سورة المؤمنون

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Whoever withholds even one qirat (a unit of measure equal to 0.2 grams) of his zakat is neither a believer nor a Muslim. Allah says regarding him: رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ * لَعَلِّی أَعْمَلُ صالِحاً فِیما تَرَکْتُ [My Lord, send me back, that I may do righteousness in that which I left behind].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Whoever refuses to pay zakat will, at the time of death, request to be returned to the world. This is as it comes in this saying of Allah the Exalted: رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ * لَعَلِّی أَعْمَلُ صالِحاً فِیما تَرَکْتُ [My Lord, send me back, that I may do good in that which I have left behind].

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said to Ali (peace be upon him): O Ali (peace be upon him)! One who does not pay zakat asks Allah to return him [after death] to the world, and this is the word of Allah the Exalted: [they continue on their wrong path] حَتَّی إِذا جاءَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ [until when death overtakes one of them, he says: My Lord, send me back].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Every wealthy person and hoarder of gold and silver who refrains from paying the khums and zakat of his wealth, Allah will confine him on the Day of Judgement in a barren, waterless, uninhabited land, and will set upon him a wild beast that keeps attacking him. When this person realises there is no escape from the claws of this beast, he holds out his hand before it, and the beast bites his hand as a radish is bitten. Every wealthy person who owns camels, cattle or sheep and does not pay the khums and zakat of his wealth, Allah will cast him on the Day of Judgement into a barren, waterless, uninhabited land, and horned animals will gore him with their horns and hoofed animals will strike him with their hooves. Every wealthy person who owns date-palm groves, vineyards or farmland and does not pay its zakat, Allah on the Day of Judgement will raise up that land through seven earths and will hang it, together with the creatures of his fields, around his neck like a collar.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said to Ali (peace be upon him): O Ali (peace be upon him)! One who does not pray asks Allah to return him to the world, and this is in the saying of Allah the Exalted: حَتَّی إِذا جاءَ أَحَدَهُمُ المَوْتُ قالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ [Until when death overtakes one of them, he says: My Lord, send me back].

Ibn Abbas: Whoever possesses wealth on which he ought to have paid zakat but did not pay it, and has the means to perform Hajj but did not go for Hajj, at the time of death will request to be returned to the world — which is a reference to this word of Allah where He said: رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ [My Lord, send me back].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): [This verse] was revealed concerning the one who does not pay zakat; no one leaves it (zakat) unpaid but that he will say this at the time of death.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When a disbeliever dies, seventy thousand angels who are guardians of Hell accompany him to his grave... [He says with a loud voice:] رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ * لَعَلِّی أَعْمَلُ صالِحاً فِیما تَرَکْتُ [My Lord, send me back, so that I may do good in that which I have left]. But the guardian angels of Hell reply to him: It is never so, and what you are saying is only a word [and if you return you will not do so].

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): When a disbeliever dies, he says: رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ * لَعَلِّی أَعْمَلُ صالِحاً فِیما تَرَکْتُ [My Lord, send me back, so that I may do good in that which I have left]; the guardian angels of Hell reply to him: "No; it is not so! This is a word that you say with your tongue [but you will not act on it]." And an angel says to them that if he were returned, he would go back to what he was forbidden from.

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): The sign of those who are ascetic in this world and have attached their hearts to the Hereafter is that they abandon the company of every companion and friend, and they leave every comrade who is not in harmony with them. Know that whoever acts for the reward of the Hereafter is ascetic toward the fleeting beauty of this world, prepared for death, eager and desirous to act before the opportunity of life is lost and before the arrival of that from which there is no escape (that is, death), and to have fear before dying; for Allah says: حَتَّی إِذا جاءَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ * لَعَلِّی أَعْمَلُ صالِحاً فِیما تَرَکْتُ [Until when death overtakes one of them, he says: My Lord, send me back, so that I may do good in that which I have left]. So each of you must, in his life today, place himself in the position of that regretful person who has returned to the world in order to make up for those righteous deeds which he did not perform for the day of his poverty and need.