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Khums in the Quran and History - Al-Shia The Scientific and Cultural Website of Shia belief Khums in the Quran and History 2022-10-17 1445 Views Khums Introduction The term “ Khums ” literally means “one-fifth or 20%”. In Islamic legal terminology, it means “one-fifth of not-spent certain items which a person acquires as wealth, and which must be paid as an Islamic tax”.

The Qur’an mentions it in the following verse: Contents Introduction The Meaning of Ghanimtum The History of Khums “The Islamic Laws: “The Interpretation of the Qur’an: “And know that out of all the booty that ye may acquire (in war), a fifth share is assigned to Allah,- and to the Messenger, and to near relatives, orphans, the needy, and the wayfarer,- if ye do believe in Allah and in the revelation We sent down to Our servant on the Day of Testing,- the Day of the meeting of the two forces.

For Allah hath power over all things”. (8:41) In the verse, the word “ghanimtum” has been used which has been translated as “you acquire”. As explained above, it means “certain items which a person acquires as wealth.” What are these certain items?

According to the traditions of the Imams, the items which are eligible for khums are seven: the profit or the surplus of the income, the legitimate wealth which is mixed with some illegitimate wealth, mines and minerals, the precious stones obtained from the sea by diving, treasures, the land which a dhimmi infidel (infidel who pays tribute to Islamic Government to protect him) buys from a Muslim, the spoils of war.

However, there are some people who interpret the word “ghanimtum” as “whatever of a thing you acquire as spoils of war,” thus confining the obligation of khums to the spoils of war only. This interpretation is based on ignorance of the Arabic language, the history of khums, the Islamic laws and of the interpretation of the Qur’an. To make this point crystal clear, It is necessary to quote the following arguments from Allamah Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi.

In reading the following paragraphs, remember that the word ghanimtum has been derived from al-ghanimah. The Meaning of Ghanimtum The famous Arabic dictionary of al-Munjid (by Father Louis Maluf) says, al-Ghanim and al-Ghanimah means: (a) What is taken from the fighting enemies by force.