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Khums
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Part of a series on the Islamic creed:  |
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| Sunni Five Pillars of Islam | |
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Shahādah - Profession of faith |
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| Sunni Six articles of belief | |
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Tawhīd - Oneness |
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| Shia Twelvers Principles of the Religion (Usul al-Din) |
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Tawhīd - Oneness |
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| Shia Twelvers Practices of the Religion (Furu al-Din) |
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Salah - Prayer |
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| Shia Ismaili 7 pillars | |
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Walayah - Guardianship |
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| Others | |
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Salafi/Kharijite Sixth pillar of Islam. |
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Part of a series on the |
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Khums is the Arabic word for One Fifth (1/5). In Islamic legal terminology, it means "one-fifth of certain items which a person acquires as wealth, and which must be paid as an Islamic tax"Khums (The Islamic Tax)
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The Items eligible for khums are referred to as Ghanima →"الْغَنيمَة" in the Quran. The Arabic word Ghanima has two meanings
1. "spoils of war" or "war booty"
2. gain or profit
The Sunni translate this word exclusively as "war booty" or "spoils of war" The Meanings Of The Holy Qur'an by Abdullah Yusufali (verse 41). The shia hold the view that the word Ghanima has two meanings as mentioned above, the second meaning is illustrated by the common use of the Islamic banking term "al-ghunm bil-ghurm" meaning "gains accompany liability for loss or risk" Glossary of Islamic Banking Terms ...Challenges Facing Islamic Banking by Ibrahim F I Shihata
also in a famous supplication, the supplication after the noon prayer, the person asks God to bestow on him His favors, one of those favors which the person asks is the benefit or gain from every act of righteousness, the word used here is "al-ghanima" →"وَالْغَنيمَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ بِر" The Keys to Paradise, chapter 1, section 2 title "special prayers" this is in accordance with the second meaning of the word.
The evidence for khums comes directly from the Quran and the prophetic tradition.
| The Holy Quran 8:41 |
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| And know ye (O believers) that whatever of a thing ye acquire (غَنِمْتُم/ghanimtum) a fifth of it is for God, and for the Apostle and for the (Apostle's) near relatives and the orphans and the needy and the way farer ......English translation by Mir Ahmed Ali |
as per the verse above, the Khums goes to six people as follows.
1. God
2. His Apostle
3. The near relative of the Apostle (Ahlul-Bayt)
4. Orphans
5. needy
6. the person who has fallen away from his home-town (and has no money to comeback to his own place).
The shia view is that "ghanimtum" the plural verb taken from the word الْغَنيمَة means wealth or profit (see the note on citation above)
Historically, the first 3 portions were paid to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF), after he passed away, this was paid to his successors the 12 imams. Since we do not have access to the 12th imam, a religious scholar will receive the first three portions (which will be half of total Khums) who will spend it on behalf of Allah, His Messenger, and his Ahlul-Bayt in the path of Allah (like spending it on the theological schools or any other things that they feel necessary in religious matters)The Shia Encyclopedia - Khums (one fifth)
Further evidence from the Hadith (al-bukhari)
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:
The delegates of the tribe of 'Abdul-Qais came and said, "O Allah's Apostle! We are from the tribe of Rabi'a, and there is the infidels of the tribe of Mudar intervening between you and us, so we cannot come to you except in the Sacred Months. So please order us some instructions that we may apply it to ourselves and also invite our people whom we left behind us to observe as well." The Prophet said, "I order you (to do) four (things) and forbid you (to do) four: I order you to believe in Allah, that is, to testify that None has the right to be worshiped but Allah (the Prophet pointed with his hand); to offer prayers perfectly; to pay Zakat; to fast the month of Ramadan, and to pay the Khumus (i.e. one-fifth) of the ghanima → غَنِمْتُم (see the note on citation above)to Allah and I forbid you to use Ad-dubba', An-Naqir, Al-Hantam and Al-Muzaffat (i.e. utensils used for preparing alcoholic drinks)." (See Hadith No. 50, Vol. 1).- Translation of Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 53, Number 327 Hadith Bukhari in Arabic Hadit #2864
Considering the facts that they travelled in the haram months ( when the warfare ) was forbidden, the circumstances of the Bani Abdul Qays who were weak and small in numbers ( evident from their travelling in the haram months ), it leaves no room for interpreting the application of khums in the above hadith on the spoils of war exclusively!
As per mainstream Islamists, the Sunnis, the only Allah-imposed form of tax is the "Zakat". Accordingly, Khums is considered to be a "bida'ah" (any thing from a creation from nonexistence to innovation).
Khums is considered as a bida'ah both because, (1) in the final analysis, it is more likely to fragment a state to multi-subdivisions of its original existence (there is also the contemporary and historical evidence, in the form of the political power In Iran of the Iranian Bazaar, which toppled both the Shah's rule and American influence in Iran). Fragmentation is a ready- and prevalent descriptor of even today's Shia'a Islam, in the form of multiple Majriiat's followed by millions of dogmatic Shiats.
(2) The second reason why Sunnis consider Khums as a Bida'a is that it purports to have been a part of the Sunnah, a claim which has no evidence whatsoever from the Koran (the Word of Allah), the Sunnah (the observed ways of living and sayings of the Prophet), Ijma'a (precedence) or Qias (jurisprudence).