seeking to drink, yet he keeps it from them—may Allah protect us from such a deed. That person Allah will neither speak to on the Day of Resurrection, nor look at, nor purify, and for him is a painful punishment. Just imagine the plight of someone in that condition: Allah will not address him on the Day of Resurrection, nor cast a glance at him, nor cleanse him, and a painful punishment awaits him on that Day.
The second is a man who, after the afternoon prayer, sells a commodity and swears to the buyer that he has already been offered such-and-such a price for it, though he is lying. The purchaser believes his oath and buys the item on that basis, even though the claim is false. This man likewise—Allah will not speak to him on the Day of Resurrection, nor look at him, nor purify him, and a painful punishment is in store for him.
The Prophet ﷺ mentioned the time after the afternoon prayer because the finest portion of the day is what follows that prayer. Yet if a person were to swear falsely about merchandise at any other time so as to inflate its price, Allah would still not speak to him, nor look at him, nor purify him, and he would face a painful punishment.
In the ḥadith of Abu Dharr recorded by Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ said: “Three people—Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor look at them, nor purify them, and a painful punishment is theirs.” He repeated this three times. Abu Dharr asked, “Who are they, O Messenger of Allah? They are ruined and lost!” He replied: “The man who lets his garment trail below the ankles; the one who reminds others of his favors—when he gives them wealth, teaches them, or shows them kindness he later holds it over them; and the one who markets his goods with a lying oath,” meaning the person who swears falsely to raise the price of his merchandise.
This makes it clear that the mention of the time after the afternoon prayer in the ḥadith of Abu Hurayra serves only to underscore the severity of the warning; in reality, anyone who swears falsely about merchandise in order to increase its price—at any time—Allah will neither speak to him nor look at him nor purify him, and for him is a painful punishment.