الزَّكاةُ The Obligatory Alms-Tax

1ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): ما فَرَضَ اللّه‏ُ عَزّ ذِكرُهُ على هذهِ الاُمّةِ أشَدَّ علَيهِم مِنَ الزَّكاةِ ، وما تَهلِكُ عامَّتُهُم إلاّ فيها.

1– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'Allah – exalted be His remembrance – has not obligated anything more difficult for this community than paying the alms-tax, and the downfall of the majority of people lies in [their failure to pay] it.’[Amali al-Tusi, p. 693, no. 1474]

 

2ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): لا صلاةَ لِمَن لا زكاةَ لَهُ ، ولا زكاةَ لِمَن لا وَرَعَ لَهُ.

2– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'The prayer of one who does not give the alms-tax is void, and the alms-tax of the impious is void.’[Mishkat al-Anwar, no. 46]

 

3ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنّما وُضِعَتِ الزَّكاةُ اِختِباراً للأغنِياءِ ومَعُونَةً لِلفُقَراءِ ، ولَو أنَّ الناسَ أدَّوا زكاةَ أموالِهِم ما بَقِيَ مسلمٌ فَقيراً مُحتاجاً، ولاَسْتَغنى بما فَرَضَ اللّه‏ُ عزّوجلّ لَهُ ، وإنّ الناسَ ما افتَقَرُوا ، ولا احتاجُوا ، ولا جاعُوا ، ولا عَرُوا إلّا بِذُنوبِ الأغنياءِ .

3– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'The alms-tax has been prescribed as a test for the rich and an aid to the poor. If people duly paid the alms-tax on their wealth, there would not remain a single poor or needy Muslim, and all would suffice themselves through what Allah has prescribed. Verily people are only impoverished, needy, hungry and naked as a result of the sins of the wealthy.’[al-Faqih, v. 2, p. 7, no. 1579]