What is meant by zakah in Allah’s saying in Surat al-Mu’minun: “And those who are doers of zakah”?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The questioner says: In the words of Allah the Exalted,[Al-Mu'minun 23:1-4], what is meant by zakah in this verse, given that the surah is Meccan and the obligation of zakah was established in Madinah? What is the correct view regarding the interpretation of zakah in this verse?
Answer:
The stronger position, and Allah knows best, is that the intended meaning of zakah here is the purification of the souls through the mindfulness of Allah. Zakah is purity, so it is the purification of the soul, achieved through the mindfulness of Allah,[Ash-Shams 91:9], meaning he purified himself by obeying Allah, cleansing it from sins and disobedience. Zakah is also for the body, as in the alms given at the end of Ramadan, and it is for wealth. So the intended meaning of zakah in this verse, and Allah knows best, is the purification of the soul, by cleansing it from sins and disobedience.
The questioner says: In the words of Allah the Exalted,
(1) Certainly will the believers have succeeded: (2) They who are during their prayer humbly submissive (3) And they who turn away from ill speech (4) And they who are observant of zakah
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِلزَّكَاةِ فَاعِلُونَAnswer:
The stronger position, and Allah knows best, is that the intended meaning of zakah here is the purification of the souls through the mindfulness of Allah. Zakah is purity, so it is the purification of the soul, achieved through the mindfulness of Allah,
He has succeeded who purifies it,
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [1697- 4717] ما المراد بالزكاة في قوله تعالى في سورة المؤمنون:(والذين هم للزكاة فاعلون﴾؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.