The Punishment For People Who Refuse To Give Zakat

عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ قَالَ انْتَهَيْتُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ فِي ظِلِّ الْكَعْبَةِ فَلَمَّا رَآنِي قَالَ هُمْ الْأَخْسَرُونَ وَرَبِّ الْكَعْبَةِ قَالَ فَجِئْتُ حَتَّى جَلَسْتُ فَلَمْ أَتَقَارَّ أَنْ قُمْتُ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فِدَاكَ أَبِي وَأُمِّي مَنْ هُمْ قَالَ هُمْ الْأَكْثَرُونَ أَمْوَالًا إِلَّا مَنْ قَالَ هَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا مِنْ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ وَعَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَعَنْ شِمَالِهِ وَقَلِيلٌ مَا هُمْ مَا مِنْ صَاحِبِ إِبِلٍ وَلَا بَقَرٍ وَلَا غَنَمٍ لَا يُؤَدِّي زَكَاتَهَا إِلَّا جَاءَتْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْظَمَ مَا كَانَتْ وَأَسْمَنَهُ تَنْطَحُهُ بِقُرُونِهَا وَتَطَؤُهُ بِأَظْلَافِهَا كُلَّمَا نَفِدَتْ أُخْرَاهَا عَادَتْ عَلَيْهِ أُولَاهَا حَتَّى يُقْضَى بَيْنَ النَّاسِ

Abu Dharr reported: I went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he was sitting under the shade of the Ka'ba. As he saw me he said: By the Lord of the Ka'ba, they are the losers. I came there till I sat and I could not stay (longer) and (then) stood up. I said: Messenger of Allah, let my father, be ransom for you, who are they (the losers)? He said: They are those having a huge amount of wealth except so and so and (those who spend their wealth generously on them whom they find in front of them, behind them and on their right side and on their left side) and they are a few. And no owner of camels, or cattle or goat and sheep, who does not pay Zakat (would be spared punishment) but these (livestock) would come on the Day of Resurrection in larger sizes and would gore him with their horns and trample them with their hooves. And when the last one would move away, the first one would return (to trample him) till judgment would be pronounced among people.

Narrated in Sahih Muslim (No: 1652)

Grade: Sahih (authentic)

Translation adapted from sunnah.com

Lessons:

1. Muslims are obliged to pay zakat – similar to tithe – when they have accumulated property of enough nisab and haul.

*Nisab: the minimum value or amount of an asset on which zakat becomes obligatory.

**Haul: the duration of one Hijri/lunar year, which is the completion period for ownership of zakat-worthy assets.

2. Those who do not pay zakat when they have property that renders it an obligation are included among the people who are losers.

3. People who have livestock such as cows and goats that meet nisab but do not pay zakat, on the Day of Judgment the animals will come in the largest and fattest state to gore and step on its master.

4. We must strive to fulfil the responsibility of paying zakat on property to avoid being punished on the Day of Judgment.