Zakat, Fasting, and Hajj in I'anat at-Talibin

The chapters on zakah, sawm, and hajj in I'anat at-Talibin reflect al-Bakri's engagement with the practical questions facing Muslim communities in the nineteenth-century Indian Ocean world, combined with thorough grounding in the classical Shafi'i tradition.

On zakah, I'anat at-Talibin addresses the major categories with reference to the authoritative late classical Shafi'i works. On zakah on trade goods, al-Bakri discusses the question of goods held in partnership between a Muslim and non-Muslim merchant — a common situation in the trading ports of the nineteenth century — and applies the Shafi'i principle that only the Muslim partner's share is subject to zakah. He addresses the valuation of goods held in distant locations and the question of what exchange rate to apply when the nisab is assessed in gold but the merchant's wealth is held in local currency.

For zakah on agricultural produce, I'anat at-Talibin applies the Shafi'i rulings to the crops of the Indian Ocean world: rice, coconuts, pepper, cloves, and other commodities. Al-Bakri applies the general Shafi'i principle — zakah is due on crops that are dried, stored, and measured by volume as a staple food — to determine which crops are zakatable and which are not. His analysis of pepper and spices — important commodities for Indian Ocean trade — reflects the practical orientation of the work.

The fasting chapter addresses the question of determining the beginning of Ramadan in locations where the moon cannot be seen due to weather conditions or where astronomical calculation is beginning to be used as a supplement to direct sighting. Al-Bakri presents the classical Shafi'i positions and notes the emerging scholarly discussion about the use of calculation, maintaining the traditional position of moon sighting as the primary method while acknowledging the practical difficulties.

On hajj, I'anat at-Talibin is particularly valuable on the questions of sea travel from the Indian Ocean world. The miqat for those coming by sea from India or Southeast Asia was a practical question: at what point does a pilgrim's ship pass the relevant miqat, and how should ihram be entered if the ship cannot stop at the miqat boundary? Al-Bakri discusses these questions with reference to the classical texts and the fatwas of earlier scholars who had addressed them.

The section on hajj by proxy (hajj al-badal) — performing hajj on behalf of a deceased person or one who is permanently incapacitated — is given careful treatment. Al-Bakri explains the Shafi'i conditions for valid proxy hajj, the requirement that the proxy have already performed their own obligatory hajj, and the questions about compensation for the proxy's expenses.