90. Tricks
٩٠۔ كتاب الحيل
That Abu Bakr wrote for him, Zakat regulations which Messenger of Allah ﷺ had made compulsory, and wrote that one should neither collect various portions (of the property) nor divide the property into various portions in order to avoid paying Zakat.
أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ كَتَبَ لَهُ فَرِيضَةَ الصَّدَقَةِ الَّتِي فَرَضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَلاَ يُجْمَعُ بَيْنَ مُتَفَرِّقٍ وَلاَ يُفَرَّقُ بَيْنَ مُجْتَمِعٍ خَشْيَةَ الصَّدَقَةِ
A bedouin with unkempt hair came to Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Tell me what Allah has enjoined on me as regards prayers." The Prophet ﷺ said, "You have to offer perfectly the five (compulsory) prayers in a day and a night (24 hrs.), except if you want to perform some extra optional prayers." The bedouin said, "Tell me what Allah has enjoined on me as regards fasting." The Prophet ﷺ said, "You have to observe fast during the month of Ramadan except if you fast some extra optional fast." The bedouin said, "Tell me what Allah has enjoined on me as regard Zakat." The Prophet ﷺ then told him the Islamic laws and regulations whereupon the bedouin said, "By Him Who has honored you, I will not perform any optional deeds of worship and I will not leave anything of what Allah has enjoined on me." Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "He will be successful if he has told the truth (or he will enter Paradise if he said the truth)." And some people said, "The Zakat for one-hundred and twenty camels is two Hiqqas, and if the Zakat payer slaughters the camels intentionally or gives them as a present or plays some other trick in order to avoid the Zakat, then there is no harm (in it) for him.
أَنَّ أَعْرَابِيًّا جَاءَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ ثَائِرَ الرَّأْسِ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَخْبِرْنِي مَاذَا فَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَىَّ مِنَ الصَّلاَةِ فَقَالَ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسَ إِلاَّ أَنْ تَطَوَّعَ شَيْئًا فَقَالَ أَخْبِرْنِي بِمَا فَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَىَّ مِنَ الصِّيَامِ قَالَ شَهْرَ رَمَضَانَ إِلاَّ أَنْ تَطَوَّعَ شَيْئًا قَالَ أَخْبِرْنِي بِمَا فَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَىَّ مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ قَالَ فَأَخْبَرَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ شَرَائِعَ الإِسْلاَمِ قَالَ وَالَّذِي أَكْرَمَكَ لاَ أَتَطَوَّعُ شَيْئًا وَلاَ أَنْقُصُ مِمَّا فَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَىَّ شَيْئًا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَفْلَحَ إِنْ صَدَقَ أَوْ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ إِنْ صَدَقَ وَقَالَ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ فِي عِشْرِينَ وَمِائَةِ بَعِيرٍ حِقَّتَانِ فَإِنْ أَهْلَكَهَا مُتَعَمِّدًا أَوْ وَهَبَهَا أَوِ احْتَالَ فِيهَا فِرَارًا مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ فَلاَ شَىْءَ عَلَيْهِ
Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "On the Day of Resurrection the Kanz (Treasure or wealth of which, Zakat has not been paid) of anyone of you will appear in the shape of a huge bald headed poisonous male snake and its owner will run away from it, but it will follow him and say, 'I am your Kanz.'" The Prophet ﷺ added, "By Allah, that snake will keep on following him until he stretches out his hand and let the snake swallow it." Messenger of Allah ﷺ added, "If the owner of camels does not pay their Zakat, then, on the Day of Resurrection those camels will come to him and will strike his face with their hooves." Some people said: Concerning a man who has camels, and is afraid that Zakat will be due so he sells those camels for similar camels or for sheep or cows or money one day before Zakat becomes due in order to avoid payment of their Zakat cunningly! "He has not to pay anything." The same scholar said, "If one pays Zakat of his camels one day or one year prior to the end of the year (by the end of which Zakat becomes due), his Zakat will be valid."
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَكُونُ كَنْزُ أَحَدِكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ شُجَاعًا أَقْرَعَ يَفِرُّ مِنْهُ صَاحِبُهُ فَيَطْلُبُهُ وَيَقُولُ أَنَا كَنْزُكَ قَالَ وَاللَّهِ لَنْ يَزَالَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَتَّى يَبْسُطَ يَدَهُ فَيُلْقِمَهَا فَاهُ وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا مَا رَبُّ النَّعَمِ لَمْ يُعْطِ حَقَّهَا تُسَلَّطُ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تَخْبِطُ وَجْهَهُ بِأَخْفَافِهَا وَقَالَ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ فِي رَجُلٍ لَهُ إِبِلٌ فَخَافَ أَنْ تَجِبَ عَلَيْهِ الصَّدَقَةُ فَبَاعَهَا بِإِبِلٍ مِثْلِهَا أَوْ بِغَنَمٍ أَوْ بِبَقَرٍ أَوْ بِدَرَاهِمَ فِرَارًا مِنَ الصَّدَقَةِ بِيَوْمٍ احْتِيَالاً فَلاَ بَأْسَ عَلَيْهِ وَهْوَ يَقُولُ إِنْ زَكَّى إِبِلَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَحُولَ الْحَوْلُ بِيَوْمٍ أَوْ بِسَنَةٍ جَازَتْ عَنْهُ
Sa'd bin 'Ubada Al-Ansari sought the verdict of Messenger of Allah ﷺ regarding a vow made by his mother who had died before fulfilling it. Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Fulfill it on her behalf." Some people said, "If the number of camels reaches twenty, then their owner has to pay four sheep as Zakat; and if their owner gives them as a gift or sells them in order to escape the payment of Zakat cunningly before the completion of a year, then he is not to pay anything, and if he slaughters them and then dies, then no Zakat is to be taken from his property."
أَنَّهُ قَالَ اسْتَفْتَى سَعْدُ بْنُ عُبَادَةَ الأَنْصَارِيُّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي نَذْرٍ كَانَ عَلَى أُمِّهِ تُوُفِّيَتْ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَقْضِيَهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ اقْضِهِ عَنْهَا وَقَالَ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ إِذَا بَلَغَتِ الإِبِلُ عِشْرِينَ فَفِيهَا أَرْبَعُ شِيَاهٍ فَإِنْ وَهَبَهَا قَبْلَ الْحَوْلِ أَوْ بَاعَهَا فِرَارًا وَاحْتِيَالاً لإِسْقَاطِ الزَّكَاةِ فَلاَ شَىْءَ عَلَيْهِ وَكَذَلِكَ إِنْ أَتْلَفَهَا فَمَاتَ فَلاَ شَىْءَ فِي مَالِهِ