Tarikh Islam

One of the religious obligations which God has made incumbent on Muslims as stated in the Glorious Quran is paying Khums. According to Sunni view, the word khums mentioned in the verse 41 of Chapter 8 (Sura Anfal: The Spoils of War) only refers to ghanima (spoils of war). According to the infallible Imams' view, however, khums is not only paid on ghanima but also on the annual profits and gains. Given the importance and status of khums, the Holy Prophet of Islam and the infallible Imams not only elaborated on the instances for which khums must be paid, but also made great efforts to enforce this religious principle. According to this view, the narrations indicating that Shi'a Imams consider khums as lawful, which is related to a specific trend or juncture due to political, economic and social purposes, can by analyzed. It is also obligatory to pay khums during occultation period. Using a descriptive-analytical method, the present paper seeks to resolve the historical doubts cast on this issue and challenge Sunni view on khums in the light of a review of the historical course of development of khums during the presence of the infallible Imams.