ON ZAKÂH

Allâh says: “Who continually pay the zakâh.” Abû Hurayrah narrates that the Messenger of Allâh said: “A person who owns gold and silver and does not pay his dues thereof, sheets of fire will be rolled out for him on the day of resurrection and he will be burned thereby in the fire of Hell. His body will then be expanded to cover these sheets even if they are many in number. Each time these sheets become cool, they will be reheated for him, on a day that is equivalent to 50 000 years. This will continue until judgement is passed on all the creation. He will then see his path – either to Paradise or to the Hell-fire.”

Allâh says: “And those who hoard up gold and silver and do not spend it in the path of Allâh, give them glad tidings of a painful punishment. On [that] day their wealth shall be heated in the fire of Hell, and with it shall be branded their foreheads and their sides and their backs. [They shall be told:] ‘This is what you had hoarded up for yourselves. Now taste what you have been hoarding.’” [73]

The Messenger of Allâh said: “Destruction to the wealthy ones from the poor ones on the day of resurrection. The poor ones will say: ‘They did not give us our dues which were incumbent on them.’ Allâh will say: ‘By My honour and grandeur, I will bring you close to Me, and I will distant them [the wealthy ones] from me.’ The Messenger of Allâh then recited this verse: ‘And those in whose wealth there is a due portion for the beggar and the dispossessed.’” [74]

It is related that on the night of mi‘râj, the Messenger of Allâh passed by a people who had patches on their backs and fronts. They were grazing like cattle among the darî‘ (a thorny tree in Hell), the zaqqûm (an infernal tree with extremely bitter fruit) and the hot rocks of Hell. He asked: “Who are these people, O Jibra’îl?” He replied: “These are the people who do not fulfil the charity of their wealth. Allâh did not wrong them for Allâh does not wrong His servants.”

It is related that a group of Tâbi‘în left in order to visit Abû Sinân. When they went to him and sat near him, he said to them: “Come, let’s go visit a neighbour of ours whose brother passed away. We will console him.” Muhammad ibn Yûsuf al-Quryânî says: “So we got up with him and went to that neighbour. We found him crying profusely and very much perturbed by the death of his brother. We therefore began consoling and comforting him. But he was not accepting any consolation nor any comforting.” So we said to him: “Don’t you know that there is no escape from death?” He replied: “Indeed. However, I am crying because of the punishment that my brother is receiving by day and night.” We asked him: “What!? Has Allâh allowed you to look into the unseen?” He replied: “No. But when I buried him, levelled the soil over him and the people left, I remained seated at his graveside. Suddenly I heard a voice saying: ‘Oh! They have left me alone to suffer the punishment whereas I used to fast and offer salâh.’ His words caused me to cry. I then dug out his grave in order to see what was happening to him. Suddenly I saw the grave glittering with fire, and a necklace of fire around his neck. My brotherly affection prompted me to help him, so I extended my hand in order to remove this necklace from his neck. When I tried doing that, my fingers and hand got burnt.” He then showed us his hand which was black and burnt. “I then filled the soil back onto him and returned. So how can I not cry over his condition, and not grieve over him?” We asked him: “How your brother in this world?” He replied: “He never used to give the zakâh of his wealth.” We replied: “This is the proof of the words of Allâh : ‘Those who are miserly with that which Allâh has given them through His grace should not think that this miserliness is good for them. Instead, it is extremely evil for them. That wealth in which they are miserly will be made into a necklace and hung around their necks on the day of resurrection.’ As for your brother, the punishment has been hastened for him in his very grave till the day of resurrection. We then left him and went to Abû Dharr , the Companion of the Messenger of Allâh . We related to him the story of this person and said to him: ‘How is it that a Jew or a Christian passes away but we do not see this happening to him?’ He replied: ‘There is no doubt whatsoever that they [Jews and Christians] will be in the Hell-fire. However, Allâh shows you this with regard to the believers so that you may take an admonishment. Allâh says: ‘The signs have come to you from your Sustainer. Whoever, then, sees them, does so for himself. And whoever remains blind, does so to his own detriment. And I am not a guardian over you.’ [75]

It is related that the Prophet said: “The person who refuses to give the zakâh is like a Jew and a Christian in the sight of Allâh . The person who refuses to pay the ‘ushr (one tenth of tax on produce of the land) is like a Magaen in the sight of Allâh. The person who refuses to give the zakâh and ‘ushr from his wealth is cursed by the angels and the Prophet . And his testimony is not accepted.” He also said: “Glad tidings to him who gives the zakâh and ‘ushr. Glad tidings to the one who has no punishment of zakâh and no punishment on the day of resurrection. Whoever gives the zakâh of his wealth, Allâh will raise from him the punishment of the grave, Allâh will make his flesh unlawful to the Hell-fire, He will make Paradise incumbent on him without any reckoning, and he will not experience any thirst on the day of resurrection.”