Narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) as a judge to Yemen and said: "O Mu'adh! Encourage the people there to acknowledge that there is no deity except Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah. If they accept this, then inform them that Allah has made five prayers obligatory upon them in every night and day. If they accept this as well, then inform them that Allah has made charity (zakat) obligatory upon their wealth, which will be taken from their rich and distributed among their poor."

Narrated from Sayyiduna Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him):
A man asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), "Tell me of an action that will admit me to Paradise." The people said, "What is wrong with him, why is he saying such a thing?" The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He is in need, and what is wrong with him? (Listen, I will tell you such an action.) Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, establish prayer, give zakat, and maintain the ties of kinship."

Narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a Bedouin came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, "Tell me of an action which, if I do it, I will enter Paradise." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, perform the obligatory prayers, give the obligatory zakat, and fast in Ramadan." The Bedouin said, "By Him in Whose hand is my soul, I will not do more than this (in worship)." Then when he left, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever wishes to see a man from the people of Paradise, let him look at this man."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed away and Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) became the Caliph, some Arab tribes turned apostate. When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) intended to fight these apostates, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "How can you fight these people when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said: 'I have been commanded to fight the people until they say La ilaha illallah (there is no god but Allah). So whoever says La ilaha illallah has protected his wealth and his life from me except by right of Islam, and his reckoning is with Allah.'" Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, "By Allah! I will surely fight the one who differentiates between prayer and zakat, because zakat is the due right upon wealth. By Allah, if they withhold from me even a young goat which they used to give in zakat during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), I will surely fight them for withholding it." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says, "By Allah! It was only due to this (sound judgment and firmness of resolve) that Allah had opened the chest of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) (for prudent decision), so I realized that this was the truth."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "On the Day of Resurrection, camels for which zakat was not paid will come in a healthy and fat state and will trample their owner under their feet. And goats for which zakat was not paid will come in a healthy and fat state, riding upon their owner, trampling him under their feet and striking him with their horns." He (peace be upon him) said: "One of its rights is that it should be taken to the watering place (and its milk given to the needy who are present there)." And he said: "None of you should come to me on the Day of Resurrection carrying a goat on his neck, the goat bleating, and then say to me, 'O Muhammad! (intercede for me),' and I will say, 'I have no authority for you in any matter. I have conveyed (the command of Allah).' Nor should anyone come to me carrying a camel on his neck, the camel grunting, and then say to me, 'O Muhammad! (intercede for me),' and I will say, 'I have no authority for you in any matter. I have conveyed the command of Allah.'"

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever is given wealth by Allah and does not pay its zakat, then on the Day of Resurrection his wealth will be made into a bald snake resembling him, with venomous foam at the corners of its mouth. That snake will be made into a collar for his neck on the Day of Resurrection, then it will bite his jaws and say: 'I am your wealth, I am your treasure.'" Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited this verse number "180" of Surah Al-Imran: "And let not those who are miserly with what Allah has given them of His bounty think that it is good for them. Rather, it is bad for them. That with which they were miserly will be made to encircle their necks on the Day of Resurrection."

Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Zakat is not obligatory on less than five awqiyah of gold (or fifty-two and a half tola of silver), nor on less than five camels, nor on less than five wasq of (dates)."

Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever gives charity equal to a date from his pure earnings—and Allah accepts only that which is pure—then Allah takes it in His right hand and nurtures it for the giver, just as one of you nurtures his child, until that charity becomes like a mountain."

Sayyiduna Harithah bin Wahb (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: "O people, give charity, for a time will come upon you when a man will go around with his charity but will not find anyone who will accept it. (The person) to whom he will say, 'Take it,' will say, 'If only you had brought it yesterday, I would have taken it, but today I have no need of it.'"

Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Hour will not come until wealth becomes abundant among you and overflows. So much so that the owner of wealth will search for someone to accept his charity, and when he offers it to someone, that person will say, 'I have no need for it today.'"