| Return, booty, shadow. Tech: Signifies what is.
obtained from the enemies after laying down arms (without
fighting) and what is received from any alien people under a
treaty, the proceeds of which, according to the majority of
jurists, go to the public sector of the Islamic state. According
to some, however, a fifth of the fai, like that of ghanimah, is to
be divided among the five categories specified for the latter: the
Prophet, his near relatives, destitute, orphans and poor
way-farers. After the demise of the Prophet the two shares of the
Prophet and his relatives from the fifth of the fai and ghanimah
as held by the majority were withheld by Abu Bakr and this
practice was followed by the subsequent three caliphs also. These
two shares were either absorbed in the shares of the other three
beneficiaries or as some reports say, went to the general public
sector. Subsequently, the fai came to be identified with all
revenues except zakat, a term which can mean civil revenues these
days. |
