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“He who possesses gold or silver (i.e., wealth) but does not fulfill the obligations that are attached to the possession of wealth (i.e., does not pay the Zakath etc.,) plates of fire will be prepared for him on the Day of Judgment. These plates will be heated further in the fire of hell and then his forehead and sides and back will be branded with them. The plates will be heated up again and again to brand him and this will continue throughout the Day of Judgment which will be equal to fifty thousand years in this world.” Besides it, other horrible kinds of punishment are also mentioned in the Traditions. May Allah save us all from them!

Unjust and ungrateful

People who have been blessed by Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) with wealth and prosperity are, indeed, a most unjust and ungrateful lot if they do not pay the Zakath and shirk from spending their riches in His way as desired by Him. They richly deserve the punishment that is going to be meted out to them on the Day of Recompense.

Again, what is generally not realized is that it is our own poor and indigent brothers we serve when we pay the Zakath or spend our money on other acts of charity. By evading the Zakath we, as such, do a great wrong to our need and helpless brethren and play foul with their rights.

To think over it from another angle, whatever we have by way of property or wealth has, after all, been granted to us by Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) and we are His creatures and slaves. He commands full control and authority over our possessions as He does over our lives. Were He to demand from us every bit of our property or our life itself our duty, even then, would lie in placing everything before Him quietly and without demur. It is merely His kindness and benevolence that he has called on us to give away in Zakath only one-fortieth of the wealth He has bestowed on us.

Reward

Another extra-ordinary favor of the Lord is that He has placed an enormous reward on Zakath and other deeds of charity though whatever we give away is only out of the possessions and the wealth He has been pleased to bestow on us. It would be perfectly reasonable and justified if there had been no promise of a reward from Him on these things. If He is pleased with our conduct when we spend, from the resources He has favoured us with, in Zakath and in other charitable activities, as ordained by Him, and has given the assurance of a rich premium on such deeds of ours, it is solely due to His Infinite Kindness and Mercy. States the Quran.

The parable of those who spend their substance in the Way of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) is that of a grain of corn: it growth seven ears and each ear hath a hundred grains. Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth: for Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) careth for all and He knoweth all things. Those who spend their substance in the Cause of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa), and follow not up their gifts with reminders of their generosity or with reminders of their reward is with their Lord: on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.

In the above verse, three promises have been made on behalf of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) to those