💰 The Fate of One Who Withholds Zakat: Qur’anic Warnings and Prophetic Narrations
✍️ By: Imran Ayub Lahori
❖ Qur’anic Warnings Against Withholding Zakat
➊ Severe Warning of Punishment
“وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ بِمَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ هُوَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ بَلْ هُوَ شَرٌّ لَّهُمْ ۚ سَيُطَوَّقُونَ مَا بَخِلُوا بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ“
(Surah Aal ‘Imran: 180)
Translation:
“Let not those who withhold what Allah has given them out of His bounty think it is good for them. Rather, it is bad for them. That which they hoard will be hung around their necks on the Day of Judgment.”
➋ The Hoarders of Wealth Face a Painful Punishment
“وَٱلَّذِينَ يَكْنِزُونَ ٱلذَّهَبَ وَٱلْفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنفِقُونَهَا فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ …”
(Surah At-Tawbah: 34–35)
Translation:
“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, sides, and backs will be branded with it: ‘This is what you hoarded for yourselves, so taste what you used to hoard.’”
❖ Prophetic Narrations on the Consequences of Not Paying Zakat
➌ Zakat-Preventer’s Wealth Turns Into a Venomous Snake
Narrated by Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه):
“Whoever is given wealth by Allah but does not pay its Zakat, his wealth will become a bald-headed venomous snake on the Day of Judgment. The snake will wrap around his neck, bite his jaws, and say: ‘I am your wealth, I am your treasure.’”
(Bukhari: 1403 – Kitab al-Zakat: Chapter on the sin of withholding Zakat)
➍ Torment With Gold and Silver on the Day of Judgment
Also narrated by Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه):
“The one who owns gold and silver and does not pay their Zakat, he will have slabs made from those metals heated in Hellfire and used to brand his forehead, sides, and back for a Day equal to fifty thousand years.”
💠 Regarding Livestock (Camels, Cows, Goats)
The Prophet ﷺ explained that those who do not pay Zakat on their livestock will be trampled and gored repeatedly by the very animals they withheld Zakat upon—for a Day lasting fifty thousand years, until judgment is passed.
💠 Horses, Donkeys, and Other Animals
He ﷺ clarified that:
- Horses used for vanity or hostility toward Muslims will be a cause of burden and sin.
- Horses used in the path of Allah and cared for properly will be a source of reward—even their droppings and footsteps are counted as good deeds.
- Regarding donkeys, he quoted a general verse:
“فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍۢ خَيْرًۭا يَرَهُۥ . وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍۢ شَرًّۭا يَرَهُۥ“
(Surah Az-Zalzalah: 7–8)
❖ Who Is Obligated to Pay Zakat?
Mukkallaf (Legally Responsible Individuals):
As per scholarly consensus, Zakat is obligatory on a:
- Muslim
- Free (not enslaved)
- Adult (baligh)
- Sane (‘aaqil)
- Owner of Nisab (minimum threshold)
📚 Fiqh al-Zakah: 1/95 – by Yusuf al-Qaradawi
📚 Al-Muhalla: 4/3 – by Ibn Hazm
📚 Al-Mughni: 4/69 – by Ibn Qudamah
❖ Is Zakat Due on a Minor or Mentally Ill Person’s Wealth?
Though some scholars differed, the strongest opinion is that:
✔ Zakat is due on their wealth, because Zakat is a right of the poor upon the wealth itself, regardless of the owner’s age or mental state.
“خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً“
(Surah At-Tawbah: 103)
Supporting Hadith and Scholarly Opinions:
🟢 Imam Bukhari listed the chapter:
“باب إنفاق المال فى حقه“ – Spending wealth in its rightful place.
🟢 Hadith:
“No envy except in two: A man whom Allah gives wealth and he spends it in the right cause…”
(Bukhari: 1409 – Kitab al-Zakah)
📚 Scholars like Ibn Hazm, Ibn Qudamah, and Yusuf Qaradawi supported this view:
- Al-Muhalla: 4/4–5
- Al-Mughni: 4/69
- Fiqh al-Zakah: 1/119
❖ Summary
◈ Withholding Zakat leads to severe punishment in both the Qur’an and Hadith.
◈ One’s wealth will be a source of torment if Zakat is not paid.
◈ Zakat is obligatory on every Muslim who owns wealth above Nisab, including minors and mentally ill persons, with the responsibility of payment on their guardians.
◈ Zakat is a purification of wealth and a right of the poor; denying it is a crime in both spiritual and social terms.
