Ruling of Zakat

**Status:** Obligatory duty (fard), third pillar of Islam, most important after prayer. **Evidence from Quran:** - "Establish prayer and give Zakat" [2:43] - "Take from their wealth a charity to purify them" [9:103] **Evidence from Sunnah:** - "Islam is built on five: testimony, prayer, Zakat, Hajj, and fasting" [Bukhari & Muslim] - To Mu'adh: "...inform them Allah has made obligatory upon them a charity from their wealth, taken from the rich and given to the poor" [Bukhari & Muslim] **Consensus:** Muslims in all lands agreed on its obligation. The Companions agreed to fight those who withhold it. **Established by:** Quran, Sunnah, and Ijma' (consensus).