severe torment. We ask Allah for safety, for such people are truly to be pitied. The Prophet ﷺ reported from his Lord (Glorified is He) that He said: “There are three whose adversary I shall be on the Day of Resurrection: a man who pledged in My Name and then betrayed his pledge—that is, he made an oath by Allah and then broke it; a man who sold a free person and consumed the price; and a man who hired a laborer, took from him the full measure of work, yet did not give him his wages.” These will have Allah Himself as their opponent on the Day of Resurrection—we seek refuge with Allah from their fate. Their scheming is outright tyranny; with every hour, indeed every moment, that passes while they refuse to give people their due, they only grow more distant from Allah and sink deeper into injustice. Wrongdoing, after all, will be layers of darkness on the Day of Resurrection.

The author then cites the verse: “Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due” (Qur’an 4:58). Among those trusts is the price of a sale: if someone sells you something and the payment remains a debt upon you, it is effectively a trust—you must discharge it, and it is not lawful for you to procrastinate.

He also adduces the hadith of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) in which the Prophet ﷺ said: “A rich man’s procrastination is injustice, and if any of you is referred to a solvent person, let him accept the referral.” In this single report the Prophet combined excellence in repaying debts with excellence in seeking them. Concerning excellence in repayment he declared, “A rich man’s procrastination is injustice,” which implicitly commands the debtor to pay immediately and forbids delay; whoever delays is a wrongdoer. How many people are approached for the purchase price or for rent, yet they reply, “Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow,” while the money is sitting right there in their safe—but they are merely playing games.