يَوْمَ يُحْمَىٰ عَلَيْهَا فِى نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ فَتُكْوَىٰ بِهَا جِبَاهُهُمْ وَجُنُوبُهُمْ وَظُهُورُهُمْ ۖ هَـٰذَا مَا كَنَزْتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا۟ مَا كُنتُمْ تَكْنِزُونَ 35
Translations
The Day when it will be heated in the fire of Hell and seared therewith will be their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, [it will be said], "This is what you hoarded for yourselves, so taste what you used to hoard."
Transliteration
Yawma yuhmaa alayha fee nari jahannama fatukvaa biha jibaahuhum wa junubuhum wa zuhuruhum. Hadha ma kanaz tum li-anfusikum fa-dhooqoo ma kuntum takhnizoon.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the severe punishment on the Day of Judgment for those who hoarded wealth and refused to pay obligatory zakah or charity. The gold and silver they accumulated will be heated in the fire of Hell and used to brand their foreheads, sides, and backs, as a tangible consequence of their miserliness. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this punishment symbolically reflects how the wealth they cherished in this world becomes an instrument of their torment in the Hereafter, serving as poetic justice for their transgression.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah At-Tawbah (Chapter 9), which is entirely Medinan and deals with repentance, faith, and the consequences of hypocrisy and disobedience. The broader context (9:34-35) addresses those who hoard treasures and refuse to spend in the way of Allah, particularly criticizing the behavior of some Jewish and Christian scholars. This verse reinforces Islamic principles regarding wealth as a trust from Allah and the obligation of charitable spending.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever is made wealthy by Allah and does not pay the zakat of his wealth, then on the Day of Resurrection his wealth will be made like a bald-headed poisonous snake' (Sahih Bukhari 1403). Additionally, the Prophet warned about wealth and children being adornments of this life, but eternal good deeds are better (Quran 18:46, supported by various hadith collections on the transience of material wealth).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder that wealth is ultimately a divine trust for which we are accountable, and that refusing to share resources with those in need will result in severe consequences. For modern readers, it emphasizes that true prosperity lies in generous charitable giving and fulfilling financial obligations to society, not in accumulating material possessions for selfish purposes.
Related Ayahs
وَمِمَّنْ حَوْلَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَعْرَابِ مُنَـٰفِقُونَ ۖ وَمِنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْمَدِينَةِ ۖ مَرَدُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلنِّفَاقِ لَا تَعْلَمُهُمْ ۖ نَحْنُ نَعْلَمُهُمْ ۚ سَنُعَذِّبُهُم مَّرَّتَيْنِ ثُمَّ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَذَابٍ عَظِيمٍ
And among those around you of the bedouins are hypocrites, and [also] from the people of Madīnah. They have persisted in hypocrisy. You, [O Muḥammad], do not know them, [but] We know them. We will punish them twice [in this world]; then they will be returned to a great punishment.
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَهَاجَرُوا۟ وَجَـٰهَدُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ بِأَمْوَٰلِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَآئِزُونَ
The ones who have believed, emigrated and striven in the cause of Allāh with their wealth and their lives are greater in rank in the sight of Allāh. And it is those who are the attainers [of success].
إِنَّمَا يَسْتَـْٔذِنُكَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَٱرْتَابَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ فَهُمْ فِى رَيْبِهِمْ يَتَرَدَّدُونَ
Only those would ask permission of you who do not believe in Allāh and the Last Day and whose hearts have doubted, and they, in their doubt, are hesitating.
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ ۚ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مِن وَلِىٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ
Indeed, to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth; He gives life and causes death. And you have not besides Allāh any protector or any helper.