obey you in that, then inform them that Allah has made five prayers obligatory for them every day and night. If they obey you in that, then inform them that Allah has enjoined upon them a charity that is taken from their rich and returned to their poor. If they obey you in that, then beware of taking the choicest of their property, and fear the supplication of the oppressed, for between it and Allah there is no barrier.” Agreed upon.

2 – These counsels are part of the Prophet’s ﷺ instructions to the preachers he sends to the farthest lands, so that they may spread Allah’s religion, proclaim His call, and teach people what will bring them out of the darkness of ignorance and disbelief into the light of knowledge and faith.

3 – He ﷺ selected virtuous scholars for this mission, furnished them with exalted knowledge and priceless advice, and ordered them to invite people to the most important matters of the religion.

4 – The first thing he commanded them to call to was the monotheism of Allah, exalted is He, and faith in the messengership of Muhammad ﷺ, for this is the root and foundation of the religion; Allah accepts no act of worship from a servant until this is realised.

5 – Next come the five prescribed prayers, the greatest obligation after the two testimonies, followed by the obligation of zakah, whose mention is repeatedly coupled with prayer in many passages of the Noble Book and the purified Sunnah.

6 – He then informed him of where the zakah is to be spent: it is taken from the wealthy and given to the poor, as mutual aid and fairness among them in the wealth of Allah that He has bestowed upon them.

7 – His words, “a charity from their wealth,” indicate two matters:
First: zakah is due on the wealth itself, not merely as a personal liability. This is the basis for its being obligatory on the wealth of those who lack legal capacity, such as minors and the insane. Yet the scholars, while affirming that it also attaches to personal liability, state that if the wealth is destroyed after the obligation has arisen, it is not waived; and if it is paid from assets other than the very ones on which it was due—provided they are of the same type—it is valid.
Second: the hadith points to the obligation of zakah on all kinds of wealth. It is unrestricted with respect to large or small amounts and general concerning the proportion to be taken. However, other texts have come