This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi's book Sahih Fazail-e-Amaal.
Allah Almighty says: ﴿فَإِذَا انسَلَخَ الْأَشْهُرُ الْحُرُمُ فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدتُّمُوهُمْ وَخُذُوهُمْ وَاحْصُرُوهُمْ وَاقْعُدُوا لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍ ۚ فَإِن تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَخَلُّوا سَبِيلَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ﴾
"So when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then leave their way free. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
Reference: (9-At-Tawbah:5)
In this noble verse, Allah Almighty has set the boundary between Muslims and polytheists as prayer and zakah, meaning if the polytheists accept Islam, start praying, and give zakah, then they should not be killed because they have become Muslims. Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) used this verse as evidence to declare war against those who refused to pay zakah after the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
Further Allah said:
﴿وَمَا آتَيْتُم مِّن رِّبًا لِّيَرْبُوَ فِي أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ فَلَا يَرْبُو عِندَ اللَّهِ ۖ وَمَا آتَيْتُم مِّن زَكَاةٍ تُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُضْعِفُونَ.﴾
"And whatever you give for interest to increase within the wealth of people will not increase with Allah. But what you give in zakah, desiring the countenance of Allah - those are the multipliers."
Reference: (30-Ar-Rum:39)
In this sacred verse, Allah the Exalted has beautifully explained zakah and interest: apparently, interest seems to increase wealth and zakah seems to decrease it, but in reality, interest will be a cause of great loss in the Hereafter, and zakah will be a means of salvation, because only Allah knows the true reality of what is beneficial and what is harmful.
عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: بني الإسلام على خمس: شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمدا رسول الله، وإقام الصلاة، وإيتاء الزكاة، وحج البيت، وصوم رمضان .
It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Islam is built upon five things: 1. To testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah. 2. To establish prayer. 3. To pay zakah. 4. To perform Hajj to the House (Kaaba). 5. To fast in Ramadan."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Faith, Chapter: Your supplication is your faith, No: 8. Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, Chapter: Explanation of the pillars of Islam, No: 16.
عن أبى هريرة، رضى الله عنه قال: لما توفي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، وكان أبو بكر رضي الله عنه، وكفر من كفر من العرب، فقال عمر رضي الله عنه: فكيف تقاتل الناس؟ وقد قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: أمرت أن أقاتل الناس حتى يقولوا لا إله إلا الله، فمن قالها، فقد عصم مني ماله ونفسه إلا بحقه، وحسابه على الله ؟ فقال أبو بكر: والله! لأقاتلن من فرق بين الصلاة والزكاة، فإن الزكاة حق المال والله لو منعوني عقالا كانوا يؤدونه إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لقاتلتهم على منعه، قال عمر رضي الله عنه: فوالله! ما هو إلا أن رأيت الله قد شرح صدر أبى بكر للقتال، فعرفت أنه الحق.
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) passed away and Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was appointed Caliph, and some Arab tribes became disbelievers (apostates), Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Abu Bakr: How will you fight these people? When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Whoever says this has protected his wealth and life from me except by right of Islam, and his reckoning is with Allah."
Then Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah! I will certainly fight those who differentiate between prayer and zakah, because zakah is the right of wealth. By Allah, if they withhold even the camel's halter which they used to pay to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), I will fight them over its withholding. Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah! It was not long before I realized that Allah had opened the chest of Abu Bakr for jihad and I knew that this was the truth."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Zakah, Chapter: Obligation of Zakah, No: 1399, 1400. Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, Chapter: Command to fight the people..., No: 20.
عن ابن عباس، رضي الله عنهما أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم بعث معاذا إلى اليمن فقال: ادعهم إلى شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله، وأني رسول الله، فإن هم أطاعوا لذلك، فأعلمهم أن الله افترض عليهم خمس صلوات فى كل يوم وليلة، فإن هم أطاعوا لذلك، فأعلمهم أن الله افترض عليهم صدقة تؤخذ من أغنيائهم، وترد على فقرائهم .
Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent Hazrat Muadh (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen and said: "Invite them first to testify that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah. If they accept this, then inform them that Allah has enjoined upon them five prayers in the day and night. Then if they accept this, inform them that Allah has made zakah obligatory upon them, which will be collected from their wealthy and distributed among their poor."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Zakah, Chapter: Obligation of Zakah, No: 1395. Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, Chapter: Invitation to the two testimonies..., No: 121.
Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
ما من صاحب إبل لا يؤدي زكاتها إلا بطح لها بقاع قرقر، كأوفر ما كانت، فتطؤه بأظلافها وتنطحه بقرونها، ليس فيها عقصاء ولا جلحاء، كلما مضى عليه أخراها ردت عليه أولاها، حتى يحكم الله بين عباده .
"Whoever has camels (cows or goats) and does not pay their zakah, on the Day of Resurrection they will be brought to him, fat and healthy as never before. They will trample him with their feet and strike him with their horns. When the last of them passes over him, the first will start trampling him again. This punishment will continue until the matter is settled among the people."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Zakah, Chapter: The sin of the one who withholds zakah, No: 987/26.
