42. Punishment of not paying Zakat
Back to bookأَبِی ره قَالَ حَدَّثَنِی سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ یَعْقُوبَ بْنِ یَزِیدَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِی عُمَیْرٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُسْکَانَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- سَیُطَوَّقُونَ ما بَخِلُوا بِهِ یَوْمَ الْقِیامَهِ قَالَ مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ مَنَعَ زَکَاهَ مَالِهِ شَیْئاً إِلَّا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ ذَلِکَ لَهُ یَوْمَ الْقِیَامَهِ ثُعْبَاناً مِنْ نَارٍ طَوْقاً فِی عُنُقِهِ یَنْهَشُ مِنْ لَحْمِهِ حَتَّی یَفْرُغَ مِنَ الْحِسَابِ وَ هُوَ قَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- سَیُطَوَّقُونَ ما بَخِلُوا بِهِ یَوْمَ الْقِیامَهِ قَالَ مَا بَخِلُوا بِهِ مِنَ الزَّکَاهِ.
1. The narrator asked Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) regarding the verse: they shall have that whereof they were niggardly made to cleave to their necks on the resurrection day. Imam (a.s.) replied, “For one who does not pay Zakat from his wealth, the Almighty Allah will make a serpent of fire from that wealth and put it around the neck of that person on the Day of Judgment. This serpent will sting the person continuously till the time he is giving account of his deeds. According to that verse, acting miserly in spending wealth means non payment of Zakat.”
حَدَّثَنِی مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِی مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ الصَّفَّارُ عَنْ أَیُّوبَ بْنِ نُوحٍ عَنِ ابْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ أَبِی الْجَارُودِ عَنْ أَبِی جَعْفَرٍ ع قَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ یَبْعَثُ یَوْمَ الْقِیَامَهِ نَاساً مِنْ قُبُورِهِمْ مَشْدُودَهً أَیْدِیهِمْ إِلَی أَعْنَاقِهِمْ لَا یَسْتَطِیعُونَ أَنْ یَتَنَاوَلُوا بِهَا قید [قِیسَ] أَنْمُلَهٍ مَعَهُمْ مَلَائِکَهٌ یُعَیِّرُونَهُمْ تَعْیِیراً شَدِیداً وَ یَقُولُونَ هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِینَ ضَیَّعُوا خَیْراً قَلِیلًا مِنْ خَیْرٍ کَثِیرٍ هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِینَ أَعْطَاهُمُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فَمَنَعُوا حَقَّ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِی أَمْوَالِهِمْ.
2. It was narrated to me by Muhammad b. al-Hassan who said it was narrated to me by Muhammad b. al-Hassan al-Saffar from Ayoob’ b. Nuh from Ibn Sinan from Abi al-Jarud from Abi Ja’far (a.s.) who said: “Surely some people will have their hands tied behind their necks when they are brought out of the graves on the Day of Judgment. They will not have the strength to hold the lightest thing. Some angels will accompany them torturing them severely and saying: These are the people who did not do any good from the abundance. Allah had given a lot to these people but they did not pay Allah’s share from their wealth.”
أَبِی ره قَالَ حَدَّثَنِی سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ أَبِیهِ عَنْ خَلَفِ بْنِ حَمَّادٍ عَنْ حَرِیزٍ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع مَا مِنْ ذِی مَالٍ ذَهَبٍ وَ لَا فِضَّهٍ یَمْنَعُ زَکَاهَ مَالِهِ إِلَّا حَبَسَهُ اللَّهُ یَوْمَ الْقِیَامَهِ بِقَاعٍ قَرْقَرٍ سَلَّطَ عَلَیْهِ شُجَاعاً أَقْرَعَ یُرِیدُهُ وَ هُوَ یَحِیدُ عَنْهُ فَإِذَا رَأَی أَنَّهُ لَا یَتَخَلَّصُ مِنْهُ و أَمْکَنَهُ مِنْ یَدِهِ فَقَضَمَهَا کَمَا یُقْضَمُ الْفُجْلُ حَتَّی یَصِیرَ طَوْقاً فِی عُنُقِهِ وَ ذَلِکَ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- سَیُطَوَّقُونَ ما بَخِلُوا بِهِ یَوْمَ الْقِیامَهِ وَ مَا مِنْ ذِی مَالٍ وَ إِبِلٍ أَوْ بَقَرٍ أَوْ غَنَمٍ یَمْنَعُ زَکَاهَ مَالِهِ إِلَّا حَبَسَهُ اللَّهُ یَوْمَ الْقِیَامَهِ بِقَاعٍ قَرْقَرٍ یَطَؤُهُ کُلُّ ذِی ظِلْفٍ بِظِلْفِهَا وَ یَنْهَشُهُ کُلُّ ذِی نَابٍ بِنَابِهَا وَ مَا مِنْ ذِی مَالٍ نَخْلٍ أَوْ کَرْمٍ أَوْ زَرْعٍ یَمْنَعُ زَکَاتَهَا إِلَّا طَوَّقَهُ اللَّهُ رَیْعَهَ أَرْضِهِ إِلَی سَبْعِ أَرَضِینَ إِلَی یَوْمِ الْقِیَامَهِ.
3. Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) said, “One who owns gold and silver and does not pay Zakat; the Almighty Allah will do the accounting of his deeds in a barren desert on the Day of Judgment. He will appoint a serpent whose venom would have reached its hair from its head. The serpent will follow the person who will try to run away. However when he comes to know that it is difficult to save himself from the serpent, the person will try to defend himself using his hands. The serpent will pounce upon him within the twinkling of an eye and shackle him by his neck. This is in accordance with the saying of Allah: they shall have that whereof they were niggardly made to cleave to their necks on the resurrection day. Similarly one who owns camels, cows, sheep and goats and does not pay Zakat, the Almighty Allah will capture him in a barren desert. Every poisonous creature present over there will sting him. Similarly one who owns dates, grapes and farms and does not pay Zakat, the Almighty Allah will shackle him in the ring made as large as the seven layers of the earth.”
وَ بِهَذَا الْإِسْنَادِ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ أَبِیهِ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ یَحْیَی عَنْ دَاوُدَ عَنْ أَخِیهِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: بَعَثَنِی إِنْسَانٌ إِلَی أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع زَعَمَ أَنَّهُ یَفْزَعُ فِی مَنَامِهِ یَرَی امْرَأَتَهُ تَأْتِیهِ فَیَصِیحُ حَتَّی سَمِعَ الْجِیرَانُ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع اذْهَبْ فَقُلْ لَهُ إِنَّکَ لَا تُؤَدِّی الزَّکَاهَ فَقَالَ بَلَی وَ اللَّهِ إِنِّی لَأُؤَدِّیهَا قَالَ فَقُلْ لَهُ إِنْ کُنْتَ تُؤَدِّیهَا فَإِنَّکَ لَا تُؤْتِیهَا أَهْلَهَا.
4. Once a person sent the narrator to Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.). This person used to murmur in his sleep out of fear of a woman. His voice used to increase so much that it reached the neighbors. Imam (a.s.) told the narrator to go and ask that person whether he had avoided paying Zakat. The person replied, “By Allah! I pay Zakat regularly.” Imam (a.s.) told the narrator to convey that he pays Zakat regularly but does not give it to those who are eligible.
وَ ذَکَرَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّ فِی رِوَایَهِ أَبِی بَصِیرٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع یَقُولُ مَنْ مَنَعَ الزَّکَاهَ سَأَلَ الرَّجْعَهَ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَ هُوَ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ حَتَّی إِذا جاءَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ لَعَلِّی أَعْمَلُ صالِحاً فِیما تَرَکْتُ
5. It is narrated that Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) said that one who does not pay Zakat, will desire to return to this world once again after his death. This verse of the Holy Quran points out the same fact: Until when death overtakes one of them, he says: Send me back, my Lord, send me back; Haply I may do good in that which I have left.”
حَدَّثَنِی مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِیٍّ مَاجِیلَوَیْهِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِیٍّ الْکُوفِیِّ عَنْ مُوسَی بْنِ شَعْبَانَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْقَاسِمِ عَنْ مَالِکِ بْنِ عَطِیَّهَ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ تَغْلِبَ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع ذَنْبَانِ فِی الْإِسْلَامِ لَا یَقْضِی فِیهِمَا أَحَدٌ بِحُکْمِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ حَتَّی یَقُومَ قَائِمُنَا الزَّانِی الْمُحْصَنُ یَرْجُمُهُ وَ مَانِعُ الزَّکَاهِ یَضْرِبُ عُنُقَهُ.
6. Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) said, “There are two sins in Islam whose punishment will not be given in this world before the reappearance of Imam-e-Zamana. One of them is stoning a fornicator who is married and another is breaking the neck of the person who does not pay Zakat.”
وَ ذُکِرَ أَنَّ فِی رِوَایَهِ أَبِی بَصِیرٍ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع- مَنْ مَنَعَ الزَّکَاهَ فَلْیَمُتْ إِنْ شَاءَ یَهُودِیّاً أَوْ نَصْرَانِیّاً.
7. Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) said, “One who does not pay Zakat throughout his life, will desire to return to this world at the time of his death. One who avoids payment of a penny of Zakat and he dies, he has an option i.e. to die as a Jew or as a Christian.”
أَبِی ره قَالَ حَدَّثَنِی سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِی أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِیهِ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِنَا قَالَ: مَنْ مَنَعَ قِیرَاطاً مِنَ الزَّکَاهِ فَمَا هُوَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ وَ لَا مُسْلِمٍ وَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع مَا ضَاعَ مَالٌ فِی بَرٍّ أَوْ بَحْرٍ إِلَّا بِمَنْعِ الزَّکَاهِ وَ قَالَ إِذَا قَامَ الْقَائِمُ أَخَذَ مَانِعَ الزَّکَاهِ فَضَرَبَ عُنُقَهُ.
8. It is narrated from an infallible that one who avoids payment of a single penny of Zakat and he dies, he will not be considered a Muslim or a believer. Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) said, “One who pays Zakat, his wealth will never be wasted neither on land nor in the sea. When the Qaim of the progeny of Muhammad reappears, he will cut off the heads of those who do not pay Zakat.”