Islam has laid a great stress on the importance of Zakāt and has included it in the basic principles. While discoursing about the basic principles of Islam, the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

‘Islam has been founded on five pillars-to be a witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah ; and saying the Prayers (in congregation); and paying the Zakāt; and the Hajj; and fasting in its month.’ (Bukhari: Vol. I; the Book of Faith)

Addressing the Muslims on the occasion of his last Hajj, the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, said:

‘Fear God and observe your five prayers and you must fast in the month of Ramadhan and pay the Zakāt from your wealth and obey when you are commanded and your God shall grant you admission in paradise.’ (Tirmidhi)

We can also judge the importance of Zakāt from the fact that Zakāt has been bracketed with the Prayers in the Holy Quran which proves that the payment of Zakāt is equally as important as the Prayer and these two are classed as blessings of Allah Who says in the Holy Quran:

‘A guidance and good tidings to those who would believe, who observe Prayer and pay the Zakāt, and have firm faith in the hereafter.’ (27:3-4)

One can see in the Holy Quran that Prayer and the Zakāt have been bracketed together, not once but twenty-seven times. God Almighty says:

‘And observe Prayer and pay the Zakāt; and whatever good you send on before you for yourselves, you shall find it with Allah; surely, Allah sees all that you do.’ (2:111)

‘But if they repent and observe Prayer and pay the Zakāt, then they are your brethren in faith. And We explain the Signs for a people who have knowledge.’ (9:11)This refers to the disbelievers and those who associate other gods with Allah.

Zakāt , along with observing Prayer, is stated to be the true sign of Islam.

We read:

‘Those who, if We establish them in the earth, will observe Prayer and pay the Zakāt and enjoin good and forbid evil. And with Allah rests the final issue of all affairs.’ (22:42)

And again we read:

‘…and especially those who observe Prayer and those who pay the Zakāt and those who believe in Allah and the Last Day. To these We will surely give a great reward.’ (4:163)

The Holy Quran has mentioned the Prayer and the Zakāt separately also and this has been done again and again. Sometimes it is mentioned with the ‘Faith in Allah’, sometimes it is mentioned with the ‘Last Day’, and sometimes it is mentioned entirely on its own account and its importance emphasized. The Lord God says:

‘But My mercy encompasses all things; so I will ordain it for those who act righteously, and pay the Zakāt and those who believe in Our Signs.’ (7:157)

And again He says:

‘…but whatever you give in Zakat seeking the favor of Allah–it is these who will increase their wealth manifold.’ (30:40)

The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in his exhortations, very often stressed highly the importance of Zakāt after explaining to the Muslims about observing Prayers. And whenever someone asked him regarding the do’s and do-nots in Islam, he would, after telling about the importance of Prayers, dwell at length and explain the importance of paying the Zakāt.

Abu Ayub has reported in the Traditions that once a man came and asked the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, kindly to point out to him an act which would take him straight to paradise, even though it involved all his wealth. The Holy Prophet said:

‘The most glorious thing for you would be to worship Allah and not to associate anything with Him and to observe Prayer and to pay the Zakāt and to show kindness to all your relatives.’ (Bukhari: Vol. 1, p.165, printed Egypt)

There is another Tradition and that was reported by Abu Huraira who said that once a Bedouin came to the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, and asked, ‘Do please tell me about an act which, if I do, shall take me straight to paradise.’ The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

‘Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him ; and observe Prayer which is binding, and pay the Zakāt which may be due and keep fasts during the month of Ramadhan.’

The Bedouin then said, ‘I bring Him as my witness, Who is the Lord of my life, that I shall not add a mite to it, nor shall I lessen a wee bit from it.’ Then he went away. The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then said:

‘Anyone who wishes to see a man from among the dwellers of Paradise, he should see that man.’ (Bukhari: Vol. 1, p.169)

Whenever the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, took the oath of allegiance from anyone, he never failed to mention these two (Prayer and Zakāt) together. We have the Tradition in which Jabeer bin Abdullah reported that he took his oath of allegiance and the Holy Prophet made it binding on him to observe Prayers regularly, to pay the Zakāt and to wish well for each and every Muslim (Bukhari).

A deputation from Abdul Qais came to the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, in the year 5 AH. They sought to know some details about Islam and he first told them about observing Prayers and paying Zakat, after which he told them further details.

In the year 9 AH the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on him, sent Hazrat Ma’az on the mission to go and preach Islam in Yemen. He instructed him the order of preference in which to preach. He said, ‘You must in the first instance call them to the Unity of God and when they become familiar with this, then tell them that to observe Prayer five times daily is an important basic principle and when they accept this then tell them that it is incumbent upon every Muslim to pay the Zakāt on their possessions which is taken from them to be distributed to their own poor people.’

The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on him, had spent all he had in the way of Allah. He died without any material wealth. During the month of Ramadhan he used to spend a lot so that the left hand knew not what the right hand possessed. He promoted this spending secretly and with the knowledge of others.

The practice and understanding of Zakāt by the companions

All his very close companions were fully conversant with the details of Zakāt and whenever occasion arose they fully expounded it as they had learnt direct from the Holy Prophet himself. After the demise of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, when some tribes rebelled and refused to pay the Zakat, Hazrat Abu Bakr most firmly and undauntedly proclaimed, ‘By God, I shall fight all those who discriminated even a little between observing Prayer and paying the Zakāt as it is incumbent upon wealth. By God, if they refuse to give me even the rope for tying the camel’s knee which they used to give to the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, I shall fight them because of this denial.’ (Mishkat: the Book of Zakāt)

In another version it is mentioned that Hazrat Abu Bakr said, ‘Zakāt is incumbent upon wealth and by God if anyone discriminates between Prayer and Zakāt, he who used to give a small lamb to the Holy Prophet, he shall have to give the same to me also.’ (Authentic Bukhari: Book of Zakāt: Vol. 1)

Some orientalists have misconstrued from this tradition that the payment of Zakāt only became compulsory after the death of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him. The Holy Quran, which was revealed during the Prophet’s lifetime, and traditions quoted earlier prove that their allegation is totally incorrect. On the contrary, Hazrat Abu Bakr enforces the practice of the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, in this tradition.