Surah At-Tawba (9) — Ayah 34

(Ayah35,34) ➊ { يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اِنَّ كَثِيْرًا مِّنَ الْاَحْبَارِ وَ الرُّهْبَانِ …:} If you look at the context, here "Ahbar" and "Ruhban" refer to the scholars and ascetics of the People of the Book, but due to the generality of the words, the scholars and ascetics and Sufis of the Muslims are also included in this. Observe the justice of Allah Almighty that He did not declare all Ahbar and Ruhban to be the same, but stated about many of them that they consume people's wealth through false means and prevent from the way of Allah. See Surah Al-Ma'idah (5:62, 59). Razi said that when Allah mentioned the pride and arrogance of many of the Ahbar and Ruhban of the Jews and Christians, their claim of being beloved to Allah, being a higher creation than common people, and their claims to divine authority, He then explained that the purpose of expressing all these things was to take bribes from people, give wrong verdicts, conceal the glad tidings about the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and misinterpret them, in order to seize their wealth through false means and prevent them from the way of Allah, i.e., Islam. Allah knows, if you replace the words "Ahbar and Ruhban of the Jews and Christians" with "Ahbar and Ruhban of the Muslims" today, you will find no difference between the two; the same claims of being beloved to God and conversing with Him, the same display of renunciation of the world behind which the worst greed is hidden, the display of sanctity behind which many incidents of violating the honor of chaste women are present, and despite the claims of being scholars, pillars, and researchers of Islam, they shamelessly present their own or their leaders' statements as the command of Allah and His Messenger, and prevent people from the original Qur'an and Sunnah. If you do not believe, try any custodian of a shrine, Sheikh of a Khanqah, or the respected head of a Darul Uloom (except whom Allah wills), you will find much hidden behind the display of angelic purity and complete disinterest in the world. This will confirm the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), he said: "Indeed, you will follow the ways of those before you step by step, just as one span matches another and one hand matches another." [ مستدرک حاکم 455/4، ح : ۸۴۰۴ ] Yes, it is thanks to Allah that since He Himself has taken the responsibility of protecting this religion, according to his prophecy, there will always remain people of truth in every group among the Muslims, such as scholars, ascetics, mujahideen, traders, etc., who will remain steadfast on the true religion until the Day of Judgment and will remain dominant and victorious with the help of Allah, as several hadiths have been mentioned in the commentary of the previous verse. May Allah include us among these people by His grace.

➋ {وَ الَّذِيْنَ يَكْنِزُوْنَ الذَّهَبَ وَ الْفِضَّةَ …:} In this, by "those who" ({’’ الَّذِيْنَ ‘‘}), some Companions and commentators have taken it to mean the Ahbar and Ruhban of the Jews and Christians, whose first two vices (consuming people's wealth through false means and preventing from the way of Allah) have been mentioned, and now the third vice of hoarding gold and silver is stated, because the discussion is about them. However, according to most Companions and commentators, the generality of the words requires that whether they are Jews, Christians, or Muslims, whoever possesses this vice is deserving of this warning, and this is also supported by hadith. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Any person who owns gold or silver and does not pay its due, for him, on the Day of Resurrection, plates or rods of fire will be made from that gold or silver, then they will be heated in the fire of Hell and his sides, forehead, and back will be branded with them. When they cool down, they will be reheated, on a day whose length is fifty thousand years, until judgment is passed among the people, and he will see his path either to Paradise or to the Fire." (It is a long hadith in which the warning for those who do not pay the due of camels, goats, horses, etc., is also mentioned) [ مسلم، الزکاۃ، باب إثم مانع الزکاۃ : 987/24 ]

➌ { وَ لَا يُنْفِقُوْنَهَا فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ:} Spending in the way of Allah means to keep giving zakat, and in addition, to spend on the needy, to give loans to those in need, to pay the rights of those entitled, as in the verse {’’ لَيْسَ الْبِرَّ اَنْ تُوَلُّوْا ‘‘} there is mention of giving wealth besides zakat. See Surah Al-Baqarah (177), for example, expenses of the family, hospitality to guests, building a mosque, spending wealth in preparation for jihad, etc.

➍ { فَبَشِّرْهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ اَلِيْمٍ:} Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) based on this verse, declared the hoarding of gold and silver absolutely forbidden, but the majority of the Companions, such as the Commander of the Faithful Umar, Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbas, Jabir, and Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with them), held that the wealth on which zakat is paid is not considered hoarded wealth (kanz) and does not fall under this warning. Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "This was before the command of zakat was revealed. When the command of zakat was revealed, Allah made it a means of purifying wealth." [ بخاری، التفسیر، باب قولہ عز و جل : { یوم یحمی علیھا } : ۴۶۶۱ ] If it were obligatory to spend all wealth beyond one's needs, then inheritance and bequests would have no meaning, and when a Companion was told by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about the obligations of Islam, and zakat was mentioned as obligatory, he asked: [ هَلْ عَلَيَّ غَيْرُهَا؟ ] "Is there anything else obligatory upon me besides this?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: [ لاَ إِلاَّ اَنْ تَطَوَّعَ ] "No, except that you give voluntarily." That is, nothing beyond this is obligatory, the rest is voluntary. [ بخاری، الإیمان، باب الزکوٰۃ : ۴۶۔ مسلم : ۱۱ ]

The zakat, by paying which wealth is no longer considered hoarded (kanz) and becomes purified, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) specified its amount. There is no zakat on silver less than five awqiyah (200 dirhams). When there are two hundred dirhams and a year passes over them, then five dirhams zakat is due, i.e., two and a half percent (one dirham out of forty), and for gold, until there are twenty dinars, there is no zakat. When there are twenty dinars and a year passes over them, then half a dinar zakat is due, and for any amount above that, zakat will be according to the same calculation. [ أبوداوٗد، الزکاۃ، باب زکاۃ السائمۃ : ۱۵۷۳، عن علی، عن رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم و صححہ الألبانی ]

34. 1 Ahbar is the plural of Hibr; it refers to a person who has the ability to present things in a beautiful manner. A beautiful and embroidered garment is called Thawb Muhabbir. Here, it refers to the scholars of the Jews. Ruhban is the plural of Rahib, which is derived from Rahbana. By this, the scholars of the Christians are meant; according to some, it refers to the ascetics among the Christians. Both of these groups would alter and change the word of Allah and issue rulings according to people's desires, thus preventing people from the path of Allah. The saying of the Prophet ﷺ is the title of this chapter: "You will surely follow the ways of the previous nations."

34. 2 Abdullah bin Umar states that this is the command before the obligation of Zakat. After the command of Zakat was revealed, Allah made Zakat a means of purification for wealth. Therefore, the scholars say that wealth from which Zakat has been paid is not a treasure, and wealth from which Zakat has not been paid is Kanz (treasure), upon which this Quranic warning applies. Thus, in an authentic hadith it is stated: "Whoever does not pay the Zakat of his wealth, on the Day of Resurrection his wealth will be made into plates of fire, with which his sides, forehead, and back will be branded. This day will be of fifty thousand years, and this will continue until the people's judgments are completed. After that, he will be taken either to Paradise or to Hell." (Sahih Muslim) After the corrupt scholars and ascetics, the corrupt wealthy are next; all three groups are most responsible for the corruption of the masses.

O you who believe! Many of the Jewish scholars and dervishes consume people’s wealth unjustly and hinder (them) from the way of Allah [34]. And those who hoard gold and silver [35] and do not spend it in the way of Allah—give them tidings (O Prophet) of a painful punishment.

[34]
The Forbidden Consumption of the People of the Book:

Their unlawful practices were that they declared usury to be permissible. Especially, they considered taking interest from non-Jews as a virtuous act. Also, the wealth of non-Jews, whether acquired by lawful or unlawful means, was considered lawful and pure in their eyes. They would give false verdicts in exchange for bribes. They sold certificates of salvation. They would consume the price of forbidden things, such as by melting fat and selling it. Whether it was a wedding or a mourning ceremony, they would take their share and offerings. And these very actions of theirs indirectly became a cause of hindrance in the religion of Allah.

[35]
The Meaning of Hoarding Wealth:

Are the addressees of this phrase only the People of the Book, or does it include Muslims as well? There was also a difference of opinion among the noble Companions ؓ regarding this. For example, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar ؓ believed that wealth from which zakat has been paid is no longer considered hoarded wealth, whereas Sayyiduna Abu Dharr Ghifari and Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas ؓ were opposed to hoarding wealth, as is evident from the following hadiths:
1. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar ؓ says that this verse was revealed at a time when the obligation of zakat had not yet been revealed. Then, when zakat was made obligatory, Allah purified the wealth through zakat. [بخاري۔ كتاب الزكوٰة۔ باب ما اُدِّي زكوٰته فليس بكنز]
2. Ahnaf bin Qais says: I was sitting among a group of the Quraysh. Suddenly, a man came whose hair was rough, his clothes were coarse and worn, and his appearance was simple. He greeted us and then said, "Give them the glad tidings that a stone will be heated in the fire of Hell and placed on their chest, and it will be placed on the upper bone of their shoulder, which will pierce through the nipple of the chest, and in this way, the stone will keep rolling." After saying this, he turned his back and sat down by a tree. I said to him, "I think your words have displeased these people." He replied, "These people are foolish. My close friend told me." I asked, "Who is your close friend?" He said, "The Messenger of Allah, who else?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "Abu Dharr! Do you see Mount Uhud?" I replied, "Yes." He said, "I do not wish to have gold equal to Mount Uhud with me. If I had it, I would spend all of it in the way of Allah except for three dinars." And these people are foolish who accumulate wealth, and by Allah, I will neither ask them anything of the world nor of religion until I meet Allah." [بخاري۔ كتاب الزكوٰة۔ باب ما ادي زكوٰته فليس بكنز]
3.
The Position of Sayyiduna Abu Dharr Ghifari:

Zaid bin Wahb says: I saw Abu Dharr Ghifari in Rabdha (a place near Madinah), so I asked, "How did you end up here in the wilderness?" He said, "We were in the land of Sham. There was a dispute between me and Muawiyah (the governor of Sham). I recited this verse: ﴿وَالَّذِيْنَ يَكْنِزُوْنَ الذَّهَبَ وَالْفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنْفِقُوْنَهَا فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ ۙ فَبَشِّرْهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ اَلِيْمٍ﴾ So Amir Muawiyah said that this verse is not about Muslims (if they continue to pay zakat), but rather about the People of the Book, whereas I said that this verse is general and is common between them and us." [حواله ايضاً]