Charity
وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَارْكَعُوا مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ {43}
And establish the Salat and give ‘الزَّكَاةَ’ the Zakat and perform Ruku with the Ruku performers [2:43]
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ وَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الصَّلْتِ جَمِيعاً عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ حَرِيزِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ بُنِيَ الْإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسَةِ أَشْيَاءَ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ وَ الزَّكَاةِ وَ الْحَجِّ وَ الصَّوْمِ وَ الْوَلَايَةِ قَالَ زُرَارَةُ فَقُلْتُ وَ أَيُّ شَيْءٍ مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَفْضَلُ فَقَالَ الْوَلَايَةُ أَفْضَلُ لِأَنَّهَا مِفْتَاحُهُنَّ وَ الْوَالِي هُوَ الدَّلِيلُ عَلَيْهِنَّ
Ali Bin Ibrahim, from his father, and Abdullah Bin Al Salt, altogether from Hammad Bin Isa, from Hareyz Bin Abdullah, from Zurara, from,
(Imam) Abu Ja’far-asws (5th Imam) has said: ‘The foundation of Al-Islām is upon five things (pillars) – upon the Salāt, and the Zakāt, and the Hajj, and the Soām (Fasts), and the Wilayah’.
Zurara (the narrator) said, ‘So I said, ‘And which from that is superior?’ So he-asws said: ‘The Wilayah is superior because it is their key (soul), and the ‘الْوَالِي’ (the Guardian-asws) is ‘الدَّلِيلُ’ (the Proof) upon these (four)’.
قُلْتُ ثُمَّ الَّذِي يَلِي ذَلِكَ فِي الْفَضْلِ فَقَالَ الصَّلَاةُ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) قَالَ الصَّلَاةُ عَمُودُ دِينِكُمْ
I said, ‘Then which is in the superiority after that (the Wilayah)?’ So he-asws said: ‘The Salāt. Rasool-Allah-saww said: ‘The Salāt is a pillar of your Religion’’.
قَالَ قُلْتُ ثُمَّ الَّذِي يَلِيهَا فِي الْفَضْلِ قَالَ الزَّكَاةُ لِأَنَّهُ قَرَنَهَا بِهَا وَ بَدَأَ بِالصَّلَاةِ قَبْلَهَا وَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) الزَّكَاةُ تُذْهِبُ الذُّنُوبَ
‘I said, ‘Then which follows it in the superiority?’ He-asws said: ‘The Zakāt, because it is paired with it (Salāt) and begun with the Salāt, before it; and Rasool-Allah-saww said: ‘The Zakāt cleans the sins’.[1]
[1] الكافي (ط – الإسلامية)، ج2، ص: 18