{"id":4647,"date":"2021-05-17T10:03:11","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T09:03:11","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2021-05-17T10:03:11","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T09:03:11","slug":"non-payment-of-zakat-is-a-great-sin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/4647\/non-payment-of-zakat-is-a-great-sin\/","title":{"rendered":"Non\u2013Payment of Zakat is a Great Sin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Non\u2013Payment of Zakat is a Great Sin<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Non\u2013Payment of Zakat is a Great Sin: <\/strong>Non-payment of Wajib Zakat is a greater sin. The traditions of Imam Muhammad Taqi (a.s.), Imam \u2018Ali Ri\u010fa (a.s.), Imam M\u016bsa Kadhim (a.s.), and Imam Ja\u2019far as-Sadiq (a.s.) to this effect are mentioned by Abdul Az\u012bm. The Holy Qur\u2019an describes the punishment for this greater sin in the following verse:
\n\u201cAnd (as for) those who hoard up gold and silver and do not spend it in Allah\u2019s way announce to them a painful chastisement.
\nOn the day when it shall be heated in the fire of hell, then their foreheads and their sides and their backs shall be branded with it, this is that you hoarded up for yourselves, therefore taste what you hoarded.\u201d (Surah at-Tawba 9: 34-35)
\nTraditions mention that the word \u201cKanz\u201d (hoard) in this ayat implies any wealth on which Zakat has not been paid and other rights have not been discharged.
\nThe Almighty Allah (S.w.T.) says in Surah \u0100li- \u2018Imran,
\n\u201cAnd let not those deem, who are niggardly in giving away that which Allah has granted them out of His grace, that it is good for them; nay it is worse for them; they shall have that whereof they were niggardly made to cleave to their necks on the resurrection day; and Allah\u2019s is the heritage of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is aware of what you do.\u201d (Surah \u0100li-\u2018Imran 3: 180)
\nWhatever a person possesses, is due to Allah (S.w.T.)\u2019s grace and favours. He himself has no control over gain or loss. It is therefore incumbent on him to spend the bounties he has received from Allah (S.w.T.) in a manner that Allah (S.w.T.) has commanded, failing which the punishment will be severe.
\nTafs\u012br Minhajus Sadiq\u012bn mentions that traditional reports testify to the fact that the wealth of those who due to their miserliness avoid paying Zakat, will be made into a serpent by Allah (S.w.T.) on the day of Qiy\u0101ma. This serpent will be extraordinarily poisonous and vicious with two spots below the eyes, which is the characteristic of the most dangerous snakes. This snake shall be put around the neck of this person like a collar and the two ends will envelop his face and chastise him saying, \u201cI am the same wealth regarding which you prided over others in the world.\u201d
\nHazrat Imam Baqir (a.s.) said, \u201cWhosoever does not pay Zakat on his wealth, the wealth shall assume the shape of a Python on the judgement day and will be around his neck and till his accounting is complete it (the serpent) will be chewing at his flesh.\u201d (Wasa\u2019il ul-Shia Vol. 6 page 11)
\nThe Imam (a.s.) has also been reported to have stated, \u201cIf the relative of person who is bestowed wealth by Almighty comes to ask for something and the wealthy person acts like a miser, the Almighty Allah (S.w.T.) takes out a python from hell which turns it tongue around its mouth so that when the person comes it will become his iron collar.\u201d (Tafs\u012br Minhajus Sadiq\u012bn)
\nImam Ja\u2019far as-Sadiq (a.s.) says, \u201cIf a person owning gold and silver does not pay obligatory Zakat (or obligatory Khums as mentioned in Tafs\u012br of Qummi) on it, on the day of Qiy\u0101ma the Almighty Allah (S.w.T.) will imprison him in a fertile and lighted forest and appoint for him a python which has lost its hair due to its venom and when it will move to catch this person he will try to run away. But when he would become helpless and know that he cannot escape he would take his hands near the serpent and it will begin to chew his hands like a male camel and it would wrap itself around his neck like a necklace.\u201d
\nIf a person owning sheep, cows and camels does not pay the Zakat due to him, Allah (S.w.T.) the High and Mighty will imprison him in an illuminated wilderness on the day of Qiy\u0101ma. And every hoofed animal will trample upon him and every animal with pointed fangs will tear him up. One who does not pay Zakat due on his date palms, grapes or his agricultural products will on the day of Qiy\u0101ma have that portion of his land around his neck like a huge iron collar. (Wasa\u2019il ul-Shia Vol. 6, page 11, al-K\u0101fi)
\nImam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) says, \u201cThe Almighty Allah has appointed Zakat with Prayer, and said, \u2018Establish prayer and pay Zakat.\u2019 Then one who recites prayer but does not pay Zakat (it is as if) he has not performed prayer also, because the two of them are connected.\u201d (Wasa\u2019il ul-Shia)
\nImam Ja\u2019far as-Sadiq (a.s.) remarks, \u201cOne who does not pay the Zakat of his wealth, at the time of death he will desire to be sent back to the world once more so that he may pay Zakat.\u201d
\nAs Allah (S.w.T.) says: \u201cUntil 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.\u201d (Surah al-Mum\u2019in\u016bn 23: 99-100) (Wasa\u2019il ul-Shia vol. 6 page 14)
\nThus implying that if he is sent back he will pay Zakat that was due on him and also spend his wealth in charity. He shall be told: \u201cBy no means! It is a (mere) word that he speaks.\u201d (Surah al-Mum\u2019in\u016bn 23: 100)
\nFurthermore Imam (a.s.) comments on the following verse of Qur\u2019an.
\n\u201cThus will Allah show them their deeds to be intense regret to them and they shall not come forth from the fire.\u201d (Surah al-Baqarah 2: 167)
\nImam (a.s.) says, \u201cA person who guards his wealth and acts miserly in spending it in the way of Allah (S.w.T.) dies leaving his wealth to people who either spend it in Allah (S.w.T.)\u2019s obedience or in sinful activities. If his wealth is spent in the way of Allah (S.w.T.) the reward is written in the scroll of deeds of someone else and this person now regrets for actually it was his wealth. And if it is spent in disobedience to Allah (S.w.T.). That is the sinner\u2019s hands were strengthened with the help of his wealth, this also causes regret to him.\u201d (Wasa\u2019il ul-Shia Vol. 6 page 21)
\nTraditions from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) and Imam Ja\u2019far as-Sadiq (a.s.) on this subject have been recorded by Ayyashi, Mufid, Sad\u016bq and Tabarsi in their respective books: The Holy Prophet (S) says, \u201cNothing destroys Islam like miserliness. Then he says. \u201cThe way of miserliness is like the paths of ants. It is apparently invisible and it is of many types like polytheism.\u201d (Wasa\u2019il ul-Shia vol. 6 page 21)
\nHazrat Amir ul-Mu\u2019min\u012bn \u2018Ali (a.s.) says, \u201cWhen people do not pay Zakat the prosperity of their agricultural lands and mines will be lifted from the earth.\u201d (Safinat\u2019ul-Bih\u0101r)
\nThe Messenger of Allah (S) says, \u201cCure your sick ones through Sadaqah, deflect the storms of calamities through supplication and guard your wealth through Zakat.\u201d (Wasa\u2019il ul-Shia)
\nImam Ja\u2019far as-Sadiq (a.s.) says, \u201cThere are some houses on this earth that belong to Allah and they are called, \u2018the revengers? So when Allah bestows wealth to a person and he acts miserly in fulfilling the duties prescribed for him by Allah, the Almighty appoints one of these houses for him and destroys his wealth at this very place. And after that the person continues to reside in this house and leaves his wealth for others.\u201d (Wasa\u2019il ul-Shia Vol. 6 page 63)
\nNumerous traditions mention that one who acts miserly in charity will have to spend much more in corrupt ways. A great many traditions are recorded in the chapter of Zakat but these are sufficient for our discussion here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Non-payment of Wajib Zakat is a greater sin.. The traditions of Imam Muhammad Taqi (a.s.), Imam ‘Ali Ri\u010fa (a.s.), Imam M\u016bsa Kadhim (a.s.) and Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) to this effect are mentioned by Abdul Az\u012bm. The Holy Qur’an describes the punishment for this greater sin in the following verse:
\n“And (as for) those who hoard up gold and silver and do not spend it in Allah’s way announce to them a painful chastisement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7767,7771],"tags":[20243,19650,19669,13036,20242],"class_list":["post-4647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-economics","category-islamic-jurisprudence-and-principles","tag-great-sin","tag-shia","tag-shia-studies-world-assembly","tag-zakat","tag-zakat-payment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4647\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}