The renowned exegete, Ḥakīm al-Ummah, Muftī Aḥmad Yār Khān Naʿīmī رحمة الله عليه states in explanation of this verse, "i.e. Save yourselves from the causes of adultery as well. Thus, the lustful glance, seclusion with a non maḥram woman, and for a woman not to observe proper veil etc. are all prohibited."¹
An
adulterer is abased and disgraced in this world and will be subjected to an
intensely humiliating punishment in the next world. On the night of Miʿrāj, the Prophet ﷺ observed the punishment of such people.
Putrid
Flesh Eating People
It
is narrated that the Prophet ﷺ passed a group of people in front of whom
were pots of cooked meat of the best kind and pots of raw, putrid, rotten meat.
The people were coming to the putrid meat to eat from it, and they were leaving
the pure cooked meat untouched. The Prophet asked, "Who are they, O
Jibril?" He replied, "This is a man from your Ummah who had a pure
lawful wife but left her, went to an evil woman and spent the night with them
and this is a woman from your Ummah who despite being married to a pure, lawful
husband, went to an evil man and spent the night with him."²
People
Hanging Upside Down
The
Prophet ﷺ
also saw another scene of the punishment of adulterers where some women were
being hung from their chests and some from their legs. The Prophet asked,
"Who are they, O Jibril?" He replied, "These are the women that
would commit adultery and would kill their children."³
¹ Nūr
Al-ʿIrfān, part 15, Surah Bani Isra'il, Under the verse 32, p. 343
² Tafsir Al-Tabari, Surah Al-Isra', under the verse 1, vol. 8, p. 8, Hadith
22021
³ Ibid, p. 13, Hadith 22023
Rocks
of fire in their mouths
On
the night of Miʿrāj, the holy Prophet ﷺ saw groups of people whose lips resembled
the lips of camels. Their mouths were being pried open by individuals placed
over them who were placing large rocks of fire into them that came out again
from their posteriors. The Prophet ﷺ asked, "O Jibril! Who are these
people?" He replied, "They are those people (then he recited the
following verse):"
اَلَّذِيْنَ يَأْكُلُوْنَ اَمْوَالَ الْيَتٰمٰى ظُلْمًا اِنَّمَا
يَأْكُلُوْنَ فِيْ بُطُوْنِهِمْ نَارًا
Those who consume the
wealth of orphans unjustly; they are actually only filling their bellies with
fire.²
Misappropriating
the money, possessions, inheritance or any type of wealth or property of
orphans has a severe consequence in the afterlife.
Many
warnings of grave punishment have come concerning this in the Quranic verses
and the Prophetic hadith, as you have just noted. It should be remembered that
just as there are warnings of severe punishment in hell concerning devouring
the wealth of orphans and treating them badly, there are also glad tidings of
safety from the terrifying punishment of hellfire for treating them with
softness and kindness and dealing with them with compassion and benevolence.
The Prophet ﷺ
said, "Oath by the One Who sent me with the truth! Whoever was merciful to
an orphan, spoke to him softly, pitied him for his state as an orphan and for
his weakness, and was not arrogant over his neighbour due to the virtue of
wealth Allah Almighty bestowed upon him, Allah Almighty will not punish him on
the Day of Judgement."³
¹
Al-Shariʿah Lil-Aajurri, vol. 3, p. 1532, Hadith 1027
² [Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 4, Surah Al-Nisa', verse 10)
³ Al-Muʿjam Al-Awsat, vol. 6, p. 296, Hadith 8828
Eating
Thorny Grass and Cacti as Punishment
On
this night, the Prophet ﷺ
passed by such people who had rags hanging at their front and back. They were
roaming like livestock eating cacti¹ and heated rocks of hell. He asked,
"Who are they, O Jibril?" Angel Jibril replied, "These are the
people who did not meet the obligation of paying Zakat from what they
possessed, whereas Allah Almighty did not oppress them and Allah Almighty does
not oppress His slaves."²
Not
paying Zakat despite it being fard is an action that leads a person to hell.
Intense punishments are mentioned in the noble Quran and the hadith regarding
this. Sayyidunā Abū
Hurairah رضی
اللہ
عنہ
narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Whoever Allah Almighty
bestowed wealth upon and he did not pay its Zakat, then on the Day of
Judgement, his wealth will be given the form of a bald serpent upon whose eyes
will be two black spots. It will wrap like a necklace around his neck, and it
will take hold of him in its jaws and say, "I am your wealth and your
treasure."³
Terrifying
Punishment for Not Paying Zakat
Take
heed! Who is it that can endure such a terrifying punishment on the Day of
Judgement? Oath by Allah Almighty! No one has the strength to bear such a
frightful punishment, and it is not restricted to just this form, rather many
other punishments are mentioned in the hadith.
The
reviver of Islam, the Imām
of Ahl al-Sunnah, Imām
Aḥmad Razā
Khān رحمة
الله
عليه
mentioning them briefly, states, "The summary is that if Zakat is not paid
on gold and silver, then it will be heated in the fire and their foreheads,
sides and backs will be branded with it. The heated rock of hell will be placed
on their heads and chests such that it will breach the chest and exit from the
shoulders. It will be placed on the shoulder blades such that it will rupture
the bones exiting from the chest, tearing through the back it will exit from
the flank, and ripping through the nape it will rise up from the forehead.
¹ A
thorny, poisonous plant with green leaves and flowers that are multi-coloured.
It has nearly 100 varieties.
² Al-Targhib wal-Tarhib: 15
³ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1403
That
wealth upon which Zakat is not given will come on the Day of Judgement in the
form of an old, malevolent, bloodthirsty serpent and chase the person. He will
try to stop it with his hand, but it will devour his hand. It will then become
like a collar around his neck and taking his mouth in its mouth, it will bite
him (saying that), "I am your wealth, I am your treasure." Then it
will bite his entire body. وَالْعِيَاذُبِاللّٰهِ
رَبِّ
الْعٰلَمِيْن
We seek refuge with Allah Almighty.¹
Repent!
Reflect
on these punishments and then look at your weakness and incapacity. Ah! The
state of our weaknesses is such that a minor cold or fever puts us in anguish.
How will it be possible for us to endure the agonizing punishments of the
Hereafter?
For
this reason, time is still at hand, fear, and whomever despite it being fard
upon him has not fulfilled his Zakat in the past should first repent and then
calculate the Zakat he owes and pay it as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if
this opportunity slips through one's hands, and death arrives before
repentance, there will be no further chance.
¹
Fatawa Razawiyyah, vol. 10, p. 153
Kar le toba Rabb ki
rahmat hai bari
Qabar men warna saza ho gi kari
Repent! For vast is the mercy of your
Lord, most dear
Otherwise, the punishment in the grave will be severe
صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْب صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّد
Who
is honourable?
Sayyidunā Mūsā Kalimullah عليه
السلام
said, "O my Lord, the Most High عَزَّوَجَلَّ! Who is the most honourable of people in
Your Court?" Allah Almighty replied, "He who pardons, despite being
able to take retribution."²
Learning
a verse from the Book of Allah is better than 100 nawafil
Sayyidunā Abū
Dharr al-Ghifārī
رضی
اللہ
عنہ
narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said to me, "O Abū Dharr! That you learn one verse from
the Book of Allah Almighty in the morning is better for you than offering 100 nawafil."³
Giving
Legal Verdicts Without Knowledge
The
admonishing statement of the master of the Prophets ﷺ is, "Whoever passed a legal judgement
without knowledge, then the sin of it is upon the one who issued it."⁴
¹
Wasa'il-e-Bakhshish, p. 667
² Shu'ab al-Īmān: 8327
³ Sunan Ibn Mājah: 219
⁴ Sunan Abī Dawūd: 3657
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