Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "… and you give zakah …". It mentions the virtue of zakah and its benefits.

The Shaykh : In the story of Jibril coming to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and asking about Islam, faith, and excellence in worship, and we spoke about what Allah made easy regarding establishing the prayer.
As for the third pillar of the pillars, it is giving zakah, meaning paying zakah. "I'ta'" means giving, and "i'tiyan" means coming. "Ata" means he came, and "ata'a" means he gave. So giving zakah means paying it to those whom Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) specified to receive it. Zakah is derived from "zaka," which is purity and growth, because the one who pays zakah purifies himself from stinginess and grows his wealth through zakah. Allah the Exalted said:
It, meaning zakah, is a share determined by the Shari'ah in specific wealth for a specific group. It means a share of your wealth, not all of your wealth, from specific types of wealth that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified, some of which are specified in the Qur'an. Not every type of wealth, nor all these types of wealth, requires zakah; rather, there must be conditions.
It is a small portion by which a person performs one of the pillars of Islam, purifying himself from stinginess and baseness, and purifying the pages of his record from sins, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And the best of charity is zakah, so a dirham you pay in your zakah is better than a dirham you pay voluntarily, because Allah the Exalted said in the Qudsi Hadith: And a rak'ah of an obligatory prayer is better than a rak'ah of a voluntary prayer, so the obligatory acts are better than the voluntary ones. In it, zakah is expiation for sins.
In it is also kindness to creation, because the one who pays zakah is kind to the one to whom the zakah is paid, and he enters the number of the doers of good who enter into the love of Allah, as Allah the Exalted said:
In zakah is also uniting people, because if the poor are given from the zakah by the rich, the hatred in their hearts toward the rich disappears. But if the rich prevent them and do not bestow anything upon them, there will be things or hatred in their hearts toward the rich.
In zakah is also making the poor independent of oppression, because if the poor person thinks that the rich person will not give him anything, he fears that he will oppress him, break down doors, and plunder wealth, because he must live, he must eat and drink. If he is not given anything, he may oppress, and hunger, thirst, and nakedness may drive him to oppress people by stealing, plundering, and other things.
In zakah is also bringing blessings from the sky, for it has been reported in the hadith: So if people pay the zakah of their wealth, Allah will send down blessings for them from the sky and the earth, and this will result in the descent of rain, the growth of the earth, the satiety of livestock, and the watering of people with this water that descends from the sky, and other numerous benefits.