BUT WHAT IS KHUMS?  

The word Khums means giving one fifth or 20 percent of the value of certain forms of earnings every year.  It is to be given to a specified group of people, as will be explained later.

    To the uninitiated, giving one fifth seems to be too much, but a point has to be explained: A person may spend all that he wants for his needs and livelihood during the year.  When the year is over, he will be left with some savings.  It is this left-over savings of that year which should undergo the process of Khums, and this may not be as much as expected firsthand.

    Let us compare this with the tithe of other religions such as Christianity.  A Christian person is supposed to give one tenth or 10 percent of his income before he spends anything from it.  This 10 percent will be quite a large sum, since it is not a percentage of the left-over savings as the case is with Khums.  Let us take an example of a person who makes $40,000 a year, and spends $36,000 during the year.  Such a person will be left with $4,000 in savings.  If he is to give Khums the amount will only be $800.  If a Christian wants to give the tithe of the same earning of the $40,000 he will have to give 10 percent of that $40,000, which is $4,000.  Therefore the difference is obviously very large.

    A Muslim who applies the duty of Khums will give only after having spent for his family and for everything he needs.  He is to give with a feeling of generosity and open-handedness.  He is to give out of an extremely important principle, the principle of helping others, the principle of working for Allah, and for the sake of Allah with his money and capital.  This is to be done on a regular basis every year, year in, year out.

WHO HAS TO GIVE IT?  

    As soon as a person is mature enough, and once he has a job that will supply him with an income he must pay the Khums.  But income alone is not the only thing subject to Khums, other forms of earnings are subject to it too.  An example is a person may earn his living in different ways, and his ways of realizing his livelihood can come from many sources.  That is the reason Islam specifies the sources of income, and the Quran specifies where the capital is to go and for what purpose it is to be spent.

DOES THE QURAN MENTION THE KHUMS?  

The Holy Quran mentions the Khums in a clear manner.  It says in (Surah 8:  Ayah  41):

 وَاعْلَمُواْ أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُم مِّن شَيْءٍ فَأَنَّ لِلّهِ خُمُسَهُ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ

 AND KNOW YOU (O' BELIEVERS) THAT OF WHATEVER YOU EARN,

A FIFTH OF IT IS FOR ALLAH, THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH AND HIS NEAR RELATIVES, THE ORPHANS, THE DESTITUTE, AND THE WAYFARER. 

 As we will see later the Khums is to be distributed in a special way among certain groups that deserve it.  Not all types of riches and properties are subject to Khums, only some particular earnings.

WHAT IS SUBJECT TO KHUMS?  

Seven categories are subject to Khums.  They are as follows:

1. Leftover savings, out of annual income earned either in a business or other vocations, after lawful expenditures whether or not included in necessities of life.  In America this may form the single most important category and a basic source for the capital of Khums.

2. Booty, whether acquired from an investment or during a war with non-Muslims.

3. Mineral products acquired from under the earth through drilling or mining, such as oil, gold, silver, copper, or sulfur, etc.

4. Treasures buried by an unknown person when found by a Muslim.

5. Valuables obtained in the sea, such as pearls, coral, etc.

6. Land bought by a non-Muslim from a Muslim.

7. Lawful properties which are so mixed with the unlawful ones that separation becomes impossible.

 

KHUMS DISTRIBUTION  

The capital of Khums is to be distributed as follows:

1. To Allah,

2. To Allah's Messenger Muhammad (pbuh),

3. To the specified relatives of Muhammad (pbuh) who are Ahlul Bayt (Ali, his wife Fatima and their descendants),

4. To the orphans,

5. To the destitute,

6. To the wayfarer.

It is a well-known fact that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) always observed the practice of Khums in his life.  He used to lay aside one portion for Ahlul Bayt and the other portion for himself.

    Since Ahlul Bayt and their descendants are not to take any Zakat, Khums is an alternate avenue for the support of those of them who deserve it.  Much of the Khums capital can be spent in the cause of Allah, and the promotion of the religion of Islam.

HOW IS THAT?  

    Khums is almost a way of social security.  The capital collected is far greater than that of Zakat, and it is more or less to be distributed in a specific manner.

   Not only will it help support the poor and the needy (certain percentage to the needy Sayyids)  (Sayyid is a person of the lineage of the Prophet (pbuh). but indirectly it will help improve the standard of living of the whole society.  If applied to everyone, the rich are not going to lose much by sharing part of their savings with the less fortunate.  On the other hand, the poor will receive much needed support and sustenance, and they are less likely to suffer.  Suffering from poverty often leads to desperate measures, such as stealing, begging, poor health, and compromised dignity.  To alleviate the suffering of such people is a humane and lofty ideal, and Khums can go a long way in reaching that goal.

    The funds of Khums can also go to numerous Islamic projects such as toward initiating Islamic centers and Islamic schools, not only in the local areas but also in other countries.  And since Islam is universal, therefore the need for global establishments such as these is essential.  If people give Khums in the service of Islam, the funds can play a decisive role in initiating an Islamic center of learning, for example.  Such an Islamic center can act as a focal point for teaching Islam to others and spreading it, a focus of cohesiveness to cement the Muslim community and act on its behalf.  Such an Islamic center can be a bridge for Islamic knowledge to be spread in the area.

    When such a center is administered well it may be the birth place for Islamic scholars.  Just imagine, if such a thing can be started here in America, it can flourish and prosper, and how proud our hearts will be when local Muslim leaders, American born, take the cause of Islam in the heart of their hearts.  They will be the forerunners for a dynamic cohesive growth of Muslim communities all over America, whose anthem will be:

No Deity is there but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

WHAT ARE SAYYIDS?  

    Descendants of Ahlul Bayt are called Sayyids, and they carry that distinction as their birthright.  If they are of low financial means, and since they cannot accept Zakat because Zakat is barred from them religiously, they can accept Khums as specified in the Holy Quran.  This will help them financially very much.  It will be an important factor in improving their well-being and relieving their needs.