Clarification of the ruling on withholding zakah out of negligence.

The Shaykh : If a man withholds zakah out of negligence, withholding zakah out of negligence until he dies, do we say that he died upon disbelief? No, we do not say he died upon disbelief, because of the hadith of Abu Hurayrah that we cited earlier, and in it indicates that he does not become a disbeliever, because if he had become a disbeliever, he would have had no way to Paradise. But if the heirs pay the zakah that was due from him, meaning they knew that this man did not pay zakah, and they calculated the zakah to be forty thousand and paid it on behalf of the deceased, is his conscience thereby cleared? Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "His conscience is not cleared". His conscience is not cleared; he will be punished, he will be punished, meaning the man died while not paying zakah, and he will be punished for that. And those who paid the zakah after his death are the heirs, but he did not intend to worship Allah by paying it, so it does not suffice for him. And this is a point that must be like a dagger in the chest for those who withhold zakah. The one who withholds zakah should not say, "If I die, the heirs will pay it," for it does not benefit him with Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because he died not intending to pay it. But are the heirs obligated to pay it, because it is a right belonging to others? It appears that yes, they are obligated to pay it, because it is a right belonging to others. It is also possible that they are not obligated to pay it, and they say, "This man bore the sin of it, and it is not our concern; we have the benefit, and he bears the loss." This is a matter that people of wealth must be aware of: if they withhold zakah and die, and then the heirs pay it after them, their consciences are not cleared thereby. We ask Allah for safety and well-being. We begin with the questions now, until the allotted time, which is if you set the beginning at its end, oh Allah.

The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and all his Companions. May Allah reward you with the best reward. The honorable Shaykh, the questioner says.

The Shaykh : Pay attention, there is one verse remaining from the verses of zakah, and it is His saying, the Exalted: And, if Allah wills, we will speak about it and about the remaining rulings of zakah on the coming night, not in the morning; the morning has a special lesson, but on the coming night, if Allah wills, yes.

The questioner : He asks, are the funds in the bank, and the person takes from them throughout the year?

The Shaykh : Are they? Are they?