9. Zakāh (Ritual Charity)
٩۔ كتاب الزكاة
Some of the Ansar begged from the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) and he gave them something. They later begged from him again and he gave them something so that what he had was exhausted. He then said :What I have I shall never store away from you but Allah will strengthen the abstinence of him who abstains, will give a satisfaction to him who wants to be satisfied, and will strengthen the endurance of him who shows endurance. No one has been given a more ample gift than endurance.
أَنَّ نَاسًا مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ سَأَلُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَعْطَاهُمْ ثُمَّ سَأَلُوهُ فَأَعْطَاهُمْ حَتَّى إِذَا نَفِدَ مَا عِنْدَهُ قَالَ مَا يَكُونُ عِنْدِي مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلَنْ أَدَّخِرَهُ عَنْكُمْ وَمَنْ يَسْتَعْفِفْ يُعِفَّهُ اللَّهُ وَمَنْ يَسْتَغْنِ يُغْنِهِ اللَّهُ وَمَنْ يَتَصَبَّرْ يُصَبِّرْهُ اللَّهُ وَمَا أَعْطَى اللَّهُ أَحَدًا مِنْ عَطَاءٍ أَوْسَعَ مِنَ الصَّبْرِ
The Prophet ﷺ said: If one who is afflicted with poverty refers it to me, his poverty will not be brought to an end; but if one refers it to Allah, He will soon give him sufficiency, either by a speedy death or by a sufficiency which comes later.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فَاقَةٌ فَأَنْزَلَهَا بِالنَّاسِ لَمْ تُسَدَّ فَاقَتُهُ وَمَنْ أَنْزَلَهَا بِاللَّهِ أَوْشَكَ اللَّهُ لَهُ بِالْغِنَى إِمَّا بِمَوْتٍ عَاجِلٍ أَوْ غِنًى عَاجِلٍ
Al-Firasi asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: May I beg, Messenger of Allah? The Prophet ﷺ said: No, but if there is no escape from it, beg from the upright.
لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَسْأَلُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لاَ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ سَائِلاً لاَ بُدَّ فَاسْأَلِ الصَّالِحِينَ
Umar employed me to collect the sadaqah. When I finished doing so and gave it to him, he ordered payment to be given to me. I said: I did only for Allah’s sake, and my reward will come from Allah. He said: Take what you are given, for I acted (as a collector) during the time of the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) and he assigned me a payment. Thereupon, I said the same kind of thing as you have said, to which Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said: When you are given something without asking for it, you should use it for your own purpose and as sadaqah.
اسْتَعْمَلَنِي عُمَرُ ؓ عَلَى الصَّدَقَةِ فَلَمَّا فَرَغْتُ مِنْهَا وَأَدَّيْتُهَا إِلَيْهِ أَمَرَ لِي بِعُمَالَةٍ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّمَا عَمِلْتُ لِلَّهِ وَأَجْرِي عَلَى اللَّهِ قَالَ خُذْ مَا أُعْطِيتَ فَإِنِّي قَدْ عَمِلْتُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَعَمَّلَنِي فَقُلْتُ مِثْلَ قَوْلِكَ فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا أُعْطِيتَ شَيْئًا مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ تَسْأَلَهُ فَكُلْ وَتَصَدَّقْ
the upper hand is better than the lower one, the upper being the one which bestows and the lower which begs. Abu Dawud said : The version of this tradition narrated by Ayyub from Nafi is disputed. The narrator ʿAbd al-Warith said in his version : ʿThe upper hand is the one which abstains from begging;” but most of the narrators have narrated from Hammad b. Zaid from Ayyub the words “ The upper hand is the one which bestows.” A narrator from Hammad said in his version “the one which abstains from begging.”
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ وَهُوَ يَذْكُرُ الصَّدَقَةَ وَالتَّعَفُّفَ مِنْهَا وَالْمَسْأَلَةَ الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى وَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا الْمُنْفِقَةُ وَالسُّفْلَى السَّائِلَةُ
The Prophet ﷺ said: Hands are of three types: Allah's hand is the upper one; the bestower's hand is the one near it; the beggar's hand is the lower one. So bestow what is surplus, and do not submit yourself to the demand of your soul.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الأَيْدِي ثَلاَثَةٌ فَيَدُ اللَّهِ الْعُلْيَا وَيَدُ الْمُعْطِي الَّتِي تَلِيهَا وَيَدُ السَّائِلِ السُّفْلَى فَأَعْطِ الْفَضْلَ وَلاَ تَعْجِزْ عَنْ نَفْسِكَ