Surah At-Tawbah, Ayah 103

Take, O Messenger, zakat from their wealth, so that you can purify them from the uncleanliness of sins and evil actions, and by which you can increase their good actions. Pray for them after taking it from them, because your prayer is a means of comfort and mercy for them. Allah hears your prayer and knows about their actions and intentions.

Take Sadaqah from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and 'Şalli' for them. Verily, your Salat are a Sakan for them; and Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower (103)Know they not that Allah accepts repentance from His servants and accepts the Sadaqat, and that Allah alone is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful (104)

The Command to collect the Zakah and Its Benefits

Allah commanded His Messenger ﷺ to take Sadaqah from the Muslims' money to purify and sanctify them with it. This Ayah is general, even though some said that it refers specifically to those who mixed good and evil deeds, who admitted to their errors.

Some bedouin later thought that paying Zakah to the Leader was not legislated except to the Messenger ﷺ himself, using this Ayah as evidence,

خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً

(Take Sadaqah from their wealth.) Abu Bakr As-Siddiq and other Companions refuted this ill comprehension and fought against them until they paid the Zakah to the Khalifah, just as they used to pay it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. As-Siddiq said, "By Allah! If they abstain from paying a bridle that they used to pay to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, I will fight them for refraining from paying it." Allah's statement,

وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ

(and 'Şalli' for them), means, supplicate for them, and ask Allah to forgive them. In the Sahih, Muslim recorded that 'Abdullah bin Abi Awfa said, "Whenever the Prophet ﷺ was brought charity, he used to invoke Allah for those who brought it. My father also brought his charity and the Prophet ﷺ said,

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى آلِ أَبِي أَوْفَى

(O Allah! I invoke You for the family of Abu Awfa.)" Allah's statement,

إِنَّ صَلَاتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَّهُمْ

(Verily, your Salat are a Sakan for them), means, a mercy for them, according to Ibn 'Abbas. Allah said next,

وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ

(and Allah is All-Hearer,) of your invocation (O Muhammad),

عَلِيمٌ

(All-Knower.) in those who deserve your invocation on their behalf, who are worthy of it. Allah said,

أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَأْخُذُ الصَّدَقَاتِ

(Know they not that Allah accepts repentance from His servants and accepts the Sadaqat?)

This Ayah encourages reverting to repentance and giving charity, for each of these actions erases, deletes and eradicate sins. Allah states that He accepts the repentance of those who repent to Him, as well as charity from pure resources, for Allah accepts it with His Right Hand and raises it for its giver until even a date becomes as large as Mount Uhud. Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِنَّ اللهَ يَقْبَلُ الصَّدَقَةَ وَيَأْخُذُهَا بِيَمِينِهِ فَيُرَبِّيهَا لِأَحَدِكُمْ كَمَا يُرَبِّي أَحَدُكُمْ مُهْرَهُ، حَتَّى إِنَّ اللُّقْمَةَ لَتَكُونُ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ

(Verily, Allah accepts charity, receives it in His Right Hand and develops it for its giver, just as one of you raises his pony, until the bite [of food] becomes as large as Uhud.)

The Book of Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored, testifies to this Hadith,

أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَأْخُذُ الصَّدَقَاتِ

(Know they not that Allah accepts repentance from His servants and accepts the Sadaqat?), and,

يَمْحَقُ اللَّهُ الرِّبَا وَيُرْبِي الصَّدَقَاتِ

(Allah will destroy Riba and will give increase for Sadaqat.)[2:276]

'Abdullah bin Mas'ud said, "Charity falls in Allah's Hand before it falls in the needy's hand," he then recited this Ayah,

أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَأْخُذُ الصَّدَقَاتِ

(Know they not that Allah accepts repentance from His servants and accepts the Sadaqat?)