anajmi wrote:Good. Since there was no response, I can assume that our abde brother wasn't able to find the ayah that he said existed in the Quran.
Now, let me post another ayah of the Quran which makes the books of the Fatimid Daawat inconsequential, redundant, not required, not needed, can be discarded.
2:2 THIS DIVINE WRIT - let there be no doubt about it is [meant to be] a guidance for all the God-conscious.
2:3 Who believe in [the existence of] that which is beyond the reach of human perception, and are constant in prayer, and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance;
2:4 And who believe in that which has been bestowed from on high upon thee, [O Prophet,] as well as in that which was bestowed before thy time for it is they who in their innermost are certain of the life to come! -
AH HA!!! Those who have taqwa are the ones who believe in that which has been bestowed upon the prophet (saw) as well as in that which was bestowed before the time of the prophet (saw). Anything that comes after the time of the prophet (saw), like the Fatimid Daawat Books, are of no relevance to Islam!!
Daim ul Islam is not a revelation. It outlines specific interpretation of the Quran by Qadi Noman, who supposedly wrote the Daim with the approval of Fatimid Imams. Adam claims that Dawoodi Bohras follow it to the letter. I am not so sure about it.
According to Daim, zakaat must be paid to the Imam who alone has the God-given wisdom and capability to distribute it to those who fall into the eight categories mentioned in the Quran. Since the Dai represents the Imam, then it follows that the zakaat should be paid to the Dai.
Are there circumstances in which Zakaat can be withheld from the Dai? Let us consider these:
1. Dai is not the Imam and Dai does not have the God-given wisdom of the Imam despite the revised claims to the contrary of the Bohra Orthodoxy.
2. Traditionally, Zakaat has been calculated in accordance with the Shariat which has been established over a long period of time. Amounts of zakaat due can be calculated with precision with the rules which are also specified in Daimul Islam. In the experience of all Bohras that I know, zakaat is lumped under Waajibaat, which includes only two Quranic obligations, zakaat and zakaat al-fitr. A third component is 'sila' for Imam which is specific to Bohras. The rest of the wajibaats are not obligations but considered as such. These are gifts for the Dai and his Mansoos and contributions for various community schemes.
3.Bohras generally do not know how much zakaat is being taken. They negotiate a lump sum. Thus, there is no record of how much zakaat is collected.
4. Daim makes a specific point that no portion of zakaat can be distributed to the Imam or any member of his family. One of the reasons that Daim gives for this is that Imam then becomes above suspicion of having misappropriated the Zakkat funds for his own purpose. One specific condition is that Imam cannot appoint any member of his family to be the collector of Zakaat. Many Aamils are from the family of the Dai and despite the injunction of the Daim they are charged for collecting it.
5. Daim quotes an instance when Ali ibn Abi Talib sent gold (offered as zakaat) to the Prophet and, quite transparently, Prophet distributed it among those he considered deserving of it. We know it was transparent because some objected to Prophet saying that they were more deserving of the Zakaat funds. Prophet put their minds to rest by a convincing argument.
If the Dai wants to emulate the Imam, then he should make sure that every Bohra makes a proper calculation of Zakaat so that zakaat can be known by all and just as Prophet transparently distributed it, the Dai should do the same. This means Zakaat should not be lumped with Waajibaat as an unknown quantity. He should also appoint zakaat collectors in places where Aamils are from his family avoiding Zakaat collection by these Aamils.
Thus, proper calculation and transparency in distribution of Zakaat is a requirement of the Quran and has so been interpreted by the Daimul Islam. Dai should be above suspicion in this matter. Secrecy invites suspicion. Why is there a secrecy when it has all been specified by Allah and His messenger?
If Zakaat collection and distribution is not done transparently in accordance with Islam and Daimul Islam, a good case can be made for withholding Zakaat from the Dai. In absence any other authority, everybody can find at least oneof eight categories (according to the Quran) of those who deserve your Zakaat. That category is that of those who are poor and needy and of those who have been afflicted by natural disasters and may need to get back on their feet again.
Humsafar has given appropriate answer to Adam who is simply resurrecting a variation of his hackneyed question, "Who is your leader?", "What are your beliefs?" etc.