Humes

Hums was first paid by Abd al-Muttalib , and then in the Qur'an it was prescribed as mandatory in the 41st verse of Surah Al-Anfal (“Extraction”) . According to Islamic doctrine, Abd al-Muttalib received this command from Allah in a dream, after he again discovered the sacred spring of Zamzam and found a buried treasure next to it, a fifth of the cost of which he decided to spend on religious needs.

The Qur'anic verse is based on the following verse of the Qur'an : “Know that if you captured [in the war] prey, then a fifth of it belongs to Allah, the Messenger, [your poor] relatives, orphans, poor people and travelers” (8:41).

Thus, the recipients of hums are:

1. Allah
2. His Messenger
3. Close relatives of the Prophet Muhammad ( Ahl al-Bayt )
4. Orphans
5. People in need
6. Travelers who do not have the means to return home.

According to the Shiite interpretation of this verse, the share owed to Allah goes to the Prophet Muhammad so that he expends these funds on the path of Allah (that is, charity and useful deeds for the Ummah). After the prophet Muhammad passed away, the first three components of hums became intended for the family of Muhammad ( Ahl al-Bayt ), and after the departure of Imam al-Mahdi in the Great Hide, to religious scholars who have no other sources of income.

As for the other three recipients, the scientist does not have the right to appropriate their share in the humse. This money is sent directly to the needy from among the Seyyids - the descendants of the prophet Muhammad , while the poor not from among the Seyyids are assigned a different Islamic tax - zakat, which Seyyids have no right to claim. This separation and the establishment of a special tax for the Seyyids is due to the fact that throughout the history of Islam, the descendants of the prophet Muhammad were persecuted and therefore were often in extremely poor financial situation.

As for zakat , according to Shiite fiqh, they are taxed only on the following categories of property: cattle (camels, cows, sheep and goats), silver, gold, dates, raisins, barley and wheat. However, it is considered desirable ( mustahabb ) to pay zakat from other types of property.

In the book “Islamic Government”, the leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Imam Khomeini, writes that the ruling lawyer (wali-e-fakih) should send his home money to finance sectors important for the Islamic state, such as education, science, medicine, industry, and theological centers ( , thanks to the collection of the Hums tax in modern Iran there are free medicine and education). As soon as the Shiite lawyer is the bearer of political power, the expenditure of the first three parts of the hummus on the path of Allah should mean that this money should go to maintain the infrastructure of the Islamic state.

Historically, even before the victory of the Islamic revolution, Shiite scholars were often in opposition to the government, and were much closer to the common people, and not to the rulers. Humes allowed them to maintain independence in actions and judgments ( fatwas ).

It should be noted that Shiite imams led an ascetic lifestyle, and the funds received at the expense of Hums were spent mainly for the benefit of Islam and the Ummah .

According to Shiite scholars, the Qur'anic concept of “ Ghanima ” , used in the verse on Hums, translates as “prey,” that is, “certain goods that are acquired as wealth.” According to the hadiths from Ahl al-Beit, the following categories of property are taxed with hums:

1. Superprofit (that which is not spent during the year);
2. Legal income mixed with illegal;
3. Ores and minerals;
4. Treasures (stones) caught from the sea;
5. Jewelry;
6. Land that a non-Muslim from among the people of the treaty (Zimmiev) buys from a Muslim;
7. War trophies.

At the same time, Sunni ulama often refer to the provisions relating to hums, only to military trophies. Shiite scholars consider this point of view erroneous.

• A Shi'ite Encyclopedia, Chapter 6b // www.al-islam.org

• Fatwa Makarema Shirazi about Hums (inaccessible link) .
• Hums according to the fatwas of Ali Sistani .