سورة البقرة

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): What is meant by "prayer" in the Book of Allah is us [the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet]; we are the "prayer" in the Qur'an.

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): وَ أَقِیمُوا الصَّلاةَ [And establish prayer] means to complete its ablution, its takbir, its standing, its recitation, its bowing, its prostration and its limits. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Whichever servant is inattentive to Allah in his prayer, Allah says to him: 'O My servant! Whom do you seek? Do you want a lord other than Me, or a watcher besides Me? Or do you consider a giver other than Me worthy? While I am the most generous of the generous, the most giving of givers and the best of bestowers; I would grant you a reward beyond count. Turn to Me, for I turn to you, and My angels turn to you.' So if the servant turns to Allah, the sin of the inattention that occurred from him is erased. If he becomes inattentive again in the prayer, Allah repeats His statement to him a second time. If the servant then turns his attention back [to the prayer, attending to Allah in it], Allah's forgiveness encompasses him and He overlooks the fault he had committed before (inattention to Allah). And if he is inattentive a third time [in the prayer], Allah repeats His statement to him again, and if the servant again turns his attention back [to the prayer, attending to Allah in it], Allah forgives the sin he had committed before (inattention to Allah). And if he is inattentive a fourth time in the prayer, Allah and His angels turn away from him, and [Allah] says: 'Woe to you! O My servant! I too am turning away from you now — to whom do you turn?'"

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): Establish the obligatory prayers that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) brought, and also adhere to sending blessings upon Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his pure and immaculate family (peace be upon them), of whom Ali (peace be upon him) is the master and the most excellent.

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): The meaning of the Lord's saying وَ أَقِیمُوا الصَّلاةَ [And establish prayer] is that all the bowing, prostration and the time of the prayer be carried out completely and properly, and that the rights be fulfilled, without which the Lord of the worlds does not accept that prayer. Do you know what those rights are? Among the rights of prayer is that, after the prayer, you send blessings upon Muhammad and Ali (peace be upon him) and the family of the two, along with the belief that they are the best of Allah's servants, the upholders of Allah's rights and the helpers of Allah's religion. The Messenger of Allah said: 'When the servant brings the night to morning, Allah the Exalted and His angels turn their attention to this servant, [watching] whether he turns to his Lord with prayer. If he does so, Allah sends His mercy to him and multiplies His honor for him. So if the servant fulfills what he committed to and performs the prayer as it was made obligatory, Allah says to the angels who are the keepers of Paradise and the bearers of the divine Throne: "This servant of Mine has fulfilled his covenant; so you too fulfill it for him." And if the servant does not fulfill his covenant, Allah the Exalted says: "Even though this servant of Mine did not fulfill his covenant, I am forbearing and wise; so if he repents, I turn to him and accept his repentance, and if he comes to Me in worship, I too send My pleasure and mercy upon him."' Then the Messenger of Allah said: if servants are lax in carrying out what Allah has asked of them [that is, sending blessings upon the Prophet after the prayer], the beauty, splendor and worth of their castles [in Paradise] is diminished, for the shortcoming and negligence rests upon those very people [whose castles' worth has thus diminished]. He (peace be upon him and his family) continued: on the night of the Ascension, Jibra'il (peace be upon him), by the Lord's command, showed me castles of gold and silver built with musk and amber, and I saw that some had high balconies (magnificent castles) while others lacked them. When I asked Jibra'il (peace be upon him) why these castles had no high balconies like the other castles, he answered: 'O Muhammad! These castles belong to those who pray but, after performing their obligatory prayer, have been lax and have not sent blessings upon you and your family. So if the servant sends the material needed to build the balconies, which is blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, the balconies are built for him; otherwise they remain as they are. These castles remain in this state so that it becomes known in Paradise that the owner of a castle without a balcony is one who was lax, after his prayer, in sending blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them).' He (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'In Paradise I saw castles whose balconies were of extraordinary breadth and beauty, but they had no passage in front of them, and there was no garden either before them or behind them. So I asked: "Why do these castles have no passage in front and no garden behind them?" Jibra'il (peace be upon him) said: "O Muhammad! These castles belong to those who perform the five prayers but spend only part of their capacity, not the whole of it, on fulfilling the rights of their believing brothers. So for that reason all their castles are enclosed, with no passage before them and no gardens behind them."'

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah the Exalted made prayer obligatory to purify the soul from arrogance.

Imam Ridha (peace be upon him): Fadl ibn Shadhan has narrated from Imam Ridha (peace be upon him): [If someone] said, "Why were they commanded to pray?" It was said: "Because prayer is an acknowledgment of Lordship and brings about the good of all, for in prayer [several benefits are contained, namely]: setting aside partners [in Lordship]; standing before the Almighty Allah with humility, lowliness, submission and confession of sins; asking Allah to overlook the sins of the past; placing the face on the ground every day and night; the servant's remembrance of Allah so that he does not forget Him, and with humility and submission, fearfully and eagerly asking Allah for an increase in religion and worldly good, kept away from corruption. [Prayer] has been made obligatory upon the servant every day and night so that the servant does not forget his Manager and Creator, and so does not become excessive or transgress. Likewise, remembering the Creator and standing before the Lord restrains the servant from sins and keeps him away from, and prevents him from committing, every kind of corruption."

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): The reason for the obligation of zakat and its secret is that zakat is the sustenance and provision of the poor, and it protects and preserves the wealth of the rich, because Allah the Exalted has obligated the healthy and able to look after those who are disabled and destitute, just as Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: لَتُبْلَوُنَ فِی أَمْوَالِکُمْ وَ أَنْفُسِکُمْ [Indeed you will be tested in your wealth and your souls] (Al Imran/186). What is meant by being tested in your wealth is that you must pay zakat and take it out of your wealth. And what is meant by being tested in your souls is that you prepare yourself to be patient. This patience shows itself in various matters: for instance, giving thanks for Allah's blessings, hoping that the blessings will increase for you because of it, showing kindness and mercy toward the weak, showing compassion toward the destitute and urging them toward mutual support, strengthening the poor and helping them in the affairs of religion, are among the matters through which Allah tests the human soul. This zakat is an admonition and a lesson for the wealthy, because they can secure for themselves in this world what will remove poverty for them in the Hereafter. And another of the secrets of zakat is that paying it makes the wealthy give thanks for Allah's blessings. (Because paying zakat to the poor requires that the one who pays it be able to do so, and Allah the Blessed and Exalted has granted them this financial ability and, out of His grace and favor, has included them among those given His gifts; so when one reflects on this, one gives thanks to the Bestower.) And another of the secrets of zakat is that when the wealthy see the condition of the poor and their need, they supplicate and humble themselves before Allah, declaring their fear of becoming like them, and asking Allah not to let them fall into the same fate. Therefore they take greater care in paying zakat, giving charity, upholding family ties, and doing good deeds.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Allah the Mighty and Majestic has commanded ... [His servants] to perform prayer and pay zakat. So whoever prays but does not pay zakat, his prayer is not accepted.

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Ishaq ibn Mubarak said: I asked Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) about the zakat of fitr, "Is it included in this statement of Allah the Exalted who said: أَقِیمُوا الصَّلاةَ وَ آتُوا الزَّکاةَ [And keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate]?" He answered: "Yes! I prefer the sadaqah of dates, because my father used to give dates as sadaqah." I said: "If someone sets aside silver of the same value, is it better to give it as sadaqah to one person or to two?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "I prefer that it be distributed [meaning it is better if it is given to two people], and although giving silver is not objectionable, I still love the sadaqah of dates more." I said: "May I give it to non-followers of the wilayah (non-Shia among you) from among the neighbours so that they may benefit from this sadaqah?" He said: "Yes! The neighbours are more deserving of it." I said: "[Is it sufficient if] I pay each person three or four man?" He said: "Yes!"

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Ibrahim ibn Abd al-Hamid said: "I asked Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): 'Is the zakat of fitr obligatory as zakat is?'" He said: It is from the instances of this word of Allah: وَأَقِیمُواْ الصَّلاَةَ وَآتُواْ الزَّکَاةَ [And keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate], and it is obligatory.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Zakat applies to gold and silver, and a type of zakat is also the zakat of fasting (fitra).

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Imam (peace be upon him) was asked about the zakat of fitr; in reply he said: "It is the zakat which Allah the Exalted has made obligatory upon all the believers together with the prayer [of Eid al-Fitr]; based upon the word of Allah: وَ أَقِیمُواْ الصَّلاَةَ وَآتُواْ الزَّکَاةَ [And keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate], paying zakat is obligatory both upon the poor, who are the majority of the people, and upon the wealthy, who are the fewer of them. So Allah commanded all the people to establish the prayer and to pay the zakat."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Zurarah said: "I asked the Imam (peace be upon him) about the zakat of fitr." He said: "It is obligatory upon a person to pay the zakat of fitr on behalf of himself and his family, and on behalf of his slaves (male and female servants), whether they be male or female, small or large, one sa' of dates or half a sa' of wheat for each person; and it is the zakat which Allah, together with the prayer [of Eid al-Fitr], has made obligatory upon the believers — whether the needy, who are the majority of people belonging to this category, or the well-off and the wealthy, who are the elders of the community." I said: "Is it also obligatory upon the needy person who himself receives sadaqah to pay the sadaqah of fitr?" He said: "Yes! Let him pay it from that sadaqah which he receives."

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Pay the zakat of fitra on behalf of yourself and every man and woman, small or grown, free or slave, who is under your care and support, and know that Allah the Exalted made the zakat of fitra obligatory before wealth became abundant; so He said: أَقِیمُواْ الصَّلاَةَ وَآتُواْ الزَّکَاةَ [Establish prayer and pay zakat], and the payment of fitra is obligatory upon the poor and the rich, the slave and the free, women and men, the young and the old, and also the hypocrite and the opponent.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The Great Allah joined zakat together with prayer, placing them side by side, and said: أَقِیمُواْ الصَّلاَةَ وَآتُواْ الزَّکَاةَ [Establish prayer and pay zakat]; so whoever performs the prayer [of Eid al-Fitr] and withholds from giving zakat has, in reality, not performed the prayer either.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Pay the zakat of fitra before the prayer [of Eid al-Fitr], and this is Allah's word: أَقِیمُواْ الصَّلاَةَ وَآتُواْ الزَّکَاةَ [Establish prayer and pay zakat]. And even the one who receives the zakat of fitra must pay it on behalf of himself and his family, and if he does not pay it and finishes his prayer, no fitra is counted for him thereafter.

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): That is, [give zakat] from your wealth, your standing, and your physical strength. The zakat of wealth is supporting your believing brothers; the zakat of standing and influence is that if the weak have a need they are unable to fulfil due to their incapacity, you help them reach what they seek; the zakat of physical strength is that if your brother in faith's donkey or camel collapses in the desert or on the road and he cries for help but no one helps him, you assist him until he loads his belongings back onto it, and you help him mount it and rise, until he reaches the caravan. In doing all of this you must hold to your walayah (loyalty) toward Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his pure household (peace be upon them), and know that Allah, through your walayah and love for them and your disavowal of their enemies, purifies your deeds and multiplies them.

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): Give the zakat of your wealth when it becomes obligatory, and also pay the zakat of your physical strength when it is needed, and in addition to these, whenever help is requested of you, give assistance. (Doing these things is equivalent to paying zakat.)

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah made zakat obligatory so that it would be a means of provision reaching [people].

Sayyida Zahra (peace be upon her): Allah made zakat obligatory for the abundance and increase of provision.

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): That is, in exalting the standing of Allah, in the path of obedience to His representatives, Muhammad (the Messenger of Allah) and Ali (peace be upon him), the wali (representative) of Allah, and the Imams (peace be upon them) who came after them, the masters of the chosen ones, humble yourselves and show humility along with the humble and the modest.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The phrase وَ ارْکَعُوا مَعَ الرّاکِعینَ [And bow down with those who bow down] was revealed concerning the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), at the time when they were the first to pray and to bow down. (And what is meant by "those who bow down" is these two noble ones.)