Recompense for not paying Zakat
Allah ta’ala says:
وَلاَ يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ بِمَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ هُوَ خَيْراً لَّهُم بَلْ هُوَ شَرٌّ لَّهُمْ سَيُطَوَّقُونَ مَا بَخِلُوا بِهِ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ وَلِلَّهِ مِيرَاثُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ {And let not those who covetously withhold of that which Allah has bestowed on them (a) of His Bounty (Wealth) think that it is good for them (and so they do not pay the obligatory Zakat). Nay, it will be worse for them; the things which they covetously withheld shall be tied to their necks like a collar on the Day of Resurrection. And to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is Well-Acquainted with all that you do..} (AI-Imran:180).
This refers to those who practice avariciousness; whatever Allah has granted them in the form of wealth, authority, or knowledge they have been ordered to spend a certain level from it on His creation. On the contrary, they become avaricious and keep Allah´s given wealth hidden from the people, thinking that whatever they are doing is better for them, (whereas this is contrary to the truth); rather, this is the worst of things for them in this world and the hereafter. What they covetously withheld will be hung around their necks on the Day of Resurrection, that it, the object of their avariciousness will be made into a heavy collar and placed around their necks, a means of punishment for them. This is evident from an authentic Prophetic hadith, in which the Prophet said,
“Anyone to whom Allah has given wealth but he does not pay its Zakah, on the Day of Recompense, his wealth will be presented to hin in a shape of bald-headed poisonous male snake with two poisonous glands in its mouth. It will encircle itself around his neck and bite him on his cheeks saying, ‘I am your wealth, I am your treasure”. (b)
The Prophet also referred to this verse as evidence.
These people believed their avariciousness to be a means of benefit and reverence for them, whereas it proved to be contrary, and the same avariciousness became a cause of disadvantageousness and punishment for them.
It is Allah who will inherit the heavens and the earth, meaning, only Allah is the Absolute Ruler, Who has complete dominance, and only He is the Absolute King. Since all property eventually returns to its real owner, so people will leave this world in a state in which they will neither have any dirhams or dollars with them, nor any wealth and property. Allah says elsewhere,
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَرِثُ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَنْ عَلَيْهَا وَإِلَيْنَا يُرْجَعُونَ
Verily! We will inherit the earth and whatsoever is thereon. And to Us they all shall be returned (Surah Maryam: 40)
Let us ponder as to how Allah has mentioned the initial means and the last means, and how both these mentions warrant that one must never be greedy or practice avariciousness about things granted by Allah. In the first instance, Allah describes that whatever a person owns is in reality not his property, but is all from Allah’s benefaction and blessing on him. If Allah’s benefaction and kindness was not with him, then he could not have acquired any of these things. Therefore, when a person abstains from giving some of these things to Allah’s people, he is in fact stopping Allah’s benefaction and kindness from reaching His people. It is a natural consequence of Allah’s benefaction on a person that he, in turn, becomes beneficent on Allah’s creation, as Allah describes elsewhere,
وَأَحْسِن كَمَآ أَحْسَنَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ
and do good as Allah has been good to you. (al’Qassas:77)
First: When a person entertains the belief that whatever he has due to Allah’s benefaction and kindness on him, he will never abstain from sharing this blessing with others, because he is aware that this will not offer him any loss; rather, this deed (of giving to others) will in fact increase his wealth, make his heart stronger, increase his faith, and protect him from accidents and calamities.
Second: Allah has clearly described that whatever is in His servant’s possession is eventually going to return to Him and He will be its heir, and Allah is indeed the best heir. What then is the point of being a miser when everything we have will ultimately leave our hands and go to someone else?
Third: Allah has described the means of recompense. He says, Allah is well aware of all that you do. When Allah is aware of all our deeds, then the fact is known to all that He will indeed reward the good deeds and punish the bad ones.
Therefore, whoever has even a semblance of faith in this heart, will never stop from spending in Allah’s cause, because he knows that this will earn him rewards; he will never be a miser because he knows that this will be a cause for punishment.
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Notes:
a: So they refrain from giving any charity from the wealth bestowed on them.
b: Bukhari, no.4565.
Tafsir’ as’Sadi pg.310-311
" ولا يحسبن الذين يبخلون بما آتاهم الله من فضله هو خيرا لهم بل هو شر لهم سيطوقون ما بخلوا به يوم القيامة ولله ميراث السماوات والأرض والله بما تعملون خبير "
أي: ولا يظن الذين يبخلون, أي: يمنعون ما عندهم مما آتاهم الله من فضله, من المال, والجاه, والعلم, وغير ذلك, مما منحهم الله, وأحسن إليهم به, وأمرهم ببذل ما لا يضرهم منه لعباده, فبخلوا بذلك, وأمسكوه, وضنوا به على عباد الله, وظنوا أنه خير لهم, بل هو شر لهم, في دينهم ودنياهم, وعاجلهم وآجلهم, " سَيُطَوَّقُونَ مَا بَخِلُوا بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ " أي: يجعل ما بخلوا له, طوقا في أعناقهم, يعذبون به كما ورد في الحديث الصحيح.
" إن البخيل يمثل له ماله يوم القيامة, شجاعا أقرع, له زبيبتان يأخذ بلهزميه يقول: أنا مالك, أنا كنزك " .
وتلا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مصداق ذلك, هذه الآية.
فهؤلاء حسبوا أن بخلهم, نافعهم, ومجد عليهم.
فانقلب عليهم الأمر, وصار من أعظم مضارهم, وسبب عقابهم.
" وَلِلَّهِ مِيرَاثُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ " أي: هو تعالى, مالك الملك, وترد جميع الأملاك إلى مالكها, وينقلب العباد من الدنيا, ما معهم درهم ولا دينار, ولا غير ذلك من المال.
قال تعالى " إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَرِثُ الْأَرْضَ وَمَنْ عَلَيْهَا وَإِلَيْنَا يُرْجَعُونَ " .
وتأمل كيف ذكر السبب الابتدائي والسبب الغائي, الموجب كل واحد, منهما أن لا يبخل العبد بما أعطاه الله.
أخبر أولا: أن الذي عنده وفي يده, فضل من الله ونعمة, ليس ملكا للعبد.
بل لولا فضل الله عليه وإحسانه, لم يصل إليه منه شيء.
فمنعه ذلك, منع لفضل الله وإحسانه.
ولأن إحسانه موجب للإحسان إلى عبيده كما قال تعالى " وَأَحْسِنْ كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ " .
فمن تحقق أن ما بيده, هو فضل من الله, لم يمنع الفضل الذي لا يضره, بل ينفعه في قلبه وماله, وزيادة إيمانه, وحفظه من الآفات.
ثم ذكر ثانيا أن هذا الذي بيد العباد كله, يرجع إلى الله, ويرثه تعالى, وهو خير الوارثين.
نلا معنى للبخل بشيء هو زائل عنك, منتقل إلى غيرك.
ثم ذكر ثالثا, السبب الجزائي فقال " وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ " .
فإذا كان خبيرا بأعمالكم جميعا - ويستلزم ذلك, الجزاء الحسن, على الخيرات, والعقوبات على الشر - لم يتخلف من في قلبه مثقال ذرة من إيمان, عن الإنفاق الذي يجزي به الثواب, ولا يرضى بالإمساك, الذي به العقاب
