How often is Zakat mentioned in the Quran?

May 6, 2020

The word Zakat is mentioned thirty-two times in the Quran. In thirty mentions of the thirty-two, Zakat is mentioned with its technical meaning of paying Zakat. Among these thirty mentions, Zakat has been interlinked with Salah, the obligatory prayer, twenty-eight times. This interlinking in the Quran highlights the connection between the first, second and third pillar of Islam. It is on this common theme and thread that the great scholar Al-Hafiz al-Iraqi stated:

Whoever can perform these three pillars with diligence will be able to perform fasting and hajj easily.

The renowned hadith scholar Al-Kirmani commented that Salah and Zakat have been paired together multiple times due to their universal nature and significance.

Paying Zakat has been associated with several physical and metaphysical benefits in the Quran. For example:

My Mercy extends to all things. That (Mercy) I shall ordain for those who have God-consciousness and give their Zakat and those who believe in Our Signs.

Surah Al-A`raf 7:156

Just like the Quran makes multiple references to Zakat, there are multiple ‘Ahādīth (prophetic narrations) which discuss Zakat. For example Abdullah Ibn `Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) narrates:

The Prophet sent Mu`adh to Yemen and said, “Invite the people to testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and I am Allah’s Messenger, and if they obey you to do so, then teach them that Allah has enjoined on them five prayers in every day and night (in twenty-four hours), and if they obey you to do so, then teach them that Allah has made it obligatory for them to pay the Zakat from their property and it is to be taken from the wealthy among them and given to the poor.”