Honorable Muslims!
In the verse I have recited, the Almighty Allah (swt) states, “My mercy encompasses all things. So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakat and those who believe in Our verses.”[i]
In the hadith I have read, our Prophet (saw) says, “Allah has made zakat obligatory simply to purify your remaining property.”[ii]
Dear Muslims!
Each benefit that our Lord (swt) bestows upon us entails a certain method of expressing our gratitude. The expression of gratitude for the blessing of wealth is to give zakat and sadaqah, and to spend in the way of Allah (swt).
Zakat and infaq refer to the practice of sharing with those in need what Allah the Almighty (swt) has endowed us with in the form of property and wealth. They mean protecting and taking care of the lonely and the orphan, and building bridges of heart between the rich and the poor. They purify our property of the rights of those in need and invoke barakah in it.
Dear Believers!
Those who recite the book of Allah and follow the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah spend their wealth in the way of Allah in times of abundance and poverty, secretly and publicly, by night and by day.[iii] They earn their living through halal ways and do not expect anything in return for their zakat except for what Allah provides.
Dear Muslims!
Let us be safe against dangers in this life and in the Hereafter through our charities and donations by obeying the commandment, “And spend in the way of Allah and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction [by refraining].”[iv]Let us make an orphan smile through our zakat, fitrah, sadaqah, and infaq. Let us enjoy the peace of salving the wounds of others.
[i] A’raf, 7/156.
[ii] Abu Dawud, Zakat, 32.
[iii] Baqarah, 2/274; Al-i ʿImran, 3/134.
[iv] Baqarah, 2/195.
FRIDAY KHUTBA OF TOKYO CAMİİ “ZAKAT AND INFAQ: ISLAM’S BRIDGE OF BROTHERHOOD“.(PDF)