Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
Qurʾān Bukhārī Muslim Nasāʾī Abū Dāwūd Tirmidhī Ibn Mājah Mālik Aḥmad Dārimī Ḥākim Ibn Ḥibbān Ṭabarānī Nasāʾī's Kubrá Bayhaqī al-Luʾluʾ wa-al-Marjān Ibn Rajab's Fifty Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn Aḥmad's Zuhd Suyūṭī
bukhari:1490 – ʿAbdullāh b. Yūsuf > Mālik b. Anas > Zayd b. Aslam from his father > ʿUmar

Once I gave a horse in Allah's Cause (in charity) but that person did not take care of it. I intended to buy it, as I thought he would sell it at a low price. So, I asked the Prophet ﷺ about it. He said, "Neither buy, nor take back your alms which you have given, even if the seller were willing to sell it for one Dirham, for he who takes back his alms is like the one who swallows his own vomit."  

البخاري:١٤٩٠ – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ

سَمِعْتُ عُمَرَ ؓ يَقُولُ حَمَلْتُ عَلَى فَرَسٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَأَضَاعَهُ الَّذِي كَانَ عِنْدَهُ فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَشْتَرِيَهُ وَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ يَبِيعُهُ بِرُخْصٍ فَسَأَلْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ لاَ تَشْتَرِ وَلاَ تَعُدْ فِي صَدَقَتِكَ وَإِنْ أَعْطَاكَهُ بِدِرْهَمٍ فَإِنَّ الْعَائِدَ فِي صَدَقَتِهِ كَالْعَائِدِ فِي قَيْئِهِ  

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Muslim, Nasāʾī, Mālik, Aḥmad, Nasāʾī's Kubrá, Suyūṭī
muslim:1620a – ʿAbdullāh b. Maslamah b. Qaʿnab > Mālik b. Anas > Zayd b. Aslam from his father > ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb

I donated a pedigree horse in the path of Allah. Its possessor made it languish. I thought that he would sell it at a cheap price. I asked Messenger of Allah ﷺ about it, whereupon he said: Don't buy it and do not get back your charity, for one who gets back the charity is like a dog who swallows its vomit.  

مسلم:١٦٢٠a – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ بْنِ قَعْنَبٍ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ قَالَ

حَمَلْتُ عَلَى فَرَسٍ عَتِيقٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَأَضَاعَهُ صَاحِبُهُ فَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ بَائِعُهُ بِرُخْصٍ فَسَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ لاَ تَبْتَعْهُ وَلاَ تَعُدْ فِي صَدَقَتِكَ فَإِنَّ الْعَائِدَ فِي صَدَقَتِهِ كَالْكَلْبِ يَعُودُ فِي قَيْئِهِ  

muslim:1620c – Umayyah b. Bisṭām > Yazīd / Ibn Zurayʿ > Rawḥ / Ibn al-Qāsim > Zayd b. Aslam from his father > ʿUmar

Don't buy that even if you get it for a dirham for he who gets back the charity is like a dog which swallows its vomit.  

مسلم:١٦٢٠c – حَدَّثَنِي أُمَيَّةُ بْنُ بِسْطَامَ حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ يَعْنِي ابْنَ زُرَيْعٍ حَدَّثَنَا رَوْحٌ وَهُوَ ابْنُ الْقَاسِمِ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عُمَرَ

أَنَّهُ حَمَلَ عَلَى فَرَسٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَوَجَدَهُ عِنْدَ صَاحِبِهِ وَقَدْ أَضَاعَهُ وَكَانَ قَلِيلَ الْمَالِ فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَهُ فَأَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَقَالَ لاَ تَشْتَرِهِ وَإِنْ أُعْطِيتَهُ بِدِرْهَمٍ فَإِنَّ مَثَلَ الْعَائِدِ فِي صَدَقَتِهِ كَمَثَلِ الْكَلْبِ يَعُودُ فِي قَيْئِهِ  

nasai:2615 – Muḥammad b. Salamah And al-Ḥārith b. Miskīn > Ibn al-Qāsim > Mālik > Zayd b. Aslam from his father > ʿUmar

"I heard 'Umar say: 'I gave a horse to someone to ride in the cause of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, and the one who kept it neglected it. I wanted to buy it back from him, and I thought that he would sell it at a cheap price. I asked the Messenger for Allah about that and he said: Do not buy it, even if he gives it to you for a Dirham. The one who takes back his charity is like the dog that goes back to its own vomit. "'  

النسائي:٢٦١٥ – أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ وَالْحَارِثُ بْنُ مِسْكِينٍ قِرَاءَةً عَلَيْهِ وَأَنَا أَسْمَعُ عَنِ ابْنِ الْقَاسِمِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكٌ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ

سَمِعْتُ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ حَمَلْتُ عَلَى فَرَسٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ﷻ فَأَضَاعَهُ الَّذِي كَانَ عِنْدَهُ وَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَبْتَاعَهُ مِنْهُ وَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ بَائِعُهُ بِرُخْصٍ فَسَأَلْتُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ لاَ تَشْتَرِهِ وَإِنْ أَعْطَاكَهُ بِدِرْهَمٍ فَإِنَّ الْعَائِدَ فِي صَدَقَتِهِ كَالْكَلْبِ يَعُودُ فِي قَيْئِهِ  

malik:17-53 – Yaḥyá > Mālik > Zayd b. Aslam from his father > ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb /

Yahya related to me from Zayd ibn Aslam that his father said that he had heard Umar ibn al-Khattab say, "I once gave a noble horse to carry somebody in the way of Allah, and the man neglected it. I wished to buy it back from him and I thought that he would sell it cheaply. I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about it and he said, 'Do not buy it, even if he gives it to you for one dirham, for someone who takes back his sadaqa is like a dog swallowing its own vomit.' "  

مالك:١٧-٥٣ – حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ وَهُوَ

يَقُولُ حَمَلْتُ عَلَى فَرَسٍ عَتِيقٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَكَانَ الرَّجُلُ الَّذِي هُوَ عِنْدَهُ قَدْ أَضَاعَهُ فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَشْتَرِيَهُ مِنْهُ وَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ بَائِعُهُ بِرُخْصٍ فَسَأَلْتُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ لاَ تَشْتَرِهِ وَإِنْ أَعْطَاكَهُ بِدِرْهَمٍ وَاحِدٍ فَإِنَّ الْعَائِدَ فِي صَدَقَتِهِ كَالْكَلْبِ يَعُودُ فِي قَيْئِهِ  

ahmad:281 – ʿAbd al-Raḥman > Mālik > Zayd b. Aslam > Abīhiʿan ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb

I gave a horse for the sake of Allah, but its owner neglected it. I thought that he would sell it for a cheap price, but I said to myself, not until I ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about that. He said: “Do not buy it even if he gives it to you for a dirham, for the one who takes back his charity is like the dog that goes back to its vomit.”  

أحمد:٢٨١ – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِعَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ قَالَ

حَمَلْتُ عَلَى فَرَسٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ فَأَضَاعَهُ صَاحِبُهُ فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَبْتَاعَهُ وَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ بَائِعُهُ بِرُخْصٍ فَقُلْتُ حَتَّى أَسْأَلَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ لَا تَبْتَعْهُ وَإِنْ أَعْطَاكَهُ بِدِرْهَمٍ فَإِنَّ الَّذِي يَعُودُ فِي صَدَقَتِهِ كَالْكَلْبِ يَعُودُ فِي قَيْئِهِ  

nasai-kubra:2408 – Muḥammad b. Salamah And al-Ḥārith b. Miskīn > Ibn al-Qāsim > Mālik > Zayd b. Aslam from his father > ʿUmar

"I heard 'Umar say: 'I gave a horse to someone to ride in the cause of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, and the one who kept it neglected it. I wanted to buy it back from him, and I thought that he would sell it at a cheap price. I asked the Messenger for Allah about that and he said: Do not buy it, even if he gives it to you for a Dirham. The one who takes back his charity is like the dog that goes back to its own vomit. "' (Using translation from Nasāʾī 2615)  

الكبرى للنسائي:٢٤٠٨ – أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ وَالْحَارِثُ بْنُ مِسْكِينٍ قِرَاءَةً عَلَيْهِ وَأَنَا أَسْمَعُ عَنِ ابْنِ الْقَاسِمِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ

سَمِعْتُ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ حَمَلْتُ عَلَى فَرَسٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ فَأَضَاعَهُ الَّذِي كَانَ عِنْدَهُ فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَبْتَاعَهُ مِنْهُ وَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ بَائِعُهُ بِرُخْصٍ فَسَأَلْتُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ «لَا تَشْتَرِهِ وَإِنْ أَعْطَاكَهُ بِدِرْهَمٍ فَإِنَّ الْعَائِدَ فِي صَدَقَتِهِ كَالْكَلْبِ يَعُودُ فِي قَيْئِهِ»  

suyuti:2-64b – ʿMr
Request/Fix translation

  

السيوطي:٢-٦٤b –

"عن عمر قال: حَمَلْتُ على فرسٍ في سبيل الله، فأضاعه صاحبه، فأردت أن أبتاعه وظننت أنه بَائِعُهُ بِرُخْصٍ، فقلت: حتى أسأل النبي ﷺ ، فقال: لا تَبْتَعْهُ وإن أَعْطَاكَهُ بِدِرْهَمٍ، فَإِنَّ الَّذِي يَعُودُ فِي صَدَقَتِهِ كَالْكَلْبِ يَعُودُ فِي قَيْئِهِ".  

مالك، [ط] الطيالسي [حم] أحمد والعدني والحميدي، [خ] البخاري [م] مسلم [ت] الترمذي [ن] النسائي وأبو عوانة، [ع] أبو يعلى والطحاوي، [حب] ابن حبّان