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

Postharvest Studies on Gladiolus Grandiflorus L.

Gladiolus is second most produced cut flower in Pakistan. Its postharvest losses occasionally reach up to 10-30% in Pakistan. Losses are mainly due to lack of use of postharvest treatments, harvesting at improper time and stage, improper cold storage, and poor water quality. Markets surveys revealed that growers and retailers do not follow have standard protocols for postharvest handling of gladiolus to reduce these losses. A project, involving a series of postharvest experiments on ‘White Prosperity’ gladiolus, was executed to develop protocols for postharvest handling of gladiolus, with special context to prevailing problems faced by growers and retailers in Pakistan. The results revealed that pulsing with 10% sucrose for 24 h increased the vase life of gladiolus up to ~3 days relative to control (tap water). Harvesting the stems in the morning or evening was better than noon harvest, while the less the number of florets opened at harvest, the better was the postharvest performance of gladiolus. Wet type of storage was better for shorter durations of storage than dry storage. Pulsing with low concentration of nano- silver (NS) for short duration (50 mg L -1 for one hour) significantly improved the postharvest characteristics of gladiolus, while among silver sources AgNO 3 (20 mg L -1 ) performed better than Silver thiosulfate (STS) or NS. Similarly for vase solution low concentration (0.01 mg L -1 ) of NS improved the longevity of gladiolus. Carbonated water performed better over other sources/types of water. Among Pseudomonas fluorescens strains PF-279 performed better than PF-417 to prolong the longevity of gladiolus. The study concluded that use of sucrose pulsing; managing the time and stage of harvest; and use of wet storage, different germicides, carbonated water, and biocontrol bacteria can remarkably enhance vase life of gladiolus and can help in reducing the postharvest losses while maximizing net return to the growers and retailers.