Should a person acquire one hundred mithqals [1] of gold,
nineteen mithqals thereof belong unto God, the Creator of earth and heaven.
Take heed, O people, lest ye deprive yourselves of this great bounty. We have
prescribed this law unto you while We are wholly independent of you and of all
that are in the heavens and on the earth. Indeed there lie concealed in this
command, mysteries and benefits which are beyond the comprehension of anyone
save God, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Say, through this injunction God
desireth to purify your possessions and enable you to draw nigh unto such
stations as none can attain, except those whom God may please. Verily, He is
the Generous, the Gracious, the Bountiful.
- Baha’u’llah (The Compilation of
Compilation, vol. I, Huqúqu'lláh)
[1] Mithqál is a unit of weight equals to about 3.642 grams.
