yes general charity is different than zakat zakat cannot be given to a kafir as far as i know Hanafi fiqh (or that of other madhabs) some part of superfluous charity (after zakat) can be given out of general goodwill towards Allah's creation and this can apply to your 'good form of dawah' if one lives in a nonmuslim land. i don't remember about the thawab aspect of it, but lots of scholars and awliyaa treated nonmuslims (the ones not hostile to islam) nicely the analogy is like the one between fard namaz and nawafil. you cannot perform nawafil before fulfilling the faraid. Allah knows best.
The learned ones can correct me. Charity would be different to Zakaat. Zakaat is an obligation that one obtains relief from for that specific Islamic year only if given to a muslim[who qualifies for it]. Charity is regarded as a service rendered, and if rendered to a non muslim; it would not necessarily deem one worthy of reward [Allah knows best and it is Allah who rewards]. I personally think that it is a good form of dawah [if that is the intention].
Subhanallah! This is a great piece. On a similar note, a question was asked recently on Ummah Channel, posed to the great Pir Irfan Shah Mashhadi Sahib re whether it is permissible to give charity to Non-Muslim victims of recent natural disasters etc. If I remember rightly, they stated that there is no reward for a Muslim in that.......on a wordly level he may be seen as doing good, but it has no benefit to his/her Aakhirah. That is correct??
In Surah Tauba, Ayah 60, the Holy Qur’an has mentioned the eight worthy recipients of Zakaat, including the “Mualafatul-Quloob.” Hence, we should first know what is meant by “Mualafatul-Quloob.” This term refers to Rasoolullah’s (Sallal Laahu Alayhi Wasallam) giving of Zakaat to three categories of people. (a) Kuffar given Zakaat, to bring their hearts towards Islam, (b) Kuffar given Zakaat, to stop their mischief and harm against Islam, (c) New Muslims weak in Islam, giving Zakaat to make their hearts firm on Islam. At this point, it must be kept in mind that Rasoolullah (Sallal Laahu Alayhi Wasallam) did not practise “Mualafatul-Quloob” out of fear for the Kuffar. The Ambiya fear none but Allah Ta’ala. They (the Kuffar ) were given this form of Zakaat so that they may be saved from Allah’s punishment of Jahannam. The book “Enaayah” states, “Rasoolullah (Sallal Laahu Alayhi Wasallam) never used to give it (Zakaat) to them out of any fear for them. The Ambiya fear none but Allah Ta’ala. He gave it to them out of concern that they not be thrown into the Hell-Fire by Allah.” (Fathul-Qadeer, Vol. 2, pg. 201) The Mualafatul has been stopped and dropped by the Ijmaa (consensus) of the Sahaba from being a recipient of Zakaat. This consensus was reached from the period of Hazrat Abu Bakr’s (Radi Allah Anhu) Khilafat. Ibn Abi Shaiba narrates from Sha’ab: “Mualafatul Quloob existed in the time of the Holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alayhi Wasallam). When Hazrat Abu Bakr became the Khalifa, it was stopped.”(ibid) Allama Ibn Humaam and Allama Shaami have comprehensively discussed Mualafatul-Quloob being stopped by the Sahaba in their works, “Fathul Qadeer,” Vol. 2, pg. 200-202 and “Raddul Muhtar”, Vol. 2, pg. 342 respectively. Actually, Mualafatul Quloob was emplaced by the Shari’ah prior to the dominance of Islam over the Kuffar. When Islam became dominant over them there was no need for Mualafatul-Quloob to be used. Hence, the Sahaba stopped it. Therefore, the ruling of of the Hanafi Madhab is that Mualafatul-Quloob has been annulled. “Hidaya” states, “Mualafatul-Quloob has been dropped from the recipients of Zakaat because Allah Ta’ala has granted Islam dominance and has made the Deen autonomous from (the Kuffar). There is Ijmaa (consensus) on this.” (Kitaabuz Zakaat) Imaam Tirmizi states: “With regards to giving Zakaat as Mualafatul-Quloob, the learned differ. The majority of the Ulama rule that it cannot be given … They have also ruled that Zakaat cannot be given to the Kuffar in today’s time based on the original reason of Mualafatul-Quloob. This is the ruling of Sufyaan Thauri, the people of Kufa (the Hanafi Madhab) and others including Imaam Ahmed and Ishaaq.” (Jaami Tirmizi, Vol. 1, pg. 84) Therefore, as per the above elucidations of the Ulama and other extracts, Mualafatul-Quloob has been annulled. ---------------------------------------------------------- Reference:www.gatewaytomadina.org
