In the Al-Quran, at least 26 verses talk about zakat, which also goes hand in hand with the command to pray. Of course, the authority to pray becomes the main one. After that, the word zakat is mentioned. It indicates a reasonably close relationship between the implementation of prayer and zakat. The alignment of these two words in several verses in the Koran also shows that prayer and zakat have the same urgency in the life of Muslims.
Prayer is a medium of communication or connecting a servant with his Lord. This relationship then becomes a control for humans to maintain their behavior according to God’s commands. For this reason, why prayer is said to be able to prevent abominable and evil deeds. At the same time, zakat can connect friendships between fellow human beings. The reason is that the ability of every human being to meet the needs of life is not the same; for this reason, zakat exists as a medium that can provide solutions for those who are deprived.
Baca juga: Ini Peran Zakat dalam Memberantas Kemiskinan
Al-Quran Verses about Zakat Coupled with Prayer Commands
We should consider the position of zakat in Islam. It is so essential that it is even made one of the main pillars of the Muslim religion, namely the pillars of Islam. The third pillar of Islam states that zakat is obligatory for those who can afford it. In the Al-Quran’s verse, the position of zakat in the Islamic pillars is also placed after the prayer command. The following are the verses of the Al-Quran regarding zakat that go hand in hand with the authority to pray:
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Al-Baqarah Verse 43
“And establish prayer, pay zakat and bow with those who bow.” (QS. Al-Baqarah: 43)
Interpretation and meaning of verses according to the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia:
In this verse, there are three commands from Allah SWT addressed to the Children of Israel. First, they pray every time in the best way possible, complete all the conditions and pillars, and keep the appointed times, turn their hearts to Allah sincerely and solemnly by the Shari’a brought by Prophet Musa a.s.
Baca juga: Jenis-Jenis Harta Wajib Zakat: Uang Kertas, Perhiasan hingga Piutang
Second, they pay zakat because zakat is an expression of gratitude to Allah SWT for the blessings He has bestowed, fosters close relationships between human beings, and purifies the heart. After all, zakat is a sacrifice of property to help the poor. Zakat will create cooperation and mutual assistance in society, where the poor need help from the rich and vice versa. The rich need help from the poor. As the Prophet Muhammad said, “A believer to another believer is like a building, each part of which strengthens the other.” (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim).
Third, they bow down with those who bow down, meaning they convert to Islam and perform congregational prayers like the Muslims. In this connection, the Messenger of Allah has said: “Praying in congregation is more important with twenty-seven degrees than praying alone.” (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim).
Prayer, according to Islam, consists of various physical movements, such as bowing, prostration, iktidal, etc. But at the end of this verse, the prayer is expressed only by the words “bow.” The bow is done to emphasize that they perform their prayers correctly as required by Islamic law as taught by the Prophet Muhammad, not to pray according to their former way, namely praying without bowing.
Baca juga: Zakat Reksa Dana Wajib Ditunaikan, Ini Ketentuan dan Cara Menghitungnya
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Al-Baqarah verse 110
“And establish prayer and pay the poor alms. And whatever good you do for yourself, surely you will get the reward from Allah. Surely Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.” (QS. Al-Baqarah: 110)
Interpretation and meaning of verses according to the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia:
In this verse, Allah instructs Muslims to follow the good path, perform prayers and pay zakat. This command is associated with God’s promise of help in winning because, in prayer, there are many pearls of wisdom, such as strengthening faith, heightening aspirations, and heightening mental endurance. Besides that, praying to Allah, said by a servant, is a severe statement of will and strengthens the bonds of heart among believers by congregation praying and association in the mosque. In this way, faith can develop and be strong, maintain a clean soul, prevent oneself from committing heinous acts, and increase one’s fighting spirit to carry out the truth. If the Muslims follow these methods, they will receive help from Allah. At the same time, the wisdom in issuing zakat is to strengthen the relationship between rich and poor Muslims to create unity and unity of a solid and unanimous ummah.
Allah emphasized that in obtaining victory and happiness in this world and the hereafter, one of the paths is prayer and Zakat. This statement can be seen from Allah’s statement that whatever good is done by the Muslims, they will receive a reward from Allah on the Day of Judgment in the fairest way possible. Allah commands Muslims to do good because Allah is genuinely All-Knowing of all practices, both large and small deeds, good deeds and bad deeds. No charity is wasted. All will get the appropriate reward.
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Al-Ma’idah Verse 55
“Surely your helper is only Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe, who establish prayer and pay zakat, while they submit (to Allah).” (QS. Al-Ma’idah verse 55)
Interpretation and meaning of verses according to the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia:
Allah greatly denounces people who make Jews and Christians loyal friends or helpers because your reliable helper is only Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe, who pray regularly, and who pay Zakat sincerely while submitting and obeying Allah.
Baca juga: Bukti Manfaat Zakat Mengangkat Martabat Dhuafa (Bagian Satu)
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At-Tauba Verse 11
“If they repent, establish prayer and pay zakat, then (they) are your brothers in the same religion. And We explain the verses for people who know.” (QS. At-Tauba: 11)
Interpretation and meaning of verses according to the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia:
In this verse, Allah wants to say that if they repent from their sinful actions, leave disbelief and polytheism, and then enter Islam and consistently carry out Islamic teachings by praying and paying Zakat, then they are brothers and sisters in the same religion. Who has the same rights and obligations to protect and love each other?
We explain those verses which are proofs of Allah’s existence and oneness for those who know, that is, those who want to take advantage of these proofs. Looking at the context, the series of verses above deals with the bad behavior of the Bani Quraiza Jews. Even so, these verses have given characteristics of wickedness that God hates, namely breaking or betraying agreements, being dishonest, and breaking family ties.
In addition to those four verses above, the holy Qur’an has 22 other verses which mention Zakat’s issue and the command to pray. These verses include QS. Al-Baqarah verse 83, QS. Al-Baqarah verse 177, QS. Al-Baqarah verse 277, QS. An-Nisa’ verse 77, QS. An-Nisa’ verse 162, QS. Al-Ma’idah verse 12, QS. At-Taubah verse 5, QS. At-Taubah verse 18, QS. At-Taubah verse 71, QS. Maryam verse 31, QS. Maryam verse 55, QS. Al-Anbiya’ verse 73, QS. Al-Hajj verse 41, QS. Al-Hajj verse 78, QS. An-Nur verse 37, QS. An-Nur verse 56, QS. An-Naml verse 3, QS. Luqman verse 4, QS. Al-Ahzab verse 33, QS. Al-Muj is verse 13, QS. Al-Muzzammil verse 20, and QS. Al-Bayyinah verse 5.