Hadiths Regarding the Rulings of Zakat
Numerous hadiths from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) elaborate on the rulings concerning zakat. Here are some notable examples:
- Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A Bedouin came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, “Guide me to an action by which I may enter paradise.” The Prophet replied, “Worship Allah without associating anything with Him, establish the obligatory prayers, pay the mandatory zakat, and fast during Ramadan.” The Bedouin affirmed, “By the One in whose hand is my soul, I will not add anything to this.” After he departed, the Prophet (peace be upon him) remarked, “Whoever wishes to see a man from the inhabitants of paradise, let him look at this one.”
- Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to Muadh ibn Jabal when he sent him to Yemen, “You will encounter a people of the Scripture. Invite them to testify that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. If they obey you, inform them that Allah has enjoined upon them five prayers each day and night. If they obey you in that, inform them that Allah has made obligatory for them a charity that is taken from their wealthy and returned to their needy. If they obey you in that, beware of taking the best of their wealth and fear the prayer of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between them and Allah.”
- Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “I have been commanded to fight people until they testify that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish the prayer, and give zakat. If they do so, they have protected their lives and property from me, except for its due rights, and their reckoning is with Allah.”
- Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated, “Islam is built on five pillars: the testimony that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, the establishment of prayer, the giving of zakat, the pilgrimage, and fasting during Ramadan.”
- Talha ibn Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that a man approached the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asking about Islam. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told him, “Perform five daily prayers.” The man inquired if there was anything else required. The Prophet replied, “No, unless you choose to offer more.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the man asked if there was anything beyond that, to which the Prophet again affirmed “No, unless you choose to offer more.” When the Prophet mentioned zakat, the man asked, “Is there anything more required?” The Prophet reiterated, “No, unless you choose to offer more.” The man turned away, stating, “By Allah, I will neither increase nor decrease from this.” The Prophet responded, “He will succeed if he is truthful.”
Hadiths Regarding the Virtues of Zakat
There are many hadiths that emphasize the virtues of zakat. Some of them include:
- Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever establishes prayer, pays zakat, and dies while not associating anything with Allah, it is a right upon Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, that He forgives him, whether he emigrated or was born in his homeland.”
- Abu Umamah al-Bahili (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) delivering a sermon during the Farewell Pilgrimage saying, ‘Fear Allah your Lord, perform your five daily prayers, fast your month, give zakat on your wealth, and obey those in authority over you so that you may enter the Paradise of your Lord.’
- Yazid ibn Abdullah ibn al-Shakhir (Abu al-Alah) narrated that a Bedouin approached them while they were in al-Mirbad and asked if anyone could read a particular parchment. They replied that they all could. He then asked them to read it for him. The parchment was a letter written by Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), to the Banu Zuhair ibn Uqaysh, a tribe from ‘Ukl: “If you witness that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish prayer, give zakat, and give one-fifth of the war booty and the share of the Prophet (peace be upon him), you will be secure under the covenant of Allah.”
- Abdullah ibn Ma’qil al-Ghadari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Three actions result in tasting the sweetness of faith: worshipping Allah alone, giving zakat with a willing heart each year, without giving of the worst of your wealth, but rather from the best among your possessions; indeed, Allah has not commanded you to give the best of your wealth nor ordered you to do evil; thus, purify yourselves.”
Hadiths Concerning the Prohibition of Zakat
Several hadiths address the prohibition or failure to pay zakat. Here are notable examples:
- Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “No one fails to give zakat on his wealth except that he will be represented on the Day of Resurrection by a fierce, bald-headed serpent which will encircle his neck.”
- Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I approached the Prophet (peace be upon him), who was seated in the shade of the Ka’bah. When he saw me, he said, ‘They are the most ill-fated, I swear by the Lord of the Ka’bah.’ I sat down but didn’t dare move. I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, may I be sacrificed for you, who are they?’ He replied, ‘They are those who possess the most wealth, except for those who say like this and this and this,’ indicating what was before him, behind him, to his right, and to his left. Few are they. There is not a single owner of camels, cattle, or sheep who does not pay their zakat except that they will come on the Day of Judgment the largest and most well-favored they ever were, trampling upon their owner with their horns and hooves; every time the last of them is exhausted, the first will return to him, until the matter is decided among the people.’
- Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “The camels that do not have their due rights will come and trample their owner underfoot, and the cattle and sheep will come and trample their owner as well, and the hidden treasure will appear as a fierce balled snake, confronting its owner on the Day of Judgment. The owner will flee from it twice, then face it and say, ‘What is wrong with you and me?’ It will reply, ‘I am your treasure, I am your treasure,’ and he will shield himself from it with his hands, but it will bite him.”
- Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Once you have given your zakat on your wealth, you have fulfilled your obligation.”
Hadiths Concerning the Virtues of Charity
Many hadiths highlight the virtues of charity. Some key examples are as follows:
- Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Indeed, Allah, blessed and exalted, accepts charity, and He only accepts that which is good. He takes it with His right hand and nurtures it for its owner just as one of you raises his foal or young camel until it becomes the size of Mount Uhud. This is supported by Allah’s saying, ‘Allah deprives usury of blessing and increases charitable deeds.'” (Quran 2:276)
- Adi ibn Hatim al-Ta’i (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “There is not a person among you who will not speak with his Lord on the Day of Judgement with no translator between him and Him. He will look to the right and see nothing but what he has forwarded, then to the left and see nothing but what he has forwarded, then he will look ahead and fire will confront him. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, ‘Whoever can safeguard his face from the Fire, even with half a date, should do so.’
- Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Maintaining family ties increases lifespan, and secret charity extinguishes the wrath of the Lord.”
- Mu’adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Shall I not guide you to the doors of goodness?” I replied, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah!” He said, “Fasting is a shield, and charity extinguishes sins just like water extinguishes fire.”