“And those who actively give zakāh”

The First Sermon All praise is due to Allah, the One vast in grace and generosity, who placed in zakāh blessing and increase, purity and refinement. We bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, Lord of the heavens and the earth. And we bear witness that our master and Prophet Muḥammad is the Seal of the Prophets. O Allah, send prayers, peace, and blessings upon him, upon his family, his God-fearing Companions, and upon all who follow their guidance with excellence until the Day of Judgment.   To proceed: I counsel you, servants of Allah—and I counsel myself—to have taqwā of Allah your Lord, and to fulfill the zakāh of your wealth, so that you may attain the mercy of your Creator, who says: وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ بِآيَاتِنَا يُؤْمِنُونَ “My mercy encompasses all things, but I shall decree it for those who are mindful of Me, who give zakāh, and who believe in Our signs.”   O believers: It is a noble act of worship, a great means of nearness, an obligatory duty, and a magnified symbol of faith. It is among the loftiest acts of goodness and the highest gates of righteousness. Indeed, it is zakāh—a pillar of Islam and a manifest sign of its perfection and completion. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‌مِنْ ‌تَمَامِ ‌إِسْلَامِكُمْ: أَنْ تُؤَدُّوا زَكَاةَ أَمْوَالِكُمْ “From the completion of your Islam is that you give the zakāh of your wealth.” Allah has strongly emphasized zakāh in His Book and repeatedly paired it with prayer—mentioning the two together in approximately twenty-eight places—magnifying its status and warning against neglecting it. Allah Most High says: وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَءَاتُوا الزَّكَاةَ “Establish prayer and give zakāh.” Allah has made zakāh a clear proof of sincere faith. Thus the Qurʾān bears witness: قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ * الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ * وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ * وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِلزَّكَاةِ فَاعِلُونَ “Successful indeed are the believers: those who are humble in their prayers, those who turn away from vain speech, and those who actively give zakāh.” Whoever gives zakāh out of faith in his Lord, seeking reward from his Creator, will taste its sweetness in his heart. The Prophet ﷺ said: ثَلَاثٌ مَنْ فَعَلَهُنَّ فَقَدْ طَعِمَ طَعْمَ الْإِيمَانِ “Three things—whoever does them has tasted the sweetness of faith,” and among them he mentioned: وَأَعْطَى زَكَاةَ مَالِهِ طَيِّبَةً بِهَا نَفْسُهُ “giving the zakāh of one’s wealth willingly and with contentment.” O those who give: Zakāh causes wealth to grow, purifies the heart from greed, and frees the soul from rancor. Allah Most High says: خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِمْ بِهَا “Take from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them to grow.” It is a safeguard for your wealth, a protection for your provision, a cause for the continuation of blessings, and a shield against divine punishment. Have you not heard the saying of your Prophet ﷺ? مَنْ أَدَّى زَكَاةَ مَالِهِ، فَقَدْ ذَهَبَ عَنْهُ شَرُّهُ “Whoever pays the zakāh of his wealth has removed its harm from himself.” Within society, zakāh builds bridges of mercy and solidarity, bonds of mutual care and compassion. Through it, hearts are reconciled and rights are preserved. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: تُخْرِجُ الزَّكَاةَ مِنْ مَالِكَ، فَإِنَّهَا طُهْرَةٌ تُطَهِّرُكَ، وَتَصِلُ أَقْرِبَاءَكَ، وَتَعْرِفُ حَقَّ السَّائِلِ وَالْجَارِ وَالْمِسْكِينِ “You give zakāh from your wealth—it is a purification that purifies you; you maintain ties with your relatives; and you recognize the rights of the beggar, the neighbor, and the poor.” Allah has promised those who give zakāh that their wealth will not diminish. The Prophet ﷺ said: مَا ‌نَقَصَتْ ‌صَدَقَةٌ ‌مِنْ ‌مَالٍ “Charity does not decrease wealth.” Rather, Allah rewards them for what they spend and multiplies it for them. His promise is true and His word is certain. Allah Most High says: وَمَا آتَيْتُمْ مِنْ زَكَاةٍ تُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُضْعِفُونَ “And whatever zakāh you give, seeking the Face of Allah—those are the ones for whom it shall be multiplied.” That is: Allah multiplies the reward for them. So, seize the generosity of your Provider, hasten to give zakāh as He has commanded you, and you will attain the supplication of the angels on your behalf. Have you not heard the saying of your Prophet ﷺ? مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ يُصْبِحُ الْعِبَادُ فِيهِ إِلَّا مَلَكَانِ يَنْزِلَانِ، فَيَقُولُ أَحَدُهُمَا: اللَّهُمَّ أَعْطِ مُنْفِقًا خَلَفًا، وَيَقُولُ الْآخَرُ: اللَّهُمَّ أَعْطِ مُمْسِكًا تَلَفًا “There is no day that the servants of Allah begin except that two angels descend. One of them says: ‘O Allah, give the one who spends a replacement.’ And the other says: ‘O Allah, give the one who withholds destruction.’” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim) “O you who believe! Obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you.” I say these words of mine, and I seek Allah’s forgiveness for myself and for you—so seek His forgiveness. The Second Sermon To proceed: O you who give zakāh: hasten to discharge the zakāh of your wealth—as assistance to those in need in managing their lives during Ramaḍān, and as a clearing of your liability before the Most Merciful. Beware lest wealth come between you and obedience to your Lord, or lest Satan turn you away from fulfilling your zakāh. What is the matter with some people that they delay the zakāh of their wealth beyond its due time, or are negligent in giving it—heedless of Allah’s severe warning to those who withhold it? For Allah, Exalted is His Majesty, says: وَالَّذِينَ يَكْنِزُونَ الذَّهَبَ وَالْفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنْفِقُونَهَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَبَشِّرْهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ “Those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in the path of Allah—give them glad tidings of a painful punishment.” This is because withholding zakāh is a transgression against a right made obligatory by Allah, and a deprivation of Allah’s goodness and His bounties. The Prophet ﷺ said: وَلَمْ يَمْنَعُوا زَكَاةَ أَمْوَالِهِمْ إِلَّا مُنِعُوا الْقَطْرَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ “They did not withhold the zakāh of their wealth except that rain was withheld from the sky.” So be mindful — of the zakāh of your wealth. Give it sincerely, seeking the Face of your Lord and desiring the bounty of your Creator. Do not look at the small amount Allah has obligated you to give, but rather look at the abundance He has left for you. That is more likely to bring contentment to your hearts, and for the gates of Paradise to be opened for you. Your Beloved and your Prophet ﷺ said: مَنْ لَقِيَ اللَّهَ لَا يُشْرِكُ بِهِ شَيْئًا، وَأَدَّى زَكَاةَ مَالِهِ طَيِّبًا بِهَا نَفْسُهُ مُحْتَسِبًا، وَسَمِعَ وَأَطَاعَ، فَلَهُ الْجَنَّةُ “Whoever meets Allah associating nothing with Him, gives the zakāh of his wealth willingly and seeking reward, and listens and obeys—then for him is Paradise.” Ask—O servants of Allah—the people of knowledge and specialization about the rulings of your zakāh: its niṣāb (minimum threshold), its amounts, and the categories of wealth upon which it is due—acting upon the saying of your Lord: فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ “So ask the people of remembrance if you do not know.” Our wise leadership has established the Zakāh Fund to serve as the officially recognized and legally authorized body to receive your zakāh and deliver it to those entitled to it—through precise mechanisms and reliable digital channels. So give your zakāh through it; your obligation will be discharged, and your wealth will be blessed. And with this we ask you O Allah, to send Your prayers, peace, and blessings upon our master and Prophet Muḥammad, upon his family, his Companions, and those who follow them. O Allah, be pleased with Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī, and with all the noble Companions. O Allah, to You belongs all praise for what You have bestowed, and to You belongs all thanks for what You have provided. O Allah, increase us in provision, grant us ease in living, contentment in the soul, and tranquility in the heart. O Allah, make our affairs easy, bless our sustenance, heal our sick, and have mercy upon our deceased. O Allah, make us believers through You, worshippers for You, fulfillers of our zakāh, winners through Your pardon, dutiful to our parents—and have mercy upon them as they raised us when we were young, O Most Merciful of the merciful. O Allah, preserve the State of the Emirates through Your protection, take it under Your care, encompass it with Your solicitude, and grant it lasting unity, compassion, stability, and prosperity. Protect it from the envy of the envious, the malice of the spiteful, the aggression of transgressors, and the plots of schemers—O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, protect—by Your protection—the leader of wisdom, courage, and noble deeds, Sheikh Muḥammad bin Zāyid, President of the State. Grant him sound judgment and continued assistance; grant success to him, his deputies, and his brothers—the Rulers of the Emirates—and to his trusted Crown Prince—in what You love and are pleased with. O Allah, have mercy on Sheikh Zāyed, Sheikh Rāshid, and all the Sheikhs of the Emirates who have passed on to Your mercy; admit them, by Your grace, into Your expansive Gardens; and encompass the martyrs of the nation with Your mercy and forgiveness. O Allah, have mercy upon the Muslim men and women—the living among them and the dead. O Allah, send us rain and do not make us among those who despair. O Allah, send us relief; O Allah, send us relief; O Allah, send us relief. Servants of Allah: Remember Allah, the Magnificent and Majestic— He will remember you. Give thanks to Him for His blessings— He will increase you. And establish the prayer.