اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِيْ أسْعَدَ وَأشْقٰى وَأمَاتَ وَأحْيَا وَأضْحَكَ وَأبْكٰى وَأوْجَدَ وَأفْنٰى وَأفْقَرَ وَأغْنٰى وَأضَرَّ وَأقْنٰى الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ الْحَيَوَانَ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ تُمْنٰی ثُمَّ تَفَرَّدَ عَنِ الْخَلْقِ بِوَصْفِ الْغِنٰى ثُمَّ خَصَّصَ بَعْضَ عِبَادِهٖ بِالْحُسْنٰى فَأفَاضَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ نِعَمِہٖ مَا أيْسَرَ بِهٖ مَنْ شَاءَ وَاسْتَغْنٰى وَأحْوَجَ إلَيْهِ مَنْ أخْفَقَ فِيْ رِزْقِهٖ وَأكْدٰى إظْهَاراً لِلْاِمْتِحَانِ وَالْاِبْتِلَا ثُمَّ جَعَلَ الزَّكَاةَ لِلدِّيْنِ أسَاساً وَمَبْنٰى وَبَيَّنَ أنْ بِفَضْلِهٖ تَزَ كّٰی مِنْ عِبَادِهٖ مَنْ تَزَ كّٰى وَمِنْ غَنَاهٗ زَكّٰى مَالَهٗ مَنْ زَكّٰى
All praises are due to Allah who blessed some with happiness and reduced some with wickedness, who caused some to die and blessed some with life, who blessed some with laughter and caused some to cry, who brings some to existence and brought destruction to some, who reduced some to poverty and made some to thrive in riches, who decreed harm to some and blessed some with good, who created the animal species from a drop of sperm. He then excluded Himself from the creation with the Divine Attribute of being Needless. He then chose some of His servants with virtues, thus He bestowed upon them His bounties by virtue of which its recipient, whom the Almighty wills, becomes independent (of anyone by his reliance in none but Allah), who impoverished towards Him those who fail to earn their sustenance by putting them through test and trial. He then made Zakat a foundation and structure of Islam and made it evident that it is by virtue of this (Zakat) that some of the servants have been purified, and it is a means of spending in Zakat that the wealth of the wealthy increases.
وَالصَّلَاةُ عَلٰى سَیِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ الْمُصْطَفٰى سَيِّدِ الْوَرٰى وَشَمْسِ الْهُدٰى وَعَلٰى آلِهٖ وَاَصْحَابِهٖ الْمَخْصُوْصِيْنَ بِالْعِلْمِ وَالتُّقٰى وَسَلَّمَ کَثِیْرًا
May there be abundant blessings and peace of Allah upon Sayyiduna Muhammad, the chosen, master of mankind, the sun of guidance, and upon his progeny and his companions, who were characterized by knowledge and piety.
اَشْھَدُ اَنْ لَّاۤ اِلٰہَ اِلَّااللّٰہُ وَحْدَہٗ لَا شَرِیْکَ لَہٗ وَاَشْھَدُ اَنَّ سَیِّدَنَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُہٗ وَرَسُوْلُہٗ بِالْھُدٰی وَدِیْنِ الْحَقِّ اَرْسَلَہٗ
I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship besides Allah the only one who has no partner, and I testify that our master Mohammad is his slave and messenger whom he has sent with the true religion and guidance.
یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اَطِیۡعُوا اللہَ وَاَطِیۡعُوا الرَّسُوۡلَ وَ اُولِی الۡاَمْرِ مِنۡکُمْ ۚ
‘O believers! obey Allah and obey the messenger, and those who have power of command amongst you.
(Al-Nisa 4, Verse 59)
یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللہَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِہٖ وَلَا تَمُوۡتُنَّ اِلَّا وَاَنۡتُمۡ مُّسْلِمُوۡنَ﴿۱۰۲﴾
‘O believers! Fear Allah as rightly He is to be feared, and do not die ever save as Muslims.
(Aale Imran 3, Verse 102)
أمَّا بَعْدُ فَإنَّ اللهَ تَعَالٰى جَعَلَ الزَّكَاةَ إحْدٰى مَبَانِي الْإِسْلَامِ وَأَرْدَفَ بِذِكْرِهَا الصَّلَاةَ الَّتِي هِيَ أَعْلَى الْأَعْلَامِ فَقَالَ تَعَالَى :
وَأَقِيْمُوْا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ
And then, Allah Almighty made Zakat one of the fundamentals of Islam as He placed its mention followed by Salah which holds the title of being the highest form of practice in Islam, and hence the Almighty stated:
And establish Salah and pay Zakat.
(Al-Baqarah 2, Verse 43)
وَقَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
بُنِيَ الْإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ؛
- شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ
- وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ
- وإيْتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ
هٰذَا الْحَدِيْثُ أصْلٌ عَظِيْمٌ فِيْ مَعْرِفَةِ الْإِسْلَامِ
The Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – has stated:
The foundation of Islam is laid on five pillars;
- The testimony that there is none worthy of worship but Allah and indeed Muhammad is His servant and Messenger
- To establish Salah
- To pay Zakat
(The Hadeeth continue further covering two remaining pillars of Islam namely, Hajj and Fasting)
(Bukhari, Muslim)
This Hadeeth acts as a great foundational structure in learning Islam.
وَشَدَّدَ الْوَعِيْدَ عَلَى الْمُقَصِّرِينَ فِيهَا فَقَالَ:
وَالَّذِيْنَ يَكْنِزُوْنَ الذَّهَبَ وَالْفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنْفِقُوْنَهَا فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللهِ فَبَشِّرْهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ ألِيْمٍ
وَمَعْنَى الْإنْفَاقِ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللهِ إخْرَاجُ حَقِّ الزَّكَاةِ
The Almighty has charged severe consequences upon those who slack in this duty and stated:
And those who hoard up gold and silver and spend not in the path of Allah, give them the glad tidings of a painful torment.
(Al-Baqarah 9, Verse 34)
وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أنَّ النَّبِيَّ بَعَثَ مُعَاذاً إِلَى الْيَمَنِ ، فَقَالَ : اُدْعُهُمْ إِلَى شَهَادَةِ أنْ لَّا إلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَأنِّي رَسُوْلُ اللهِ ، فإنْ هُمْ أطَاعُوْا لِذٰلِكَ ، فَأعْلِمْهُمْ أنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى ، اِفْتَرَضَ عَلَيْهِمْ خَمْسَ صَلَوَاتٍ فِيْ كُلِّ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ ، فَإنْ هُمْ أطَاعُوْا لِذٰلِكَ ، فَأعْلِمْهُمْ أنَّ اللهَ افْتَرَضَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُؤْخَذُ مِنْ أغْنِيَائِهِمْ ، وَتُرَدُّ عَلَى فُقَرَائِهِمْ .
Sayyiduna Ibn ‘Abbas – may Allah be pleased with them – reported: When the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – appointed Sayyiduna Mu’adh – may Allah be pleased with him – as governor of Yemen, he instructed him at the time of his departure: “First and foremost, call the people towards testifying that there is none worthy of worship but Allah and indeed I am the Messenger of Allah. If they adhere to this, then inform them that Allah has enjoined upon them five times Salah every day and night; and if they obey the command, then tell them that Allah has made the payment of Zakat obligatory upon them. It will be collected from their rich and distributed among their poor.
(Bukhari, Muslim)
وَعَنْ أَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ : لَمَّا تُوُفِّيَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّی اللّٰہُ عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّمَ وَكَانَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ – وَكَفَرَ مَنْ كَفَرَ مِنَ العَرَبِ ، فَقال عُمَرُ : كَيْفَ تُقَاتِلُ النَّاسَ وَقَدْ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ : أُمِرْتُ أنْ أُقَاتِلَ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَقُوْلُوْا لَا إلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ ، فَمَنْ قَالَهَا فَقَدْ عَصَمَ مِنِّي مَالَهُ وَنَفْسَهُ إِلَّا بِحَقِّهِ ، وَحِسَابُهُ عَلَى اللهِ » فَقَالَ أَبُوْ بَكْرٍ : وَاللهِ لَأُقَاتِلَنَّ مَنْ فَرَّقَ بَيْنَ الصَّلاَةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ ، فَإنَّ الزَّكَاةَ حَقُّ الْمَالِ . وَاللهِ لَوْ مَنَعُوْنِيْ عِقَالاً كَانُوا يُؤَدُّوْنَهُ إِلَى رَسُوْلِ اللهِ لَقَاتَلْتُهُمْ عَلَى مَنْعِهِ . قَالَ عُمَرُ : فَوَاللهِ مَا هُوَ إِلَّا أنْ رَأيْتُ اللهَ قَدْ شَرَحَ صَدْرَ أَبي بَكْرٍ لِلْقِتَالِ ، فَعَرَفْتُ أنَّهُ الْحَقُّ .
Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – reported: When the Messenger of Allah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – had passed away, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr – may Allah be pleased with him – was appointed as his successor (caliph). Amongst the Arabs, some men committed kufr. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr – may Allah be pleased with him – resolved to fight with them. Sayyiduna ‘Umar bin al-Khattab – may Allah be pleased with him – said to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr: “How can you fight with them when the Messenger of Allah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – has declared: ‘I have been commanded to fight with people till they testify that there is none worthy of worship but Allah and indeed Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (La Ilaha illAllah is the shortened version of the full Kalimah, so whenever the first Kalimah appears in any Hadeeth, it means the full Kalimah, like how in Hadeeth many a times a Surah is referred to its first word; e.g. Alhamdulillah but it means the whole Surah Fatiha and not just Alhamdulillah). If they do it, their blood (life) and property are secured except when justified by the law, and it is for Allah to call them to account.” Upon this Sayyiduna Abu Bakr – may Allah be pleased with him – said: “By Allah, I would definitely fight him, who makes distinction between Salah and the Zakat, because it is an obligation upon the rich to pay Zakat. By Allah, I will fight them even to secure the piece of rope which they used to give to the Messenger of Allah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him.” Sayyiduna ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with him – said: “I realized that Allah opened the heart of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr – may Allah be pleased with him – for fighting those who refused to pay Zakat, and I fully recognized that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr is with truth.
(Bukhari, Muslim)
اَللّٰھُمَّ طَھِّرْ اَمْوَالَنَا وَ اَمْوَالَ جَمِیْعِ الْمُسْلِمِیْنَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ بِالزَّکَاۃِ
O Allah, cleanse our wealth and the wealth of all Muslims males and females through Zakat.
اَللّٰھُمَّ ارْزُقْنَا الْخَاتِمَۃَ عَلَی الْاِیْمَانِ
O Allah, make our end upon Iman.
اَسْتَغْفِرُ اللّٰہِ لِیْ وَلَکُمْ، وَلِسَآئِرِ الْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ، اِنَّہٗ ھُوْ الْغَفُوْرٌ الرَّحِیْمُ
I seek Allah’s forgiveness for me, for you and for all the Muslim males and females. Verily, He is All-forgiving, the Merciful.
MUSJIDUL HAQ 
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