How Does Paying Khums Provide Benefits?

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Successful believers who fulfill this obligation serve as the best witnesses to the fruits, benefits, and material and spiritual returns received immediately in this worldly life and eternal bounty and true and everlasting happiness later on in the promised Hereafter. Therefore, they race one another in its fulfillment and prepare themselves through self-accountability and diligence to fulfill their duty on time, without delay or procrastination. Indeed, it is trading with Allah, and whoever engages in trade with Allah will find only what they desire and hope for. As Allah Almighty says: “Indeed, those who recite the Book of Allah and establish prayer and spend [in His cause] out of what We have provided them, secretly and publicly, [can] expect a profit that will never perish. That He may give them in full their rewards and increase for them of His bounty. Indeed, He is Forgiving and Appreciative.”40 And among these fruits, benefits, and returns are:

Abundance of Blessings

To have wealth is one thing, but to have it be blessed and abundant, and seemingly inexhaustible, is another matter entirely. This can only be achieved through measures such as purifying it by fulfilling the rights of God and those of the poor. Therefore, paying khums is a way to show gratitude to God Almighty by action, and He has promised to increase and bless it. As Allah says in the Qur’an, “If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor].”41

The Continuity of Blessings

All the blessings and favors that Allah bestows upon humanity are, in reality, a trust (amanah) entrusted to them by the One who bestowed them. Therefore, when a person spends or manages them as commanded by Allah, whether it is obligatory or recommended, they demonstrate their role as a trustworthy individual who preserves the trust. By doing so, they become the reason for the continuity of these blessings, which are not taken away from them as a sign of honor and grace from Allah. It has been reported that Imam Ali al-Rida (p) said, “Indeed, its expenditure is the key to your sustenance.”42

Purifying One’s Wealth and Soul

No matter how much knowledge and precision a person may possess in financial matters, they remain susceptible to faltering due to wealth that has a questionable or dubious source, or God forbid, haram (forbidden) earnings, no matter how trivial or insignificant, due to ignorance, negligence, or inadvertence, as they are fallible. Thus, no matter how much a person may purify and elevate themselves beyond material concerns to the realm of spirituality and divine proximity, the merciful care of Allah towards His creation always approaches them to purify their souls and wealth through various means, including the obligation of giving khums. As was previously reported from Imam Ali al-Rida (p) that its expenditure, “…purifies your sins and what you prepare for yourselves for the Day of Judgment.”43

Societal Solidarity and Dignity

The obligation of giving khums helps to preserve the dignity and honor of people. There are those among the needy and impoverished who are unable to reveal their poverty and needs. Instead, they endure hunger, heat, and cold with patience, as if they were honorable individuals betrayed by time and humiliated. It is mentioned in a noble hadith, “Honor the honorable ones among a people who are experiencing lowliness.”44 Allah described them alongside the known poor with the description of “the deprived”, saying, “And those within whose wealth is a known right for the petitioner and the deprived.”45 One of the ways khums should be spent is in such situations. By doing so, the payer of khums earns the reward of contributing to the preservation of the chastity of believers, needy families, and those who have been humiliated. Just as the payer of khums contributes to social solidarity and preserves the dignity and honor of the deprived, they also acquire a guarantee for themselves against a hidden potential turn of fate (God forbid), where the honorable becomes lowly and the wealthy becomes poor. Thus, they gain assurance of mercy, dignity, and honor in return for what they have provided for and safeguarded for others.

Religious and humanitarian projects

Khums constitutes a major financial backbone for religious education, including seminaries, institutes, schools, and various religious programs at different levels. Additionally, they strongly contribute to meeting the needs of believers in all aspects related to health, relief efforts, support for orphans and widows, and similar causes. All of these endeavors yield benefits for the entire community. Therefore, those who pay khums recognize its impact not only on themselves and their families but also on their relatives, friends, and acquaintances.

Earning the Supplication of our Imam

Imam al-Rida (p) emphasized the importance of fulfilling the religious obligations, saying: “… And do not deprive yourselves of our supplication as much as you can.”46 The supplication of the infallible is accepted, and it is indeed a great honor for any of us to be included in his prayers.

Being Guaranteed Paradise

It has been narrated that a believer fulfilled his obligation of paying khums to Imam al-Baqir (p). So, the Imam then prayed for him, saying, “I and my father have taken it upon ourselves to guarantee you Paradise.”47 Congratulations to those who learn and act upon it.

  1. The Holy Qur’an, 35:29-30 ↩
  2. The Holy Qur’an, 14:7 ↩
  3. al-Amili, “Wasail al-Shi’a”: v. 9, p. 528. ↩
  4. al-Amili, “Wasail al-Shi’a”: v. 9, p. 538. ↩
  5. al-Majlisi, “Bihar al-Anwar”: v. 2, p. 44. ↩
  6. The Holy Qur’an, 70: 23-24. ↩
  7. al-Amili, “Wasail al-Shi’a”: v. 9, p. 538. ↩
  8. al-Amili, “Wasail al-Shi’a”: v. 9, p. 528. ↩
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