Sahifah Hammam

Hadith Commentary:
The verse describes those wealthy individuals who do not pay zakat, but instead hoard gold and silver as treasure.
Their condition on the Day of Judgment will be that their hoarded wealth will turn into a venomous snake, which will become a collar around their necks and will tear at their jaws.
These will be the worshippers of wealth who, in the world, buried their treasures and did not even pay its zakat.

Hadith Commentary:
Wahidi has said:
This verse was revealed concerning those who withhold zakat (obligatory charity); upon this, there is consensus among all the commentators.
This statement is not correct; rather, there are several opinions among the commentators regarding this:
➊ This verse was revealed concerning the Jews who concealed the attributes of the coming Prophet.
➋ This verse was revealed concerning those who are miserly in spending for jihad (struggle in the path of Allah).
➌ By this verse are meant those who are miserly in spending on their family and relatives.
However, it can be said that, in view of the hadith presented by Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, the first reason for revelation is the preferred one.
(Fath al-Bari: 8/289)

Hadith Commentary:
➊
This narration is concise.
In another narration, its detail is as follows: The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Whoever Allah, the Exalted, has given wealth and he does not pay its zakat, then on the Day of Resurrection, that wealth will take the form of a bald snake with two fangs. It will become a collar around his neck, seizing his jaws, and will say:
‘I am your wealth, I am your treasure.’ Then he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) recited this verse:
‘And let not those who are stingy with what Allah has given them of His bounty think it is better for them; rather, it is worse for them. That with which they were stingy will be tied around their necks on the Day of Resurrection.’ ()
And this is in Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Zakat, Hadith: 1403."
➋
By "bald snake" is meant an extremely terrifying and venomous serpent, which will repeatedly bite him.
Further clarification of this will come later, inshaAllah.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
Among the Arabs, it was customary that when camels were taken to ponds or springs to be watered, the she-camels would be milked there and the milk would be distributed among the poor and needy. The destitute would gather at the springs so that they could drink the milk. This hadith points to this very right.
(2)
Similarly, if fruit is being picked or a crop is being harvested, then at that time as well, something should definitely be given to the poor. This is a matter separate from the regular payment of zakat. In our times, in villages, this right was customary: when the heap of wheat was lifted, at the end, handfuls of wheat would be distributed under the name of "riwri." It should be clear that this "right" is not obligatory or compulsory, but rather a commendable act.

Hadith Commentary: In al-Nasa’i, the wording is as follows:
“And the treasure of one of you will become on the Day of Resurrection a bald serpent that will chase its owner and seek him, saying: ‘I am your treasure,’ and it will not cease until it swallows his finger.”

That is, the bald serpent will lunge toward him and the person will flee from it. The serpent will say, “I am your treasure.” Then it will make his fingers its morsel.

This noble verse was revealed concerning those wealthy individuals who, despite being liable, did not pay zakat, but rather buried their wealth in the earth as a hoard. Even today, the ruling remains the same: those wealthy Muslims who withhold zakat will meet this very fate.

Today, currency has taken the place of gold and silver, and it falls under the same ruling as gold and silver. Now it will be said that those who keep bundles of banknotes and do not pay zakat, those very notes will become for them a serpent of Hell, fashioned as a necklace around their necks.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
After the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned this warning and then recited the aforementioned verse, it is clear evidence that these verses were revealed concerning those who deny zakat. (Fath al-Bari: 3/342)
That is, this noble verse was revealed about those wealthy and affluent individuals who, despite being owners of the nisab, do not pay zakat, but rather hoard their wealth as a treasure.
Today, currency notes have taken the place of gold and silver.
Now it will be said that those who stack up bundles of notes and do not pay zakat, these notes will become snakes of Hell for them and then will be made into collars around their necks.
In one narration, it is stated that whoever possesses gold and silver and does not pay zakat, then on the Day of Resurrection, plates of gold and silver will be made for him out of fire, then they will be heated thoroughly in the fire of Hell, after which his sides, his forehead, and his back will be branded with them.
(Sahih Muslim, al-Zakat, Hadith: 2292(987))
In the narration of Ibn Hibban, it is mentioned that the snake will chase after him saying, “I am the very treasure which you left behind in the world,” until it bites his fingers, then his entire arm, until it swallows his whole body.
(Sahih Ibn Hibban (Ibn Balban): 8/49, Dar al-Risalah edition) (2)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah) has written that those who do not pay zakat from their wealth will be subjected to both types of punishment.
Their hoarded wealth will sometimes bite them in the form of a snake, and the plates of gold and silver will also be heated and used to brand their bodies.
(Fath al-Bari: 3/341) (3)
The snake that will bite them will be so venomous that the skin of its head will have peeled off.
For this reason, it will be called bald, because snakes do not have hair, and whatever was there will have fallen off due to the poison.

Hadith Commentary:
In the narration of Muslim, it is further mentioned that they will bite with their mouths.
On that Day, which will last fifty thousand years, they will continue doing this.
Until Allah decides the matter of the servants and they see their abode (either in Paradise or in Hellfire).
In this hadith, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has warned his ummah that those who do not pay the prescribed zakat from their wealth—whether camels, goats, or others—will face the condition described here on the Day of Resurrection.
Indeed, those animals will come in such circumstances and will forcibly mount upon that person's neck.
He will call upon the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) for help, but your response will be as mentioned.
As for milking the goat at the water, the purpose is that in Arabia, most of the poor and needy people would gather at the water, and there the milk would be extracted and given to the needy and poor.
Some have said that this ruling was before the obligation of zakat; when zakat was made obligatory, then no other charity or obligatory right remained.
In one hadith, it is stated that besides zakat, there is another right in wealth.
This has been narrated by Tirmidhi.
In another hadith, it is mentioned that camels also have this right, that their milk should be milked at the water's edge.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah) says:
وإنما خص الحلب بموضع المآء لیکون أسهل علی المحتاج من قصد المنازل وأرفق بالماشیة
That is, the mention of specifically milking at the water was made because there the needy and travelers reside for rest.
From this hadith, it is also established that on the Day of Resurrection, sins will take on exemplary (physical) forms.
They will appear in bodily shapes.
Similarly, good deeds will also take on exemplary forms and be brought forth.
Details of both types are found in many ahadith.
In the next hadith, there is also a similar mention.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
In the noble verse, the word "kanz" (hoarded wealth) refers to that wealth for which zakat is not paid. As will be clarified in the following hadith. Most of the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) and the eminent Tabi‘in hold this position, that this noble verse includes the People of the Book, the polytheists, and the believers—all of them. Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) has also indicated towards this. (Fath al-Bari: 3/339)

(2)
It is mentioned in Sahih Muslim that the owner of camels will be thrown into an open and barren plain. The camels will be fatter and more numerous than before. Not a single young one among them will be missing; thus, they will trample their owner with their feet and bite him with their teeth. When the first group passes over him, then the second group will pass over him (this sequence) will continue for a day whose duration is equal to fifty thousand years, until judgment is passed among the people and every person sees his abode—whether it is in Paradise or in Hell. (Sahih Muslim, al-Zakat, Hadith: 2290(987))

(3)
It should be clear that the aforementioned punishment will be given to every person who does not pay zakat on his livestock, whether he withholds zakat out of denial or refrains from paying it due to miserliness. (Fath al-Bari: 3/339)

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
(1)
الصَفَائِحُ:
Plural of sahifa.
Plate,
tablet,
that is, its gold
or silver will be flattened or broadened like a slate or tablet.
(2)
مِنْ نَارٍ:
They will be as hot as fire.
(3)
بَرَدَتْ:
The duration and heat of those plates will decrease (then they will be heated again).
(4)
حَتَّى يُقْضَى بَيْنَ الْعِبَادِ:
Until the reckoning of the people is completed,
the punishment for those who withheld zakat will continue constantly and incessantly.
(5)
يَرَى سَبِيلَهُ:
يَرَى has been recited in both the active and passive forms,
meaning that he will see the path to Paradise or Hell as a result of his deeds,
or, as a consequence of his actions, the path to Paradise or Hell will be shown to him without his own choice or will.
(6)
حَلَبُهَا:
Both the ḥā and lām have a fatḥa,
to milk.
(7)
يَوْمَ وَرودِهَا:
When, on the third or fourth day, they are taken to the watering place to be given water.
(8)
بُطِحَ:
They will be spread or laid down on the ground (face down or on their backs).
(9)
قَاعٍ:
An open field,
a vast land.
(10)
قَرْقَرٍ:
A level and wide plain or barren land.
(11)
أَوْفَرَ مَا كَانَتْ:
In the greatest number and in a fat,
well-fed state.
(12)
فَصِيل:
A calf,
a young camel.
(13)
كُلَّمَا مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ أُولَاهَا رُدَّ عَلَيْهِ أُخْرَاهَا:
According to Qadi Iyad,
Imam Nawawi,
and Imam Qurtubi,
there is a transposition in these words,
the correct order is as it appears in the next hadith: كلما مضي عليه اخراها رد عليه اولاهاء, that when the last camel passes by, the first camel will have returned to pass by again,
there will be no interval in between,
the cycle will continue uninterrupted,
or it may mean that when the first camel reaches the end, the last camel will want to pass from the beginning.
Then in the next cycle,
when the first begins, the last camel will have reached the end and will have come to begin again.
(14)
عَقْصَاءُ:
One with twisted horns.
(15)
جَلْحَاءُ:
Without horns,
‘udhbā’,
one with broken horns.
(16)
اخفاف:
The foot,
hoof of a camel.
(17)
أَظْلَافِهم:
Hoof of a cow,
goat, and animals like deer.
(18)
سُم:
For humans, “foot”;
for horses and mules, the word “hoof” is used.
نواءً:
Enmity and hostility.
(19)
مَرْجِ:
Pasture.
(20)
رَّوْضَةِ:
Garden.
(21)
طول:
A rope with which the foot of a horse is tied,
so that the horse walks around the peg and grazes the grass.
(22)
اسْتَنَّتْ:
Ran,
galloped,
circled.
شَرَفَ: High place,
hill,
meaning a lap (circuit).

Benefits and Issues:
1.
There are two types of rights: 1.
Necessary rights,
which must be fulfilled without exception.
These are permanent and continuous, such as obligatory zakat and fitrah.
2.
Dispersed rights,
which are temporary and incidental, related to events and circumstances, as mentioned in the Qur’an in Surah al-Baqarah, verse of al-birr, number 177:
﴿وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ﴾ and after that,
﴿وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ﴾. When a person is helpless and in dire need, and is dying of hunger, then these become obligatory and necessary, and in normal circumstances, they are considered good morals, noble virtues, or praiseworthy character traits. For example, not refusing someone a stud animal,
giving a bucket for drawing water,
giving a milking animal to someone to drink milk,
milking camels at the watering place,
or giving free milk to a poor or needy person,
or lending a ride to someone in need.
2.
For those who withhold zakat, the Day of Reckoning, lasting fifty thousand years, will be a day of punishment;
if this punishment suffices for his sins and crimes,
then he will take the path to Paradise, and if this punishment is insufficient due to other sins,
then he will take the path to Hell for further punishment,
and after completion of the punishment or due to intercession, he will enter Paradise.
3.
Intention holds fundamental importance in the reward and punishment of deeds.
If a person keeps a horse for the purpose of showing off, pride, arrogance, or to display his wealth, or to use it against the Muslims, then for him this horse will be a cause of sin and punishment.
If a person keeps a horse to maintain his dignity,
to avoid the humiliation of begging from others,
or to lend it temporarily to those in need for riding,
then this too will be for the sake of Allah,
and will be a means of reward and protection from punishment.
And if a person keeps a horse to support the Muslims and to participate in jihad or dedicate it to the mujahideen,
then everything related to it—
its food,
drink,
running,
galloping—
will be a means of earning good deeds.
4.
All actions for which no specific reward has been mentioned fall under this rule and principle:
﴿فَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ﴾
5.
The wealth and animals for which one, out of love, avoided giving zakat, on the Day of Resurrection, that very wealth and those animals, in their most complete and perfect form, will become a cause of punishment and torment, and he will not be able to escape from them.

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
(1)
Nawās:
Plural of nāsiyah, meaning forehead.
(2)
Al-khayr:
Wealth,
goodness and virtue,
here it refers to reward and spoils (of war).
(3)
Takarruman wa tajammulan:
To protect one’s own honor and dignity from others, and to display one’s good character and virtues, so that one does not have to ask anyone for a mount, and can give it to someone in need.
(4)
Asharan:
To be arrogant.
(5)
Bataran:
To rebel and transgress against the truth.
(6)
Al-badhkh:
To express pride, arrogance, and superiority.
Benefits and Issues:
The horse is a noble and excellent means of transport; it can be used for both lawful and unlawful purposes, and its best use is to employ it in jihad. This use will remain until the Day of Judgment.
Thus, by being used in jihad until the Day of Judgment, it will continue to be a source of reward and spoils for its owner.

1658. Commentary: If the zakat of gold and silver is not paid, then it becomes a hoarded treasure (kanz) that leads to destruction. This is mentioned in Surah At-Tawbah: (And those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in the way of Allah, give them tidings of a painful punishment. The Day when it will be heated in the Fire of Hell and their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs will be branded with it. [It will be said], "This is what you hoarded for yourselves, so taste what you used to hoard.") (At-Tawbah 9:34-35). And those who amass gold and silver and do not spend it in the way of Allah, give them the glad tidings of a painful punishment. On the Day when it will be heated in the Fire of Hell, then their foreheads, their sides, and their backs will be branded with it. (And it will be said), "This is what you used to hoard for yourselves, so taste the punishment of what you used to hoard."

(1) "This is also a right." And this right is in addition to zakat. Although it is not obligatory, its fulfillment is also important. On the Day of Resurrection, punishment will be for not giving zakat, but failing to fulfill such rights is also contrary to chivalry and humanity, which is blameworthy in this world—especially if a poor person is so hungry that this milk is a necessity for him, then saving his life becomes obligatory (fard). In such a situation, this right will also become obligatory (fard).

(2) "A treasure upon which zakat has not been paid." If zakat is paid, then the treasure may be kept, provided that other necessary rights are also fulfilled, such as: showing kindness to parents, serving guests, fulfilling the needs of the poor, etc. The position of Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu is that even what is accumulated beyond daily necessities is also considered a hoard (kanz), regarding which the aforementioned warning has been revealed. His strictness in this matter does not conform with the texts (nusus) and the consensus practice of the Companions, but it will be regarded as an act of piety (wara‘) and being preferable (awla).

This type of snake is extremely venomous, and one bitten by it does not survive. It is also very frightening. See also, Hadith: 2433, 2450.

(1) "On such a day." According to our understanding, the determination of the duration of a day is based on the rising and setting of the sun, but it is evident that on the Day of Resurrection, the determination of the day will not be based on the sun. Allah, exalted is He, will determine the day in whatever manner He wills. It is possible that the absolute duration has been referred to as a "day."

(2) "The first will be returned." That is, the animals will pass over it in a circle. May Allah protect us from that.

Benefits and Issues:

➊
By "treasure" is meant gold, silver, etc., for which zakat has not been paid.

➋
A person is greedy for wealth and money in this world.
In acquiring it, he does not care whether it is lawful (halal) or unlawful (haram), and due to greed, he does not give zakat.
Such wealth will become a cause of punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and a person will wish to get rid of it, but he will not be able to.

➌
A person takes wealth with his hand, but with that same hand he does not wish to spend in the way of Allah, so the hand will be punished: his treasure will become a snake and bite his hand.
May Allah, the Exalted, keep us in His protection.
Ameen.

Benefit:
In this hadith, by giving the example of the generous and the miser, it is explained that whenever the generous person spends, his chest expands, and his heart is refreshed with faith. But when the miser intends to spend, his heart becomes constricted, he falls prey to doubts, and silence descends upon his heart and mind, because the very purpose of his life is to accumulate wealth. He has no concern for the Hereafter; in his heart and mind, love for wealth and riches is far greater than for the Qur’an and hadith, and for this reason, he does not spend his wealth. In contrast to the miser, when a true believer spends wealth, he feels happiness, his heart becomes fresh and lively, and he considers it a blessing for himself, saying: “O Allah! You have enabled me to spend my money in a good place.” Allah ta‘ala becomes pleased with such a person. As for the miser, neither does he benefit from his wealth himself, nor do his children, nor does it serve the religion; rather, Allah ta‘ala’s wrath descends upon him, and his accumulated wealth flows away like water, and then he is forced to accept all of this.