Zakat it the third important pillar of Islam and is placed just after Salat in the order of merit. The Quran has mentioned them in the same sequence after Iman (Affirmation of Faith) and the Traditions of the Holy Prophet also confirm the same. According to Hadrat Abdullah ibn Abbas, when the Holy Prophet dispatched Hadrat Mu'adh ibn Jabal to Yaman as governor, he instructed him thus:
"You are going to a people who were given a Divine Book. You should first of all invite them to the creed of Islam: 'There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is Apostle of Allah'. When they have affirmed this, tell them that Allah has enjoined on them to offer Prayers five times a day; when they have affirmed this too, tell them that Allah has prescribed for them charity (Zakat), which will be collected from their rich people and distributed among needy and indigent people;  when they have affirmed this too, you will take care not to extract from them their choicest things in Zakat; and guard yourself against the curse of the oppressed, for there is no curtain between the oppressed and his God." (Bukhari, Muslim)

When a Believer gives away a portion of his choice wealth willingly in the way of Allah only to win His approval, he experiences a pleasant purification of the heart, which in the process is rid of the worldly loves and greed and filled instead with freshness, grace and purity of Divine love. To discharge Zakat dues promptly is indeed a proof of one's love of Allah and also an effective and authentic means of its cultivation and growth.

Zakat should not be considered merely as a device of ameliorating the of the poor and disturbing the wealth equitably, but it is an important form of worship prescribed by Allah, which is necessary for cleansing one's heart and soul and developing one as a sincere, righteous and grateful servant of the Lord. Legally, Zakat is deemed to have been discharge when a well-to-do person taken out for distribution among the poor a portion of his wealth according to the prescribed rate, when a full year has passed over the wealth. But Zakat is not simply that. It is a Divinely prescribed way of cleansing one's heart of all kinds of worldly greed and material loves and inculcating love of Allah and preparing one to expend all one's physical and mental capabilities in the way of Allah for the sake of one's spiritual development and satisfaction. That is why Shariah has prescribed an exemption limit and enjoined the Muslims to give away a portion of their property for the deserving poor, but has at the same time exhorted that they should not remain content with expending the bare minimum, but should cultivate the habit of spending money, over and above that, in the way of Allah. The practice of the Holy Prophet and his companions fully confirms this.

According to Hadrat Anas, a man came before the Holy Prophet and begged to be given something. At that time the Holy Prophet possessed a large flock of goats which filled a whole valley between the two hills. He gave away the entire flock to the beggar. When the man came back to his tribe, he said:
"O People! Embrace Islam, for Muhammad gives away everything he has without the least fear of becoming penniless himself." (Kashf al-Mahjub)

Once a needy person came to the door of Imam Husain and said: "O son of the Prophet! I need 400 dirhams". The Imam got 400 dirhams from his house and giving them to the person, started weeping. When the people asked why he wept, he replied:
"I weep because I should have given him the amount even before he had to beg for it. I should not have given him the trouble to come before me and beg for it." (Kashf al-Mahjub)

Hadrat Aisha says, "Once a goat was slaughtered in the house. When the Holy Prophet came, he asked: 'Is any of the meat left in the house?' I said, 'Nothing except a fore-log'! The Holy Prophet remarked: 'Nay! Allah except the fore-leg (because that alone will be of any worth in the Hereafter)." (Tirmizi). Hadrat Asma, daughter of Abu Bakr, says that the Holy Prophet advised her, saying:
"Spend freely and generously in the way of Allah and do not count and calculate what you have to give away. If you do that, Allah also will give you likewise; and do not withhold your wealth unnecessarily, otherwise Allah will treat you likewise, and will not bestow on you without measure." (Bukhari, Muslim)

Hadrat Abu Hurairah reports that the Holy Prophet said:
"Allah speaks to every human being to the effect: 'Son of Adam! Spend freely in My way: I shall bestow freely on you (from My infinite treasure)." (Bukhari, Muslim)

Hadrat Abu Zarr says:
"One day I went before the Holy Prophet at a time when he was resting in the shade of the Kabah. On seeing me, he said: 'By the God of Kabah! those people are certainly in grave loss!' I asked, 'May my father and mother be sacrifice for you, who are those in grave loss?' He replied 'The well-to-do people, but not those who expend their wealth in front of them and behind them, to the right of them and to the left of them, in the way of Allah, though such people are indeed very few in number." (Bukhari, Muslim)

Importance and Excellence of Zakat

The utmost importance of Zakat in Islam is borne out by the fact that the Quran has mentioned Salat and Zakat together at about 32 places as two of the foremost duties of the Muslims after the affirmation of Faith. Thus, a person who carries out these two duties duly can be regarded as having fulfilled all his religious obligations. A person who presents his body and soul in the spirit of complete obdience before his God inside the mosque, cannot be expected to ignore the rights and of God outside the mosque. Similarly the person who experiences satisfaction of the heart in the benevolent act of giving away a portion of his choice wealth in the way of Allah only to win His approval, cannot be expected to ignore and violate the rights of his fellowmen in the least. That is why the Quran has presented Islam as a combination of Salat and Zakat and a testimony of one's real faith in Islam. In Surah At-Taubah, Allah, after expressing His displeasure with the idolaters, tells the Muslims that if they repent of their idolatrous creed and establish Salat and pay Zakat, they should be regarded as brethen in faith and should be accorded the same status in the society as the other Muslims enjoy:

    "...if they repent even now, and establish Salat and pay Zakat dues, then they shall be your brethren in faith." (9:11)