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So regardless of whether one follows the scholars that say that such a person is a disbeliever or not, both sides definitely agree that the importance of the prayer is extremely great and no Muslim who is true to his claim to Islam should ever consider abandoning the prayer. Siddiqi's words showing the importance of prayer are a good summary to this whole discussion. He wrote, Prayer is the soul of religion. Where there is no prayer, there can be no purification of the soul. The non-praying man is rightly considered to be a soulless man. Take prayer out of the world, and it is all over with religion because it is with prayer that man has the consciousness of God and selfless love for 1 With this wording, the hadith was recorded by ibn Maajah and Ahmad. According to al­ Albaani, it is sahih. See al-Albaani, sahih al-Targheeb, vol. 1 , p. 299. 2 Recorded by Malik, Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Nasaai and others. According to al-Albaani, it is sahih. Al-Albaani, sahih al-Jaami, vol. 1 , p. 616. 3 Some Hanafis state that he should be imprisoned and advised to repent. said, Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi humanity and inner sense of piety. Prayer is, therefore, the first, the highest, and the most solemn phenomenon and manifestation of religion. 1 The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated its place in Islam when he > J ॹ ,,, ,,,, i Ýс\ тCw ojࢭࢮJ oࢯI уÝ _;s,J r-Y.:.y1 ;ф1 х\) "The head of the matter is Islam. Its pillar is prayer. And its apex is jihad."2 "giving the zakah" The Meaning of zakah Linguistically, the root of the word zakah implies purification, blessing and growth. Allah has stated in the Quran, ֪y ;. Ӣf :Ll "Indeed whosoever purifies himself (tazakkaa) shall achieve success" (al-Ala 14). Another word used in the Quran and hadith for the zakah is sadaqa. This word is derived from sidq (the truth). Siddiqi explains the significance of these two terms as they are used here, Both these words are highly meaningful. The spending of wealth for the sake of Allah purifies the heart of man of the love of material wealth. The man who spends it offers that as a humble gift before the Lord and thus affirms the truth that nothing is dearer to him in life than the love of Allah and that he is fully prepared to sacrifice everything for His sake.3 In the shareeah, its technical meaning is in reference to a specific portion of one's varied wealth that one must give yearly to a specific group of recipients. The Importance of zakah There is no question that among the pillars of Islam, zakah ranks very close to that of prayer. They are often mentioned together in the Quranin eighty two instances to be exact. 1 Siddiqi, vol. 1 , p. 206. 2 An authentic hadith recorded by Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi and others. 3 Siddiqi, vol. 2, p. 465. Hadith #3: Islam Has_ Been Built Upon Five [Pillars] The importance of zakah can also be seen in the following verse of the Quran where Allah orders the Companions to fight the mushrikeen (polytheists) wherever they can: ֒;Jыj .£.;;. Of ?-'j\ i;1û iG róI A.-֫}\ eJ/.;\ i;f i_;.utj iY,0 0µ ֜_;: ź F iJJJj IJiJ JJjJ / / "Then when the sacred months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and prepare for them each and every ambush. But if they repent and offer prayer and give zakah, then leave their way free. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful" (al-Taubah 5). In this verse, Allah orders the Companions to fight them until they repent, establish the prayer and pay the zakah. Shortly afterwards in the same surah, following the same line of discussion, Allah says, J JI. J J. J O ,,,,. "" O _,. J;aь';j ࣺ::81  Ӡӡf gy\ lÇlÈj gI 1;.utj iY,0 of / .'.I:/. ॆ;; I / ॴ;--\ oࣻࣼ.r ॅ:is ,,f' / ,,,. "But if they repent, offer prayer and give the zakah, then they are your brethren in religion. And We expound the signs for a people who know" (al-Taubah 1 1). These two verses clearly prove the importance of zakah in Allah's sight. The disbelievers will become a part of this religion when they repent, pray and give the zakah. Hence, the payment of zakah is a true sign that a person is a Muslim and submitting himself to Allah. One can also see from the Quran, that one of the keys to receiving Allah's mercy in the Hereafter is the payment of zakah. In surah al-Taubah, verse 71, Allah states, .,. ., (. ,.,. ., , 0BC/tJ KJLM- :: )jNO P :"Q_ji ;+_a;! ż 1:A):J\j 0DS:Q 1\j - - - I / / "The believers, men and women, are helpers and supporters of one another, they enjoin what is right and forbid what is evil, they offer their prayers perfectly, they give the zakah and they obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will bestow His mercy on them.