Assessment on Public Finance

1) Anas related: Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) wrote to him the obligation of sadaqa fixed by the Messenger of Allah (Sall Allah-o-alaihe wa sallam): “Those who are in separate flocks are not to be brought together and those which are in one flock are not to be separ­ated from fear of sadaqa.”[1]

2) ‘Uqba b. ‘Amir said: I heard the Prophet of Allah (Sall Allah-o-alaihe wa sallam) saying: “Collector of tax who acts unjustly will not enter the Paradise.”

3) Abu al-Khair reported that Muslimah b. Makhlad, the governor of Egypt, asked Ruwaifa’ b. Thabit to appoint him the incharge of Ushurs. Thereupon the former said: “I heard Allah’s Messenger (Sall Allah-o-alaihe wa sallam) saying: “Verily, the unjust collector of tax is in the Hell-Fire.”

4) Anas b. Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah (Sall Allah-o-alaihe wa sallam) said: “The unjust collector of sadaqa is like the one who refuses it.”

5) ‘Amr b. Shu’aib reported on the authority of his father who reported on the authority of his father that the Holy Prophet (Sall Allah-o-alaihe wa sallam) said: “One (the tax-collector) should neither compell the owners to drag their cattle at a distant place for assessment nor should the assessees take their cattle to evade assessment. Sadaqa should be assessed at their permanent) places.”

6) Mu‘adh b. Jabal reported that Allah’s Messenger (Sall Allah-o-alaihe wa sallam) despatched him towards Yemen and said: “Collect grain (as sadaqa) out of grains, sheep from flocks of sheep, camels from herds of camels and cows from herds of cows.”

7) ‘Abdullah b. ‘Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah (Sall Allah-o-alaihe wa sallam) said: “Collect sadaqa of the Muslims at their watering places (i.e. place of establishment) and at their courtyards.”

[1] This hadith enjoins upon the collectors not to assess the separate flocks by joining them nor to separate the joint flocks with the intention of levying a higher zakah. The same also applies to the assesses. They should not play tricks to avoid zakah.

Source: Economic Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): A Select Anthology of Hadith Literature on Economics, Muhammad Akram Khan. Republished with permission.