The position of zakat is the same as the obligatory prayer and Ramadan fasting. It is one of the pillars of Islam. If we deliberately do not pay zakat, then we have violated His command. Threats for people who violate the obligation to pay zakat have also been mentioned in the Qur’an and hadith. How will Allah punish those who do not pay zakat?
Evidence About People Who Do Not Pay Zakat
Allah Swt has mentioned many things in His words regarding those who deny zakat or deliberately do not pay zakat.
Qur’anic Verses
The punishment for those who deny zakat is very severe, as illustrated in the following verses:
“O you who have believed, verily most of the Jewish scholars and the Christian monks do eat of people’s wealth by means of falsehood and they prevent people from the way of Allah. And those who store up gold and silver and do not spend it in the cause of Allah, then let them know that they will have a painful punishment.” (QS. At-Taubah verse 34)
The verse explains that there are pious people who deliberately disobey and do not fulfill their obligations, including not paying zakat. In fact, they like to hoard their wealth. So their actions will be rewarded by Allah SWT as mentioned in the next verse:
“On the day when the gold and silver will be heated in Hellfire, and their foreheads, their stomachs, and their backs will be burned with it. (And it will be said to them: ‘This is your treasure which you have kept for yourselves, so feel now the consequences of what you have kept‘.” (QS. At-Taubah: 35)
Read also: What is the Difference between Zakat, Infaq, and Sadaqah? This is the explanation
The above verse explains the punishment that is threatened to anyone who is miserly and deliberately does not pay zakat. On the Day of Judgment, they will find their wealth heated and ironed on their foreheads, stomachs, and backs. This threat is general, i.e. for anyone who is blessed with a lot of wealth, but is miserly. Islam does allow its people to accumulate as much wealth as possible, but at the same time, they must also be generous.
“Let not those who are stingy with the wealth that Allah has given them from His bounty think that stinginess is good for them. In fact, it is bad for them. The wealth that they hogged will be hung around their necks on the Day of Resurrection. And to Allah belongs all the inheritance in the heavens and the earth, and Allah knows what you do.” (QS. Ali ‘Imran verse 180)
The verse reminds the wealthy not to be miserly towards Allah and others. If they spend some of the wealth entrusted to them, it will protect them from disaster. The remaining wealth will also be blessed by Allah.
On the other hand, if they hold on to their wealth by not paying zakat, Allah will harden their hearts. Thus, it will be difficult for them to accept advice. Then, the wealth they hoard will be hung around their necks on the Day of Judgment as a punishment and torment.
Hadith of Prophet Muhammad Saw
In addition to the words contained in the Qur’an, Allah also made the Prophet Muhammad Saw an example for his people in behavior. This includes the example of zakat. The Prophetic Hadith below explains what punishment a person will get if he does not pay zakat for his assets.
“Amr ibn Shuaib reported from his father from his grandfather that a woman (mother) came to the Prophet (peace be upon him). On her daughter’s hand was (wearing) a pair of gold bracelets. The Prophet asked the mother: ‘Have you paid zakaah on the two gold bracelets (worn) by your daughter?’, the mother replied: ‘No’, the Prophet said: ‘Will you be pleased if Allah swt wraps them on the Day of Judgment with two bracelets of fire?’, the mother spontaneously took off her daughter’s two gold bracelets and handed them to the Prophet saying: ‘I give these two gold bracelets to Allah and His Messenger‘.” (Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, and Al-Nasa’i.)
Read also: Nisab Zakat on Silver is Different from Zakat on Gold, Don’t Get Mixed Up!
Punishment for Not Paying Zakat
Based on the explanations above, we can conclude that not paying zakat is a major sin. In fact, the punishment is not only in the hereafter, but also in this world.
Someone who denies the legal obligation of zakat can be called a disbeliever. In the Qur’an, people who belong to this group are dubbed as people who associate partners with Allah or polytheists.
Prayer, fasting, and Hajj are not accepted by people who deliberately do not pay zakat. The reason is, all worship is interrelated, so it must be done perfectly.
People who withhold their zakat are feared to die in a state of su’ul khatimah or in a bad state and deviate from Islam. Those who do not pay zakat will be tortured in this world before they die like Qarun and the Children of Israel. Allah swt has told about Qarun’s person in His words:
“So We buried Qarun and his house in the earth.” (QS. Al-Qashash: 81)
This is also in accordance with the following hadith of the Prophet Muhammad:
“And no one owns a camel, cow or sheep and does not pay zakaah on it, but on the Day of Resurrection he will be thrown into a herd of camels in a vast land. All of them will gore him with their horns and trample him with their feet. Every time the last one is finished, it will be repeated from the first until Allah judges His servants on a day that is fifty thousand years long, then He will show him his place of return either to Paradise or to Hell. And there is no one who has stored up wealth and did not pay zakaah on it, but on the Day of Resurrection his wealth will come like a bald dragon snake.” (HR Muslim and Bukhari).
It is also stated in the Hadith: “Whoever is endowed by Allah with wealth and does not pay zakaah on it, it will become a male snake with a shaved head and two fangs on the Day of Judgment. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will wrap it around the miserly person. Then the snake will grab him by both jaws, saying: ‘I am your treasure, I am the treasure you have kept‘.”
Nauzubillahimindzalik … may we all be spared from the characteristics of denying the obligation of the law of zakat. For that, Friends, let us be disciplined in carrying out Allah’s commands, including paying zakat. Pay zakat on the assets that we have, because everything is just a trust from Allah SWT, and there are other people’s rights there.