Payment of Zakat to Non-Muslims in the Light of Islamic Shariah

This study revisited the literature to find answer to an important question that whether Zakat could or could not be paid to the non Muslims? There are different arguments in favor of giving the Zakat to the needy Dhimmies (non Muslims) in an Islamic State.  After reviewing Islamic teachings, laid down in holy Quran and Sunnah, the practices of pious Caliphs, in the Islamic History, views of different Islamic schools of thought and the opinion of modern Islamic jurists, the study found that Quran and Sunnah allowed the payment of zakat to the Al-Muallaf-al-Qulub (poor non-Muslims and those, whose hearts are to be inclined). However, there are differences in the opinion of various Islamic schools of thought. For example, according to Maliki and Zaidi schools of jurisprudence it is lawful to give Zakat to the non-Muslims, where as Shyafee school of thought hold opposite opinion and does not allow the payment of Zakat to the non-Muslims. The modern Islamic jurists Muhammad Shaltut, Mustafa Al-Zarka, Taha Jabir, Syed Abual Aa la Maududi, Imam Khumany of Shia School of thought etc, argue that since modern states have become welfare states, it is therefore allowed to use zakat for the well-being of citizens including the non-Muslims. The recommendations given in this study are multidimensional that we will not only help the poor non-Muslims but also complement to eradicate poverty and reduce income inequality in Muslim countries

What are the Policies and Practices of Maintaining Discipline in a Private Secondary School in Karachi, Pakistan

The term discipline', especially classroom discipline is an essential component in the teaching and learning process in schools. There is no single definition of this term, on which, the teachers and teacher educators have built a consensus. Much of the current literature discusses teaching opportunities that enable children to learn how to develop self-discipline, and to handle problems that arise within the school system. This contrasts with the authoritarian approach to discipline, that appears to be prevalent in most of the schools. The above two perspectives indicate that no consensus has been reached as far as definition and maintenance of discipline is concerned. This study was conducted to find out the existing approach to discipline in one of the private secondary schools in Karachi. For this purpose the qualitative case study approach was adopted where the data was collected through interviews, observations and documentary analysis. A number of key stakeholders (discussed in chapter three) were interviewed about their views of school discipline and their approach to maintain the discipline. The whole study revolves around Faris' (1996), view of discipline, as he argues, Today educators have moved away from trying to control students behaviour and instead focus on the teaching process to create, implement and maintain a classroom environment that supports learning The findings of the study indicate that there is a consistency in stakeholders expectations about what discipline is, and what discipline is for. The school has set certain rules and subsequent reward systems, which have been made known to stakeholders. The study further indicates that the school maintains discipline through: Empowering teachers and students by giving them leading responsibilities in various academic and co-curricular councils within the school and also supports students' learning by creating an appropriate learning environment. In addition, the school organizes professional development programmes for its staff and informs and involves parents in solving discipline- related problems in school. There is a monitoring and follow-up of the students' social skills. At classroom levels, the teachers have a pro-active approach to discipline. Lastly, the turnover of teachers, high ratio of students, especially in primary classes and some strict rules at pre-primary level, were found to be the challenging factors.