Zakat: My Life in Paradise

‘For their patience, He will reward them with Paradise and silk. They will recline therein on couches and they will find neither excessive heat nor cold. The shades of the garden will be closely spread over them and it will be easy for them to reach the fruits. They will be served with silver dishes and crystal clear goblets.

 

‘They will drink cups containing (soft flowing) sparkling water from a spring named Salsabil. If you were to see it you would find it to be a great kingdom with great bounty.

‘They will have fine green silk and brocade and they will be decked with bracelets of silver. Verily, this is a reward for you, and your endeavour is accepted and recognised.’ (76: 12-22)

Imagine life to be so heavenly! This will be a reward for the striving believers for eternity! Imagine yourself amongst these people; reclining on couches all day, being served with crystal goblets and having our every wish fulfilled! Bliss!

 

How do we achieve this reward though? The pathway is simple, but it requires strong willpower to keep to, as pathways leading away from the reward are more than accessible. All we have to do is follow the Qur’an, the sunnah, the five pillars of Islam, believe in Allah (SWT)’s book, His angels, His Messengers, the day of judgement, our destiny and that we will all return to Allah (SWT) after we die.

 ‘Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous. Those who spend (freely) whether in prosperity or in adversity; who restrain anger and pardon (all) men; for Allah loves those who do good.’

(3: 133-134)

The reward is in our intention, why we decide on a course of action. The five daily prayers require an intention to be made, and every decision we make entails an intention with a proposed outcome in mind. The accumulative effect of these intentions is what will give us the eternal reward.

 

Most of the beliefs are spiritual, where we make an intention and follow it through with our actions, but zakat actually involves a physical aspect, in the form of giving 2.5 % of our wealth, which is in excess of our requirements. This requires the intention of giving, to please Allah (SWT), to fulfil His commandments, followed by the act of giving.

 

This is quite an ask of Allah (SWT), but what are we giving? We are giving from what Allah (SWT) has given to us in the first place; we are just mere keepers of this wealth while we live on this earth. We cannot and do not take it with us; what we take with us is our intentions and our deeds and this is what will get us the eternal rewards.

 

The fabulous part of giving zakat is that it never decreases our wealth, but increases it for the following year, as well as purifying it. Giving zakat also improves our mental health; wiping away depression and stress by helping us to become part of the greater community of the poor and the needy. Helping to put a smile on a child’s face, a mother to become self-sufficient so she can provide for her children or a father to be able to send his children to school is the greatest elixir for our spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical well-being.

 

Charity holds an important place in Islam and it comes in many shapes and forms, as The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:

 “To smile in the company of your brother is charity, to command to do good deeds and to prevent others from doing evil is charity, to guide a person in a place where he cannot get astray is charity, to remove troublesome things like thorns and bones from the road is charity, to pour water from your jug into the jug of your brother is charity, to guide a person with defective vision is charity for you.”

(Sahih Bukhari)

Why should we not let our health benefit and work towards the greater eternal reward by fulfilling this duty to Allah (SWT)? Use the zakat calculator and donate to Muslim Aid today, in full or via instalments. It will all contribute towards our eternal reward of heavenly bliss.