عہدِ صدیقی ؓ میں نظامِ زکوٰۃ: نفاذ، تحدیات اور اثرات کا تحقیقی جائزہ

The Zakāt System during the Ṣiddīqī Era: A Research Study of Its Implementation, Challenges, and Impacts

Abstract

Zakāt constitutes a core pillar of Islam and serves as a comprehensive mechanism for spiritual purification, social welfare, and economic stability. Following the demise of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the nascent Islamic state encountered unprecedented challenges, including widespread apostasy (Ridda), political instability, and refusal by several Arab tribes to pay Zakāt. These challenges posed a serious threat to the continuity of the Islamic religious and administrative system. This research study examines the system of Zakāt during the era of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (RA), focusing on its implementation, the challenges it faced, and its far-reaching impacts on the Islamic state. The study highlights the firm and principled stance adopted by Abū Bakr (RA), who categorically rejected any distinction between prayer and Zakāt, considering both inseparable obligations of Islam. His decisive policies and military actions against those who withheld Zakāt ensured the preservation of religious authority and political unity. The research further analyzes the administrative framework of Zakāt collection and distribution during the Ṣiddīqī era, demonstrating its foundation in Qur’anic injunctions and Prophetic practice. The effective enforcement of Zakāt not only curbed rebellion but also reinforced economic justice, social solidarity, and state authority. The study concludes that the Zakāt system under Abū Bakr (RA) played a pivotal role in stabilizing the early Islamic state and laid a durable foundation for subsequent administrative and financial systems in Islamic governance.