Questions On Khums

Allah has made some arrangement in the lives of the muslims. Therefore, He has separated them into two groups – Ummah and the Progeny of RasoolAllah (saw).For the Ummah he has made Zakaat (poor tax), and in this there is no share for the Progeny of RasoolAllah (saw).  For sadaat  has made ‘Anfaal’ (Spoils of war) and Khums in which the Ummah has no share. The whole of the Anfaal is for the descendants  of RasoolAllah (saw) whereas only a fifth of Khums is set aside for them. Allah has kept the Progeny of RasoolAllah (saw) separate from the rest of the Ummah so that They should be kept away from the dirt and filth of the people and that no one would have the audacity to equate himself to Them.
They ask you (O Muhammad SAW) about the spoils of war. Say: "The spoils are for Allah and the Messenger." So fear Allah and adjust all matters of difference among you, and obey Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad SAW), if you are believers.(Quran 8:1)
Imam Muhammad Baqir (Asws) says in Tafseer Safi and Imam Jafar Sadiq (asws) says in al Kafi ; “Anfaal is that which is gained from the land on which no blood has been shed. i.e. land which has been gained without war. Either the people make a peace treaty or give it of their own accord. Uninhabited land and valleys will all be classified as Anfaal, and this is all the kingdom of Allah. Whatever belongs to Allah also belongs to RasoolAllah (saw). It is up to Him (RasoolAllah saw) how He distributes it. After RasoolAllah (s.a.w.) it belongs to the Holy Imams (asws.)’. In Al Kafi it is also written from Imam Jafar Sadiq (asws), “when a person dies without inheritors then his wealth is also Anfaal.”
And know that whatever of war-booty that you may gain, verily one-fifth of it is assigned to Allah, and to the Messenger, and to the near relatives [of the Messenger (Muhammad SAWA)], (and also) the orphans, Al-Masakin (the poor) and the wayfarer, if you have believed in Allah and in that which We sent down to Our slave (Muhammad SAWA) on the Day of criterion (between right and wrong), the Day when the two forces met (the battle of Badr) - And Allah is Able to do all things.(Quran 8:41)
In Tafseer Saafi it is narrated that one of the meanings of this ayah  is that wealth which is gained by defeating the kafirs. In Al Kafi there is a narration from Imam Jafar Sadiq (asws). “ this is the daily profit”. In Tafseer Saafi  reference Al kafi Ameerul Momineen (asws) says: ‘”Near of Kin here is a reference to Us,those who are nearest to Allah and His Rasool.  The orphans and the poor and the travellers are Our orphans and Our poor and Our travellers. This is because Allah has kept no share for Us in the Zakat and He  has honoured Us and RasoolAllah (s.a.w.) by keeping Us from eating people’s dirt and filth. In Al Tahzeeb Imam Jafar Sadiq (Asws) says, “The khums of Allah is the right of the Imams (asws) just as the khums of RasoolAllah (saw) is the right of Imams (asws). The khums for “the near ones” is also the right of the Imams (asws) due to Our kinship with RasoolAllah (saw). The orphans, poor and travellers are the ones from the progeny of RasoolAllah (s.a.w.). Khums is not the right of  anyone except for Them.”
And give to the kindred his due and to the Miskin (poor) and to the wayfarer. But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift (Quran 17:26)
In Tafseer Saafi ref Tafseer Qummi it is written, “The ‘near of kin’ referred to in this Verse are those who are near to RasoolAllah (saw) and this verse has specially been revealed for Syeda Fatima Zahra (sa). RasoolAllah (saw) had left Fadak as inheritance for Her.  The poor and travellers mentioned here are the ones from Her Offspring.
What Allah gave as booty (Fai') to His Messenger (Muhammad SAWA) from the people of the townships, - it is for Allah, His Messenger (Muhammad SAWA), the kindred (of Messenger Muhammad SAWA), the orphans, Al-Masakin (the poor), and the wayfarer, in order that it may not become a fortune used by the rich among you. And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad SAWA) gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it) , and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Severe in punishment.(Quran 59:7)
In Tafseer Saafi reference  Al Kafi Ameerul Momineen (asws) said: ‘The near ones mentioned here are Us and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer are the ones from Us. This is why Allah has kept no share for Us in zakat and made zakat haram for Us. Allah has honoured Us and RasoolAllah (s.a.w.) by not allowing Us to eat the dirt and filth of the people.”
These points come out of these verses: 1. Anfaal is that which comes without war. 2. Fey is that which is acquired through warfare. 3. Khums is a fifth of Fey. 4. Both these things are especially for Ahlul Bayt (asws) because the right of Allah and RasoolAllah (s.a.w.) is Their right. They are the ones referred to as the near of kin. The orphans, the travelers and the needy are also from the children of Syeda Fatimah Zahra (sa). The distribution of this will also be in the hands of Masoomeen (asws). This means Masoomeen (asws) are the only rightful owners of khums.
According to the above evidence, the purpose of khums is to strengthen the economic situation of the Aal e Muhammad (asws) so that They do not have to depend on the dirt of others. These verses have confirmed that the taxpayers are those of the Ummah who are not from the progeny of RasoolAllah(s.a.w.) and that the recipients are from the children of Syeda Fatima Zahra (sa). Furthermore, this is an individual obligation and not a collective one. Who gives khums and who receives khums? From the above mentioned ayahs it is clear that those who pay the khums are those from the ummah who are ghair sadaat (not from the progeny of Syeda Fatima Zahra sa) and those who receive khums are only the Imams (asws) and the Offspring from Syeda Fatima Zahra (sa) (sadaat). Wajib Aini (Absolute Wajib) From the above mentioned ayahs it is clear that khums is wajib aini (absolute wajib) not wajib kifai.
Upon which things is it wajib to pay khums on?
From the sayings of Imam Musa Kazim (asws), “ “Al-Khums (one fifth tax) is due on five categories of properties. It is due on (1) spoils of war, (2) properties acquired from deep sea diving, (3) the treasures found, (4) the mines and (5)salt mines.(Usool e Kafi Kitab e Hujjat chapter 128 hadith 4)
Imam Muhammad Baqir (asws) says, “ ‘Minerals such as gold, silver, iron, lead, and zinc are subject to al-Khums.’”(Usool e Kafi Kitab e Hujjat chapter 128 hadith 8)
Imam Reza (asws) says, “ ‘It is due on all small and large gains that people make.’”(Usool e Kafi Kitab e Hujjat chapter 128 hadith 11 and 12)
From the sayings of Imam Jafar Sadiq (asws), “ ‘Khums is not on anything but on the wealth of Ghanimat (spoils of war)’.(Min La Yazherul Faqih chapter Khums hadith 1642)
Imam Muhammad Baqir (asws) says, “ ‘Whenever dhimmi (a non muslim living under the protection of the Islamic government)buys land from a Muslim, there will be Khums on it’.(Min La Yazherul Faqih chapter Khums hadith 1653)
It is clear from the above statements of Masoomeen (asws) that Khums is payable on the following: 1. Minerals like gold, silver, brass, aluminium, petrol, gas etc. 2. Treasures acquired by deep sea diving like pearls etc. 3. Profits from a business. 4. Profits from farming. 5. Spoils of war.6. Land sold to a dhimmi... From what we have seen above, is Khums being explained today exactly as Masoomeen (asws)  have defined it or is it being portrayed as something else. Let us now look at one point at a time.
First Point The only rightful owner of Khums is Masoomeen (asws) From the above tafseers of Quran and hadiths of Masoomeen (asws) it becomes clear that the one upon whom khums is wajib must ensure that the khums reaches the Imam (asws). There are only two ways of ensuring this. Either we go and personally deliver this tax to the Holy Imam (atfs.) Himself or we must follow His instructions, either oral or written, to hand it over to His agent. Only then do we become free from our responsibilities. During the Ghaybat Sugra the people had written instructions from the Holy Imam (atfs.) to hand over their Khums to named agents. Hence in this period the matter was clear and people had no doubts whom to give their Khums to. The situation during Ghaybat Kubra is completely different. The system of direct representation and ambassadorship was cut off at the inception of Ghaybat Kubra and those that claim to be the representatives of Imam (atfs) have been labeled as liars and fabricators by Masoomeen (asws). There has never been a single statement of Masoomeen (asws)  whereby They have instructed us that during Ghaybat Kubra, any person who claims to be a scholar whom a few regard as their teacher or one who achieves a degree from a university of Qum, the Shia should hand over their Khums to him. Not a single Mujtahid has ever made the claim that he hands over the Khums monies to the Holy Imam (atfs.), and if he were to do that then he would be included in the label of a liar and a fabricator. If the Mujtahid is not capable of delivering the Khums to the Holy Imam (atfs.) then how can the Khums payer know that his Khums money has reached the Holy Imam (atfs.)? If someone deliberately gives his Khums money to someone who has not been specifically named by the Holy Imam (atfs.) but who instead has declared himself to be a representative , then the payer is as much a usurper of the rights of the Holy Imam (atfs.) as the recipient is. InshaAllah  I shall discuss the state of the usurpers of the rights of the Holy Imam (atfs.) later on.
Second Point  The purpose of Khums is to strengthen economic status of the Family of RasoolAllah(saw) This has been clarified by the hadeeth and that the purpose is to honour and keep away from  Aal e Muhammad (asws) the dirt and filth of the people. Therefore to declare the purpose of khums to be anything other than this is to oppose the sayings of Masoomeen (asws) and attribute lies with Them.   The point is that Allah made Khums to be only for the Family of RasoolAllah (s.a.w.). However, some people then assumed the responsibilities of the religion were upon them to perform. Then when the burden of the state and religious affairs became heavy on them, they took it upon themselves the distribution of Khums and established the notion that Khums and Anfaal is the right of the government. The claim of Syeda Fatima (sa) for Her right of the Land of Fadak  was also refuted on the basis of, ‘If we give this to you then how will we feed the army?’ The spoils of wars from all the battles was also regarded as the right of the government which will also decide how to spend it. This view had such pull over the Shia that they  even  made it one of their basic principles. Agha e Khomeini wrote on pg 19 of his book ‘Islamic Government and Wilayat e Faqih’: “The purpose for the imposition of such a tax is not merely the upkeep of the Sayyids or the religious scholars, but on the contrary, something far more significant—namely, meeting the financial needs of the great organs and institutions of government. How could the sayyids ever need so vast a budget? It was established with the aim of providing for the needs of the people, for public services relating to health, education, defense, and economic development.” If you wish to applaud this outlandish statement then do so, for I can only weep over it and beseech Allah  for justice. The invalidity of this claim is obvious that there is no need for detailed refutation. I am only giving you some indications. 1. Khums has been regarded as the right of the government of the time. 2. In contradiction to the Commands of Allah and Masoomeen (asws) Khums has been regarded as being for the betterment of general people regardless of whether they are from the progeny of Syeda Fatima Zahra (sa) or not. 3. It has been assumed that all those from the progeny of Syeda Fatima Zahra (sa) are leading a happy and contented life. 4. When khums is the right of the progeny of Syeda Fatima Zahra (sa), then it does not matter how much it is, it will always remain Their right. How can someone have the right to say ‘how can they need so much?’ It is like when someone comes to your house and says to you, ‘What is your need for such a big house, keep one room for yourself and give the rest over to me’. 5. If Khums is for the betterment of all people then does it apply only to the people of Iran? Then tell me what has been done for the betterment of other people? Are the Shia paying Khums so that only the people of Iran should benefit from it while the other Shia keep dying of hunger? 6. If Khums is the right of the government of the scholars, then on what basis was Khums being collected before they came into the leadership of the government? And if they were collecting it then how much did they do for the betterment of the Shia of the world? These works for the betterment of the Shia can also be done without being in government.
Third Point  Khums is the right of the Sadaat When the Holy Quran and Masoomeen (asws) have clearly indicated the identities of the tax payer and the recipient then a non Sadaat cannot take even a penny from khums and Sadaat cannot be made to pay it. This is their right whether they are rich or poor. It is another matter that the needy and the orphans and the travellers among them will get priority. From the revelation of Khums until today you will not find a single incident in history where the Sadaat have been made to pay it. The Sadaat have always been the recipients and never the payers. Today the situation is such that even if the Mujtahid is a non-Sadaat, he still collects Khums from everyone. In whose obedience is this being done? However, regarding the rights of the Imam (asws), they are both unjust.
Fourth Point No Mujtahid has even declared it to be a collective obligation The fact that Khums is an individual obligation is so established that no one will ever dispute it. Not a single person is free from this obligation. For example, Ṣalāt is an individual obligation and so it is obligatory upon the Mujtahid as well as his followers. The same goes for other acts of worship, and since it has been established that khums is an individual obligation, then it is so on the Mujtahid as well as all his followers. Now it is up to you to find out which Mujtahid is paying Khums and to whom. If you say that they are paying to an ‘Aalam’ (the most knowledgeable), then who is he paying it to, as it would be obligatory on him as well. The more you think about this the more you will realise that this is not a religious matter but it is just an excuse to collect money from the people. If this was a religious issue then they would not have placed the whole burden on the people but they would have borne some of it themselves. But the strange thing is that on one hand Khums has been declared as an individual obligation and on the other hand they have excused the Mujtahids from it and made it a collective obligation. If after all this you still cannot get to the bottom of this then it is not my fault. You have seen from the statements of Masoomeen (asws) regarding the things on which Khums has been made obligatory – Minerals, Sea treasures, Business Profits, Agricultural Profits etc. Why don’t you now go and collect all the Fatwas of the Mujtahids and take a tour of all the mosques and see for yourself. You will see a very long list off all the items on which they want you to pay Khums including things like unused food items, cosmetics, clothes etc. Virtually nothing has been left out from this list. The purpose is so they can get their hands on as much as they can.  No one in his right mind would accept this in his religion. Anyone with clear intellect will be able to see through this misappropriation.
When did the problem of Khums start?
Those of you who are interested in history will know that when the Verse of Khums was revealed, RasoolAllah  (s.a.w.) distributed it among the Banu Hashim and this continued throughout His time. After this the government of the time decided that it is their right and a fifth of the spoils of war began to be sent to the Caliph of the time who used to spend it on the affairs of his government. The Banu Hashim only got the same share as everyone else until it was the time for the caliphate of Ameerul Momineen (asws) He did not make any changes to this matter just as He did not make any claims to the land of Fadak. I cannot find any incident during His caliphate that anyone had come and given Khums to Moula Ali (asws). This was the also the case for Imam Hasan (asws) and Imam Hussain (asws) so much so that if there was any delay of payment from the government Their situation was extremely difficult. After this was the period of Imam Zainul Abideen (asws) and Imam Muhammad Baqir (asws.). I cannot find any incident of anyone paying Khums to Them. However, there are certain incidents during the time of Imam Jafar Sadiq (asws) where some people used to bring some wealth to Him but we should be careful not to misunderstand this. Sometimes the Shia used to bring presents and gifts to Him but not in the name of Khums. In the book Min La Yazherul Faqih chapter on Khums there is a hadith where someone asked Imam (asws) regarding khums: hadith 1659:  Younis bin Yaqoub has said that: ‘One day when I went to Imam Jafar Sadiq (asws) a toymaker came to see Him  and said, ‘I have made good profit from my business and we know that Your share in this is established but we are not able to give you Your share’. Imam (asws) replied: ‘If these days I were to ask you for My share then it would not be justice’. In the book ‘Superman in Islam’ pg no 1373 and 1374, there is written  a debate between Imam Jafar Sadiq (asws) and an atheist by the name of Abu Shakir. In a reply to Abu Shakir’s accusation that the Imam (asws) was collecting money from people in the name of religion, Imam (asws)  replied: ‘O Abu Shakir! You are saying that I aim to collect wealth in the name of worshipping Allah, by deceiving people. I tell you that ever since I have invited people to worship Allah until today I have only accepted small gifts like fruit etc. A friend of Mine has a date farm, and in the autumn when the dates ripen, he sends Me a crate of them through his servant and I only accept this gift from him so that he may not get offended by My refusal. I also have another friend who has a garden of pomegranates in Taif and he sends Me a crate with the caravan which comes to Medina and I only accept this because I do not want him to be offended due to My refusal. Will you testify that a person will not propagate religion until such time as he does not get some dates and pomegranates?’ The period of the Imams (asws) after Imam Jafar Sadiq  (asws) was even more difficult as they used to be under the scrutiny of the hostile government of the time. In this period it cannot even be imagined that They would instruct Their Shia to bring the Khums to Them and thus endanger all their lives nor has any such incident ever been recorded. The uproar regarding  Khums started in the time of the tenth Imam Ali Naqi (asws). The enemies were counting the numbers of the Imams (asws) so that they can kill the twelfth Imam (atfs) and cut off the system of guidance altogether. Among the Shia also were those who were greedy for the worldly things were also counting the numbers so that they can profit from the twelfth Imam (atfs.) going into ghaybat. After Imam Musa Kazim (asws.) a sect by the name of Waqifiyya came into being. They claimed that Imam Musa Kazim (asws) had not died but had gone into ghaybat. They then claimed that until such time as He (Imam Musa Kazim asws) reappears they will handle the affairs and so usurped all the wealth and refused to hand it over to Imam Reza (asws) who sent lanat upon them for the lies they forged against the Imam (asws). What I would like to ask is that if the Imam (atfs) were to make His reappearance today and asks for His Khums that has been collected over the years, is there anyone who will be able to give it back to him? How will this be returned when it has already been digested? Anyway, at the time of Imam Ali Naqi (asws) the people had realised that the time of ghaybat was near. A whole system was put into place and a web of narrations was spun in such a way that gave the impression that Masoomeen (asws) had only come into the world for two purposes only – to explain the ordinances and collect Khums. As time went on the situation got worse, until we come to the time of Ghaybat Sugra. This gave the worshippers of the world a golden opportunity. If you were to survey the history of this period you will see nothing apart from playing around with Fatwas and cries of ‘Khums, Khums’. You think for yourself, in this difficult time period when the hostile government was severely suppressing the Shia, and was raiding many places in search of the twelfth Imam (atfs.), who could have thought of only Khums. Imam Jafar Sadiq (asws) Himself stated in the above Hadeeth that it would not be fair for Him to ask for this from His Shia during those times. The reason why the fraud of the representation of the Imam (atfs.) was enacted was to  make it easier for them to collect the khums from the people, and whatever is happening today is the direct result from all this. This will only come to an end when the Holy Imam (atfs)  makes His reappearance and then people’s food items, cosmetics, clothes etc. will be safe, or when people use their clear intellects and get to the bottom of all this. Only then will all this looting be stopped by blind following of Taqleed.
HISTORICAL EVENTS
Khums is one of those things which was introduced
by Abd ul Muttalib (a.s.), the grandfather of the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.w.), and continued in Islam. Acting
upon a Command of Allah (s.w.t.) given to him
(a.s.) in a dream, when Abd ul Muttalib (a.s.)
rediscovered the well of Zamzam, he found in it
many valuable things which were buried in it from
the very remote past by the Ismailites (descendants of Ibrahim a.s) when they
feared that their enemies would usurp these. When
Abd ul Muttalib (a.s.) found the buried treasure, he
(a.s.) gave away its one-fifth (literally, khums) in the
way of Allah (s.w.t.) and kept the remaining four-fifth
to himself. Thus it became a custom in his
family; and after the Hijrah of the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.w.), the same system was incorporated in
Islam. Thus the first ‘khums’ was not given from the
'spoils of war', but from a buried treasure (which is
one of the six items eligible for khums).
LIFTING OF THE OBLIGATION
Let us now look at what we are supposed to do in
this period of the major occultation of our Imam
(a.s.). Shall we also bury it in the sand or put it in
the river like some people used to do a thousand
years ago? They may have been wrong in doing
this from a practical point of view but they were
certainly correct conceptually. They did not want
this money to go to anyone else other than the Holy
Imam (a.s.). They used to keep it under their pillow
in the hope that the Holy Imam (a.s.) would make
his appearance and they would then hand it over to
him. They waited and waited but the Holy Imam
(a.s.) did not come out of the occultation. This gave
the opportunity for some priests to declare
themselves as the deputies of the Holy Imam (a.s.)
and authorise themselves for the collection of the
tax. And so started the saga of the self-appointed,
self-authorised tax collectors, which has continued
till today.
‘The Imams are not recorded as designating any
single individual as their sole, let alone paramount,
representative specifically for the purposes of
carrying on community activities during any periods
of their absence, let alone the upcoming
occultation. Indeed, the agent of the Hidden Imam
later recognised to have been the Imam’s four
sufara (representatives) were not recognised as
such during this time even in Baghdad, the
provinces and especially Qum. It would seem that
Husayn Ibn Rawh was the first to have made such
a claim. No such authority had been delegated and
that the Imam, if he had failed to return on or before
his fortieth birthday, was nevertheless, and
therefore, expected to return soon enough’ – A. J.
Newman, The Formative Period Of Twelver
Shi’ism, Chapter Eight.
These days we have agents coming out from every
nook and cranny of the Shiite world. Does this not
remind you of the days of the American Gold Rush?
But, this is crazy. If the Holy Imam (a.s.) had
authorised this collection of tax from the Shiites, or
even ordered it, then I could have been able to
construe that they are actually performing Jihad in
the way of the Holy Imam (a.s.) by collecting this
 tax from the people. But this is clearly not the case,
now is it?
Imam Ali (a.s.)’s Orders

Imam Mohammed Baqir (a.s.) has narrated that
Imam Ali (a.s.) has waived al-Khums for his Shias
so that their children are born clean/legitimate - Illul
Sharia

Imam Ali (a.s.) said: People are being punished and
killed because they do not pay our rights, through
suffering from what they eat and involving in
disrespectful acts. But be aware, we have lifted our rights on our shias and their children - Illul Sharia

Imam Ja’far Al Sadiq (a.s.)’s orders

Imam Jafar al Sadiq (a.s.) said: Every one is living
off what they have usurped from us but we have
made is permissible for our Shias -Illul Sharia

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad
ibn Muhammad from ibn Mahbub from ‘Umar ibn
Yazid who has said the following: “I saw Misma’ in
Madina. In that year he had tried to deliver a certain
amount of property to abu ‘Abd Allah, recipient of
divine supreme covenant, who returned the
property to him. I (‘Uram) asked him (Mism’a) about
the reason for the return. He (Mism’a) said, “When I
took the property to him (the Imam) I said, ‘I had
become the person in charge of the pearls in
Bahrayn and I have made a four hundred thousand
Dirham profit. I have brought eighty thousand
Dinars as your share. I did not want to keep your
share and disregard what Allah, the Most Holy, the
Most High, has decreed to be for you in our
properties.’ The Imam said, ‘Is there no more from
earth and what Allah takes out of it besides one fifth
(of people’s net savings) for us, O abu Sayyar? The
whole earth belongs to us. Whatever Allah causes
to come out therefrom belongs to us.’ I then said, ‘I
will bring all the property to you.’ He said, ‘O abu
Sayyar, we have made it a gift for you and
relieved you of its liabilities. Take your property
with you. Whatever land is in the hands of our
Shi‘a, it is lawful for them until al-Qa’im will rise
with Divine Authority and power. He will make an
agreement with them about whatever land is in their
hands and will give them permission to use.
Whatever land is in the hands of others, their
earning from it is not lawful until al-Qa’im will rise
with Divine Authority and power. He will take such
lands away from them and will remove them
humiliated.’ “‘Umar ibn Yazid has said, ‘Abu Sayyar
said to me, “I do not find anyone doing business or
people as in charge persons of certain tasks, who
earn their living lawfully except myself and those for
whom they ('A'immah) have made it lawful.”’”(AL KAFI - H 1064, Ch. 105, h 3)

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad
ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Sinan from
Sabbah al-Azraq from Muhammad ibn Muslim from
one of them (abu Ja‘far or abu ‘Abd Allah, recipient
of divine supreme covenant, who has said the
following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, recipient of divine
supreme covenant, has said, ‘The most serious
trouble that one may face on the Day of Judgment
is when a person with the right to receive al-Khums
will stand up and say, ‘Lord, my al-Khums (was not
paid).’ However, we have gifted it to our Shi’a to
cleanse and purify their birth.”(AL KAFI - H 1429, Ch. 130, h 20)

Imam Al Mahdi (a.s.)’s orders

In reply to a letter sent to Imam-e-Zamana (a.s.),
The Holy Imam (a.s.) says: ‘About Khums, I waive
my rights for our Shias and make is permissible
for our Shias until the time of my reappearance so
that their children are born clean and pious and
remain legitimate’.(Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol 53,
Wasail Al Shia, vol. 6, Chapter 4, Tradition 16)

This is truly incredible. Surely ONE statement of a
Holy Imam (a.s.) should have been sufficient for us
to act upon. But, for some reason the tax collectors
also have decided to IGNORE ALL these
statements. We have been led to believe that if we
do not pay over the Khums monies to the tax
collectors of our time then none of our wealth would
be pure as we would be eating unlawful wealth and
would end up in Hell. And so we keep on paying to
them.
However, at this juncture I think that it would be
prudent for me to clarify the fact that it is not
forbidden to give Khums. Its obligation is what has
been lifted from our necks. It has become Mubah.
There is no authorisation of its collection and its
distribution from the Holy Imams (a.s.). They (a.s.)
are the only ones who can do this.


QUESTIONS
If the Holy Imams (a.s.) have lifted this obligation
from us then how comes the tax collectors keep on
insisting on our paying of this tax over to them?
Surely they should at least listen to the written
statement of Imam Al Mahdi (a.s.) whose monies
they are supposed to be collecting.
Since the Holy Imam Mahdi (a.s.) does not want
this tax to be collected from the Shiites, then who
are they collecting it for?
Have any of the Imams (a.s.) authorised any of the
tax collectors to re-impose the tax back on us?
Why are the tax collectors obligating us to pay this
tax when the payment of it has been waived on us
by the Holy Imams (a.s.)?

SUMMARY
The following points come to my mind in the
summarisation of this matter of Khums.
1. This is an unauthorised collection.
2. The tax collectors are all self appointed
people.
3. They never hand this tax over to the real
owner, Imam Mahdi (a.s.).
4. Imam Mahdi (a.s.) has lifted this obligation
from the Shiites.
5. The tax collectors do not pay any tax. They
only collect.
6. Half the money collected is spent on projects
which have nothing to do with the Family of
the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) whose right it is.
7. They have widened the scope of the tax of
their own accord.
8. When the tax collector dies, the money he
collected does not get handed over to the
next collector.
9. They are ignoring the restrictive orders and
are still collecting it.
10. There are no instructions from the Holy
Imams (a.s.) for the re-imposition of this tax (Bashir Alidina,..Kashaful Haqaiq)
   Wa Salaam!