Surah 9:35
Show Full Scripture Context (9:34-35) — 2 Verses
۞يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِنَّ كَثِيرٗا مِّنَ ٱلۡأَحۡبَارِ وَٱلرُّهۡبَانِ لَيَأۡكُلُونَ أَمۡوَٰلَ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلۡبَٰطِلِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَكۡنِزُونَ ٱلذَّهَبَ وَٱلۡفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنفِقُونَهَا فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَبَشِّرۡهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٖ
You who believe! Surely many of the teachers and the monks consume the wealth of the people by means of falsehood, and keep (people) from the way of God. Those who hoard the gold and the silver, and do not spend it in the way of God – give them news of a painful punishment.
يَوۡمَ يُحۡمَىٰ عَلَيۡهَا فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ فَتُكۡوَىٰ بِهَا جِبَاهُهُمۡ وَجُنُوبُهُمۡ وَظُهُورُهُمۡۖ هَٰذَا مَا كَنَزۡتُمۡ لِأَنفُسِكُمۡ فَذُوقُواْ مَا كُنتُمۡ تَكۡنِزُونَ
On the Day when it will be heated in the Fire of Gehenna, and their foreheads and their sides and their backs will be branded with it: ‘This is what you hoarded for yourselves, so taste what you have hoarded!’
As-Suddi said that the Ahbdr are Jewish rabbis, while the They sell the religion in return for worldly gains, using their positions and status among people to illegally devour their property. For instance, the Jews were respected by the people of Jahiliyyah and collected gifts, taxes and presents from them. When Allah sent His Messenger sg, the Jews persisted in their misguidance, disbelief and rebellion, hoping to keep their status and position. However, Allah extinguished all this and took it away from them with the light of Prophethood and instead gave them disgrace and degradation, and they incurred the anger of Allah, the Exalted.
Allah said next,
4and hinder (them) from the way of Allah.}
Therefore, they illegally devour people’s property and hinder them from following the truth. They also confuse truth with falsehood and pretend before their ignorant followers that they call to righteousness. The true reality is that they call to the Fire and will not find any helpers on the Day of Resurrection.
Torment of Those Who hoard Gold and Silver
Allah said,
iAnd those who hoard [ Kanz ] gold and silver and spend them not in the way of Allah, announce unto them a painful torment .} [ 9 : 34 ).
This is the third category of leaders, for people rely on their scholars, worshippers and the wealthy among them. When these categories of people become corrupt, the society in general becomes corrupt. Ibn Al-Mubarak once said, “What corrupted the religion, except kings and wicked Ahbar and Ruhban." As for Kanz, it refers to the wealth on which Zakah has not been paid, according to Malik, who narrated this from ‘Abdullah bin Dinar from Ibn ‘Umar . Al-Bukhari recorded that Az-Zuhri said that Khalid bin Aslam said that ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar said, “This was before Zakah was ordained. When Zakah was ordained, Allah made it a cleanser for wealth .” “Umar bin ‘Abdul- ‘Aziz and Irak bin Malik said that this Ayah was abrogated by Allah’s statement,
iTake Sadaqah (alms) from their wealthy
There are many Hadiths that admonish hoarding gold and silver. We will mention here some of these Hadiths.
‘Abdur-Razzaq recorded a Hadlth from ‘Ali about Allah’s statement,
iAtid those who hoard up gold and silver... }
‘Ali said that the Prophet said,
uWoe to gold! Woe to silver .»
He repeated this statement thrice, and this Hadlth was hard on the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, who said, “What type of wealth should we use?” Umar said, “I will find out for you,” and he asked, “O Allah’s Messenger! Your statement was hard for your Companions. They asked, What wealth should we use?’” The Prophet answered,
«A remembering tongue, an appreciative heart and a wife that helps one of you implement his religion.»
Allah’s statement,
<Oh the Day when that 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 taste of what you used to hoard.”}
These words will be said to them as a way of admonishing, criticizing and mocking them. Allah also said;
Theti pour over his head the torment of boiling water. " Taste you (this)! Verily, you were (pretending to be) the mighty, the generous!”} [44:48-49].
There is a saying that goes, “He who covets a thing and prefers it to Allah’s obedience, will be punished with it.” Because hoarding money was better to these people than Allah’s pleasure, they were punished with it. For instance, Abu Lahab, may Allah curse him, was especially active in defying the Messenger of Allah and his wife was helping him in this regard. Therefore, on the Day of Resurrection, she will help in punishing him, for there will be a twisted rope of palm fiber on her neck. She will be gathering wood from the Fire and throwing it on him so that his torment is made harder by the hand of someone whom he used to care for in this life. Likewise, money was precious to those who hoarded it in this life. Therefore, money will produce the worst harm for them in the Hereafter, when it will be heated in the Fire of Jahannam, whose heat is quiet sufficient, and their forehead, sides and back will be branded with it.
Imam Abu JaTar Ibn Jarir recorded that Thawban said that the Messenger of Allah used to declare,
"Whoever leaves a treasure behind (on which he did not pay the Zakdlt), then on the Day of Resurrection his wealth will be made like a bald-headed poisonous male snake with two black spots over the eyes . The snake will follow him, and he will say, Woe to you! Who are you?' The snake will say, 7 am your treasure that you left behind,' and will keep following him until the man gives it his hand; the snake will devour it and then devour his whole body .»
Ibn Hibban also collected this Hadith in his Sahih. Part of this Hadith was also collected in the Two Sahihs from Abu Hurayrah. In his Sahih, Muslim recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah said,
•Even/ man who does not pay the Zakdh due on his money, then on the Day of Resurrection, his side, forehead and back will be branded with rods made of fire on a Day the length of which is fifty thousand years, until when the servants will be judged; that man will be shown his destination, either to Paradise or the Fire.»
In the Tafsir of this Ayah, Al-Bukhari recorded that Zayd bin Wahb said, “I passed by Abu Dharr in the area of Rabadhah and asked him, What made you reside in this area?’ He said, We were in Ash-Sham when I recited this Ayah,
^And those who hoard up gold and silver and spend them not in the way of Allah, announce unto them a painfiil torment. $
Mu’awiyah said, This Ayah is not about us, it is only about the People of the Book.’ So I (Abu Dharr) said, ‘Rather, it is about us and them.”
— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 4, Page 424-428)