What is the reason for associating zakat with polytheists in the verses: "Say, 'I am only a human being like you, to whom it has been revealed that your God is but one God. So take a straight course to Him and seek His forgiveness.' And woe to the polytheists (6) who do not give zakat and in the Hereafter they are disbelievers (7)"? This is considering that zakat is not obligatory upon them.

There are two interpretations regarding the verse of Zakat (definition). The first view is that what is meant by it is the purification of the soul (zakat al-nafs) and its cleansing from bad morals and polytheism. Proponents of this view cite Meccan verses as evidence and argue that Zakat was not mandated until Medina. The second view is that it refers to financial Zakat, and this was the choice of Al-Tabari. It is possible that the command for Zakat was revealed in Mecca, and then its rulings were detailed in Medina. Some exegetes have gone further, stating that the verse is an argument for those who say that disbelievers are addressed by the ancillary rulings of Islamic law, and they cite other verses in Surat Al-Muddaththir and Al-Haqqah as evidence.