What is the definition of Zakat in the Islamic religion, and what are its characteristics?

In language, zakat means growth and increase, and it is named so because it increases the wealth from which it is extracted. In Islamic law, it is an obligatory right in wealth, or it is the taking of a specific thing from a specific wealth, under specific conditions, for a specific group.

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is characterized as a faith-based obligation taken from the wealthy and disbursed to its specified legitimate recipients, such as the poor and needy, unlike taxes which may be collected from everyone and spent on purposes other than the interests of the poor. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "It is taken from their rich and given back to their poor." It is an act of worship for the affluent and a mercy for the poor. Sayyid Muhammad Rashid Rida mentioned that if Muslims were to uphold this pillar, no poor or indebted person would be found among them.