the law loveliest walls, the foundations are strong, you know, when we making
or when we're building, we have inspectors come to check that the foundation is correct, because if
your foundation is not correct, no matter how much time, effort energy you spend, trying to beautify
the rest of that particular building or house, you're wasting your time, it will come crashing. But
if your foundation is solid, even if you slowly build on that, and you take your time, it might not
		

			be as quickly as everybody else. But you have done the right thing. This is a very interesting point
that we need to consider when it comes to Islam and the reasoning behind the metaphor that is being
used in the Hadith by Rasulullah sallallahu Sallam regarding pillars and the building of Islam upon
these five powerful pillars.