Paper money and unity of Muslims - by Shaykh Said Afandi al-Chirkawi

Speech delivered by Shaykh Said Afandi al-Chirkawi at Majlis of Ulama on the occasion of opening Kizilyurt district Komsomolskoe village Muhammad-Afandi al-Khuchadi Jum`ah Mosque, in 2005.

Dear brothers, I would like to give a detailed information about zakat, since I face this issue quite often. In my village, for example, people breed cattle, sheep or grow vine. And they pay zakat from their property of sheep, cattle or vine respectively. The remaining property they sell and accumulate money to build a house, to marry their son, etc. Is it ok to say that they ought to pay zakat from this accumulated money? This is their accumulation from what they have paid zakat already! Why do they need to do it ones more? That is the first thing to be mentioned.

Another thing, take these carpets on the floor for example. If someone uses these carpets in his house, even hundreds of these, does he need to pay zakat from them? No one says that you should pay zakat from property that is in personal use.

I have hundreds of plates at home, we use them at Mawlids. Should I give zakat from these hundred plates? You do not pay zakat from kitchen utensils in your house. But if you sell them - sell some forks, spoons - and profit by this, then you must pay zakat from them. That is why we would never tell salesmen that they do not need to pay zakat from the goods they sell; let them pay it as required. However, we cannot tell anybody to give zakat from the money they keep at home. We are not Wahhabis, as you know.

I have mentioned a well-known alim Hamzat Haji from Chirkey in my book. He has once had a hot discussion with a wahhabi Zamir Ali on this subject. The wahhabi claimed that it is necessary to pay zakat from paper money. It was the time the Soviet Empire had fallen apart and rich people burned bags full of paper money because of its devaluation. Hamzat Haji then wrote a letter to his opponent asking him to pay zakat from those devalued papers [burned money].

We witnessed three currency reforms since Gorbachev time. The money that we used before – try to offer them to anyone. No one would accept them, because it is paper, it is not money! That is why you do not have to pay zakat from them. If someone says you that gold and silver is kept by people who are attracted to this world and that paper [money] is the only thing left for him, this changes nothing and it is not a valid reason [for paying zakat]. You do not have to pay zakat from paper currency. People often complain that they have to pay zakat from money they were saving for their funeral. Now, is this acceptable!? I keep saying that no one has to pay zakat from paper money! That is our madhab.

Dear brothers, what Habib Haji has mentioned here is an important issue. Let me give an example. You know that a lot of people come to visit me. Sometimes I ask a visitor, what the reason he came to me was. I ask him if he had a question or if he wanted to enter Tariqa path or if he only wanted to make ziyarat? If someone comes to me for ziyarat, I give him rosary [tasbih beads] – that is my tool. And then I say nothing, not a single word. I do not ask why he was here if he did not want to enter Tariqa. I never reproach anyone, those who visit me know that.

Then this person leaves and after some time comes back, leaves and again comes back. Some come and go up to three times. And then some of them enter Tariqa, some do not show up anymore. That is none of my business. Books say – and that is true – that a person who came to Ustaz and did not enter Tariqa is like someone who went to Hajj and came back without performing it. But I do not say this, either. I think they should have known this. But I never say it. If Allah predestined them to enter this path, they will come someday. And if Allah did not, they will never come anyways.

Sometimes people following other Tariqas come and say that they want to follow both mine and another Tariqa at the same time. My answer is that if you do not have enough water to rotate one mill, distributing water to rotate two mills will only dry up both mills. But if you make all the possible efforts to increase the water channel to one mill, you will only benefit from it more. You may continue with your first Tariqah or take mine, its up to you. But it will be better for you to follow one. I would never tell anyone to leave his teacher and take my wird. I would never tell anyone that his teacher was no Ustaz, his path was no [true] Tariqa etc.

At the times when Imam of Khasavyurt mosque Muhammad-Said, may Allah forgive his sins, was still alive, many people came to ask me, if it was allowed to pray after him. And I answered positively. It was not fear or shame that made me answer this way, there was no way I could say ‘no’. We must follow Shariah. For me to say ‘No’ he should have been a kafir. We are not allowed to pray after a kafir. But is there anyone who can say he was a kafir? You cannot say that!

Imam Muhammad-Said was still alive, people asked me if we should let his Murids join our khatmu. Those times were quite rough and we could not get well with each other. I told them not to let them in. I had a reason. Later I allowed them to join you, and for you to visit them. And today also I say that if necessary you may go to them [for khatmu] and make rabita to Mahmud-afandi. And if they come to you, let them join you. Otherwise we see how someone is trying to put us against each other. Is this acceptable for Muslims!? We are ruining our lives! If we stay strong, then no one would be able to harm us and create hostility among us. That is true. Even though I keep teaching this, Murids however, keep discussing and arguing with whoever they meet. Is here anyone whom I asked to act like this? No, there isn’t. And I repeat ones more – never get into an argument! Allah will make a person, who lets others win in this life, a real winner.

You cannot make a person join Tariqa by arguing with him. If Allah predestined him to join, then he will. And if Allah did not, then a person will not join. The way we treat others should depend on the person, the place and the time. He who doesn’t like my Ustaz, I also dislike him as if he was my enemy and disliked always. But Ulama are familiar with the term 'mudarratunnas' which means ‘to maintain relations with people’.

There is a great difference between this kind of diplomacy and love; the difference is like the difference between heaven and earth. The true Murid would never love someone who does not like his Ustaz. I do not tell them not to, but they would not. However, it is important to technically maintain relations. We shake hands if it is vital, we talk to each other, it goes without saying, Muslims can’t stay otherwise.

We should let others win and be ourselves defeated, because, as you know, one will never get honey until a bee stings him. Is not this what great Ulama and wise men say? Why do we follow Tariqa? We do this to please Allah, don’t we? And Allah will be pleased with us if we allow ourselves to be defeated, no matter if we were right or wrong.

During his reign Caliph Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, used to go out at nights and wander on the streets observing what people do. Once he went to have a walk with a companion and they saw a man in a house through a chink in a door. There was some alcohol in front of this man and he was entertaining himself with a slave female singer. Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, being a quick-tempered person, became furious, jumped over the fence and entered the house together with his companion. The Caliph started reproaching the man for inappropriate behavior. But the man replied:

“Oh Commander of the Faithful, let me speak. I disobeyed Allah once but you disobeyed three times.”

“- How is that?” asked Umar, may Allah be pleased with him.

“First of all, you looked through a chink in the door,” said the man and recited the Quranic verse meaning “Never look for Muslims’ shortcomings.” “You forgot what Allah said, oh Caliph, and tried to find my shortcomings.

Secondly, you jumped over the fence, while Allah says that you should enter people’s houses through the door only.

Thirdly, you entered my house without permission, while Allah said meaning “Do not enter other people’s houses without permission and greetings.”

Then Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “You are right. Would you forgive me?” And the old man said: “May Allah forgive you!” The Caliph left the house in tears saying: “Umar is lost! The Hell and its torments are waiting for me, if Allah does not forgive me!”

Let this story be a lesson for us. The old man sinned, but he also solved the problem citing appropriate verses from Quran! Its impossible that it did not drive him to repentance. And second of all, if some of us was on Umar’s place, may Allah be pleased with him, what would have we done? If we were him, we would probably be roughly arguing over and over again [trying to win].

That is why we, and first of all the youth are in need of knowledge. However acquiring knowledge alone is not enough; one should also act in accordance with what s/he knows. By mere discussions you cannot achieve that, to whom Allah grants – he will receive it. May the Almighty help us in gaining knowledge and act in the accordance with it!

What else can I say, my brothers in faith? May Allah build palaces in Paradise for young men who have built this mosque and for those who helped them! May Allah accept their deeds and give barakah to the whole Jamaat and the village!