for the People of the Scripture were, at that time, the most knowledgeable of mankind concerning the divine laws. One therefore has to understand their situation so that he can debate them with arguments that leave them no room to reply. Let the very first thing you summon them to be the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah—that is the key to Islam. This, however, does not mean that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is the only one ever sent, for before him came messengers such as Moses, Hūd, Jesus, and others. Yet the Messenger of Allah is the Seal of the Prophets, and his law has abrogated all previous laws: there will be no prophet after him and no revealed code except his.

If they accept that, then inform them that Allah has made five prayers obligatory upon them each day and night; this is the point under discussion. Should they comply, tell them that Allah has imposed a charity on their wealth, to be taken from their rich and returned to their poor. In one of al-Bukhārī’s wordings it reads: “taken from their rich and given back to their poor.”

“Their rich” is the plural of “wealthy person” and refers to those who possess the minimum zakah-liable amount. The definition of wealth varies with context: in the chapter on the obligation of zakah it means ownership of the zakah threshold, whereas in the chapter on zakah recipients it denotes someone who has enough for himself and his dependants for a year or more.

If they agree to that, then beware of taking the prized portions of their property; in other words, do not take the finest of their goods. Take something of average quality so that neither party is wronged. Do not take the inferior items that would wrong the zakah recipients, nor the superior items that would wrong those upon whom zakah is due; take what lies between the two.