Penalty for refusal to pay Zakat

Question

What are the penalties on a person who refuses to pay the Zakat? Punishment of hell for this sin aside, what are the physical penalties on the person? Only credible answers from Quran, Hadith and Sunnah are welcome.

Thank you..

Answer 1

The penalty of one who refuses to give the Zakaat out of greed and love of money, then it is on the ruler to take it by force plus half of what he owns wealth, The Prophet ﷺ said:

فِي كُلِّ سَائِمَةِ إِبِلٍ: فِي أَرْبَعِينَ بِنْتُ لَبُونٍ, لَا تُفَرَّقُ إِبِلٌ عَنْ حِسَابِهَا, مَنْ أَعْطَاهَا مُؤْتَجِرًا بِهَا فَلَهُ أَجْرُهُ, وَمَنْ مَنَعَهَا فَإِنَّا آخِذُوهَا وَشَطْرَ مَالِهِ, عَزْمَةً مِنْ عَزَمَاتِ رَبِّنَا, لَا يَحِلُّ لِآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ مِنْهَا شَيْءٌ

For every forty camels, one ‘bint labun’ (a young female camel which is two years old and already starting the third year), is due as Zakah. No camel is to be separated from the rest of the camels (i.e. the jointly owned live stock as mentioned above). Whoever gives it willingly, seeking his reward from Allah, will be rewarded. (However) if someone refrains from paying it, it will be taken from him (by force) along with part of his property (as punishment), for it is a right of Allah. None of it is lawful for the family of Muhammad

بلوغ المرام

and on top of that, any group which has influence which refuses to give zakat, then war is declared on them as is clear from the example of Abu Bakr after the Prophet's ﷺ death with those that refused to give zakat. The Prophet ﷺ said:

"أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أُقَاتِلَ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَشْهَدُوا أَنْ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ، وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكَاةَ؛ فَإِذَا فَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ عَصَمُوا مِنِّي دِمَاءَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُمْ إلَّا بِحَقِّ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَحِسَابُهُمْ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى" .

I have been commanded to fight against the people till they testify La ilaha illAllah (There is no true god except Allah) and that Muhammad (ﷺ) is His slave and Messenger, and to establish As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and to pay Zakat; and if they do this, then their blood and property are secured except by the rights of Islam, and their accountability is left to Allah.

رياض الصالحين (riyadussaliheen)

And as Abu Bakr said, Zakat is of the rights of Islam.

Answer 2

1. One of penalties according to prophet is that the money which didn't spend for zakat, will be spent in the way of evil.

The Prophet said:

من مَنَعَ ماله من الأخیار اختیاراً صرّف اللّه ماله فى الأضرار اضطراراً

بحار

2. Another one is getting into famine.

The Prophet said:

لاتزال امّتى بخیر ما تحابّوا و اقاموا الصلوة و اتوا الزّكاة فاذا لم یفعلوا ذلك ابتلوا بالقحط و السنین

جامع الأحادیث

3. Plus, this money couldn't be spent for repair of religious places:

Quran, surat tawbah, verse 18:

The mosques of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and establish prayer and give zakah and do not fear except Allah , for it is expected that those will be of the [rightly] guided.

4. Removal of blessing.

The Prophet said:

«اذا مُنِعَت الزكاة مَنَعت الأرض بركاتها»

جامع الأحادیث

5. Refusing to pay zakat is a sign of hypocritical.

Quran, surah tawbah,verse 67:

The hypocrite men and hypocrite women are of one another. They enjoin what is wrong and forbid what is right and close their hands. They have forgotten Allah, so He has forgotten them [accordingly]. Indeed, the hypocrites - it is they who are the defiantly disobedient.

6. A person who avoid paying zakat is the same as usurer:

Imam Ali (a.s.):

مانع الزّكاة كآكل الرّبا

جامع الأحادیث