Islam warns the one who withholds zakah of a severe punishment in this world and in the Herefater. His punishment in the Hereafter is depicted in the most eloquent terms in the verse in which Allah (SWT) says:” And those who hoard up gold and silver {Al-Kanz: the money, the zakah of which has not been paid} and spend them not in the way of Allah, announce unto them a painful torment. On the Day when that {hoarded gold and silver, the zakah of which has not been paid} will be heated in the fire of Hell and with it will be branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, {and it will be said unto them}:’ This is the treasure which you hoarded for yourselves. Now teste of what you used to hoard.”’ (Qur’an 9: 34-35)
With regard to his punishment in this world, we find it in the Prophet’s warning that half of his wealth is to be confiscated. The Prophet (SAW) said:” Whoever gives it seeking reward, he will have his reward, but whoever withholds it, I will take it, and take half of his wealth, for it is the command of our Lord, and the family of Muhammad has no share in it.” (Ahmad, Abu Dawood and Nasa’i)
This is the punishment which was prescribed by the Messenger of Allah (SAW) for the ruler to follow when needed, in order to discipline those who withhold the zakah and those who try to avoid paying it; he is to issue the threat of this punishment and others as required by the interests of the Muslims in a Muslim society.
Hence the Chalif Abu Bakr (RA) and the Sahabah along with him fought those who withheld the zakah, and he spoke his famous words,” By Allah, I will most certainly fight those who separate prayer from zakah, for zakah is due on wealth. By Allah, if they were to withhold a rope that they used to give to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) (as part of zakah), I will fight them for it.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
The way in which the Arabs who apostatized from Islam at the time of Abu Bakr (RA) understood Islam was very shallow, because they thought that it was a religion that could be divided, and that a person could take the things he liked, and leave whatever he wanted. They could not understand that it was a religion that brought a complete and integrated way of life, all parts of which complemented other parts, so that the structure was built on all its foundations which encompassed all the worldly and spiritual aspects of man’s life.
They thought that they were still Muslims, because they were performing the prayer, but they refusing to perform the duty of paying zakah, which they viewed as nothing more or less than a tax imposed by the ruler. Their shallow understanding and misinterpretation of Islam was expressed by the poet when he said,
” We obeyed the Messenger of Allah when he was among us, O’ slaves of Allah, why should we obey Abu Bakr?
Will he give his position to his son Bakr after him?
This would be a fatal manoeuver.”
Hence Abu Bakr spoke his immortal words:” By Allah, I will most certainly fight those who separate prayer from zakah.”
The basic principle in Islamic shari’ah is that the Muslim government should take care of collecting zakah and distributing it to those who are entitled to it. Every individual in the Muslim society should cooperate and make it easy to collect it and distribute it. The zakah funds should not be included with the general budget of the state.
Dr. Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi