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.
nasai-kubra:2334Maḥmūd b. Ghaylān al-Marwazī > Wakīʿ > Sufyān > ʿUmārah b. al-Qaʿqāʿ > Abū Zurʿah > Abū Hurayrah

"A man said: 'O Messenger of Allah, which kind of charity is best? He said: 'Giving charity when you are in good health, and feeling stingy, hoping for a long life and fearing poverty."' (Using translation from Nasāʾī 2542)  

الكبرى للنسائي:٢٣٣٤أَخْبَرَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلَانَ الْمَرْوَزِيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ عُمَارَةَ بْنِ الْقَعْقَاعِ عَنْ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَيُّ الصَّدَقَةِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ «أَنْ تَصَدَّقَ وَأَنْتَ صَحِيحٌ شَحِيحٌ تَأْمُلُ الْعَيْشَ وَتَخْشَى الْفَقْرَ»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Nasāʾī, Abū Dāwūd, Aḥmad, Suyūṭī
bukhari:2748Muḥammad b. al-ʿAlāʾ > Abū Usāmah > Sufyān > ʿUmārah > Abū Zurʿah > Abū Hurayrah

A man asked the Prophet, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! What kind of charity is the best?" He replied. "To give in charity when you are healthy and greedy hoping to be wealthy and afraid of becoming poor. Don't delay giving in charity till the time when you are on the death bed when you say, 'Give so much to soand- so and so much to so-and so,' and at that time the property is not yours but it belongs to so-and-so (i.e. your inheritors).  

البخاري:٢٧٤٨حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ عَنْ عُمَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ؓ قَالَ قَالَ

رَجُلٌ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَىُّ الصَّدَقَةِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ أَنْ تَصَدَّقَ وَأَنْتَ صَحِيحٌ حَرِيصٌ تَأْمُلُ الْغِنَى وَتَخْشَى الْفَقْرَ وَلاَ تُمْهِلْ حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَتِ الْحُلْقُومَ قُلْتَ لِفُلاَنٍ كَذَا وَلِفُلاَنٍ كَذَا وَقَدْ كَانَ لِفُلاَنٍ  

nasai:2542Maḥmūd b. Ghaylān > Wakīʿ > Sufyān > ʿUmārah b. al-Qaʿqāʿ > Abū Zurʿah > Abū Hurayrah

"A man said: 'O Messenger of Allah, which kind of charity is best? He said: 'Giving charity when you are in good health, and feeling stingy, hoping for a long life and fearing poverty."'  

النسائي:٢٥٤٢أَخْبَرَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلاَنَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ عُمَارَةَ بْنِ الْقَعْقَاعِ عَنْ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ

رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَىُّ الصَّدَقَةِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ أَنْ تَصَدَّقَ وَأَنْتَ صَحِيحٌ شَحِيحٌ تَأْمُلُ الْعَيْشَ وَتَخْشَى الْفَقْرَ  

abudawud:2865Musaddad > ʿAbd al-Wāḥid b. Ziyād > ʿUmārah b. al-Qaʿqāʿ > Abū Zurʿah b. ʿAmr b. Jarīr > Abū Hurayrah

A man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: Messenger of Allah, which sadaqah (charity) is the best ? He replied: (The best sadaqah is) that you give something as sadaqah (charity) when you are healthy, greedy, expect survival and fear poverty, and not that you postpone it until your death. and then you say: For so-and-so is such-and-such, and for so-and-so is such-and-such, while it was already for so-and-so.  

أبو داود:٢٨٦٥حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ زِيَادٍ حَدَّثَنَا عُمَارَةُ بْنُ الْقَعْقَاعِ عَنْ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ جَرِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ

رَجُلٌ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَىُّ الصَّدَقَةِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ أَنْ تَصَدَّقَ وَأَنْتَ صَحِيحٌ حَرِيصٌ تَأْمُلُ الْبَقَاءَ وَتَخْشَى الْفَقْرَ وَلاَ تُمْهِلْ حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَتِ الْحُلْقُومَ قُلْتَ لِفُلاَنٍ كَذَا وَلِفُلاَنٍ كَذَا وَقَدْ كَانَ لِفُلاَنٍ  

ahmad:9768Wakīʿ > Sufyān > ʿUmārah b. al-Qaʿqāʿ > Abū Zurʿah > Abū Hurayrah

A man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: Messenger of Allah, which sadaqah (charity) is the best ? He replied: (The best sadaqah is) that you give something as sadaqah (charity) when you are healthy, greedy, expect survival and fear poverty, and not that you postpone it until your death. and then you say: For so-and-so is such-and-such, and for so-and-so is such-and-such, while it was already for so-and-so. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 2865)   

أحمد:٩٧٦٨حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ عَنْ عُمَارَةَ بْنِ الْقَعْقَاعِ عَنْ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ

رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَيُّ الصَّدَقَةِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ أَنْ تَصَدَّقَ وَأَنْتَ شَحِيحٌ أَوْ صَحِيحٌ تَأْمُلُ الْعَيْشَوَتَخْشَى الْفَقْرَ وَلَا تُمْهِلْ حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَتْ بِالْحُلْقُومِ قُلْتَ لِفُلَانٍ كَذَا وَلِفُلَانٍ كَذَا وَقَدْ كَانَ  

suyuti:3767a

A man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: Messenger of Allah, which sadaqah (charity) is the best ? He replied: (The best sadaqah is) that you give something as sadaqah (charity) when you are healthy, greedy, expect survival and fear poverty, and not that you postpone it until your death. and then you say: For so-and-so is such-and-such, and for so-and-so is such-and-such, while it was already for so-and-so. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 2865)   

السيوطي:٣٧٦٧a

"أفْضَلُ الصدقةِ: أن تصَّدَّقَ وأَنت صحيحٌ شحيحٌ، تَأمُلُ العيشَ، وتخشى الفَقرَ ولا تُمهِلْ حتى إذا بَلَغَت الحلقومَ قلت: لفلانٍ كذا، ولفلانٍ كذا، وقد كان لفلان".  

[خ] البخاري [م] مسلم [ن] النسائي عن أَبي هريرة