The Nature of Zakah, Its Prescription, Its Obligatoriness, and Its Status as a Pillar

The Shaykh : Zakah is one of the pillars of Islam; it is the third of its pillars, and it is the most emphatic of the pillars of Islam after the prayer. In giving it, there are great religious and worldly benefits, and in withholding it and being stingy with it, there are severe religious and worldly consequences. The scholars have reached consensus on its obligatoriness, even though they differed on some matters; but in general, they agreed on its obligatoriness and that whoever denies its obligation while residing in the lands of the Muslims is a disbeliever, an apostate, and has exited Islam. This is because its obligatoriness is known necessarily from the religion of Islam. In the two Sahihs, from the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The scholars differed on whether one who withholds it out of stinginess, while acknowledging its obligatoriness, becomes a disbeliever or not. Some said that he becomes a disbeliever, citing the saying of Allah the Exalted: They also cited as evidence for this that zakah is one of the pillars of Islam, and a pillar is like a column for a building; if it falls, the building falls. However, the stronger position is that one who withholds it out of stinginess does not become a disbeliever, but he is exposed to severe warning, refuge with Allah. As for the verse, which is the saying of Allah the Exalted: , the intended meaning of "zakah" here is the purification of the self, which is Islam and the oneness of Allah. As for the evidence that he does not become a disbeliever, it is what is established in Sahih Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: and he mentioned the hadith. And also his saying: The indication from this hadith is clear, because his saying "he will see his path either to Paradise" indicates that he is not a disbeliever; otherwise, he would not have a path to Paradise.