The Prophet ﷺ said, "The example of a miser and the one who gives in charity, is like the example of two men wearing iron cloaks so tightly that their arms are raised forcibly towards their collar-bones. So, whenever a charitable person wants to give in charity, his cloak spreads over his body so much so that it wipes out his traces, but whenever the miser wants to give in charity, the rings (of the iron cloak) come closer to each other and press over his body, and his hands gets connected to his collarbones. Abu Huraira heard the Prophet ﷺ saying. "The miser then tries to widen it but in vain."  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ مَثَلُ الْبَخِيلِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِ مَثَلُ رَجُلَيْنِ عَلَيْهِمَا جُبَّتَانِ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ قَدِ اضْطَرَّتْ أَيْدِيَهُمَا إِلَى تَرَاقِيهِمَا فَكُلَّمَا هَمَّ الْمُتَصَدِّقُ بِصَدَقَتِهِ اتَّسَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى تُعَفِّيَ أَثَرَهُ وَكُلَّمَا هَمَّ الْبَخِيلُ بِالصَّدَقَةِ انْقَبَضَتْ كُلُّ حَلْقَةٍ إِلَى صَاحِبَتِهَا وَتَقَلَّصَتْ عَلَيْهِ وَانْضَمَّتْ يَدَاهُ إِلَى تَرَاقِيهِ فَسَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَقُولُ فَيَجْتَهِدُ أَنْ يُوَسِّعَهَا فَلاَ تَتَّسِعُ  

Messenger of Allah ﷺ has set forth an example for a miser and a charitable person by comparing them to two men wearing two iron cloaks and their hands are raised to their breasts and necks. Whenever the charitable man tries to give a charitable gift, his iron cloak expands till it becomes so wide that it will cover his fingertips and obliterate his tracks And, whenever the miser wants to give a charitable gift, his cloak becomes very tight over him and every ring gets stuck to its place Abu Huraira added; I saw Messenger of Allah ﷺ putting his finger in the (chest) pocket of his shirt like that If you but saw him trying to widen (the opening of his shirt) but it did not widen.  

ضَرَبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَثَلَ الْبَخِيلِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلَيْنِ عَلَيْهِمَا جُبَّتَانِ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ قَدِ اضْطُرَّتْ أَيْدِيهِمَا إِلَى ثُدِيِّهِمَا وَتَرَاقِيهِمَا فَجَعَلَ الْمُتَصَدِّقُ كُلَّمَا تَصَدَّقَ بِصَدَقَةٍ انْبَسَطَتْ عَنْهُ حَتَّى تَغْشَى أَنَامِلَهُ وَتَعْفُوَ أَثَرَهُ وَجَعَلَ الْبَخِيلُ كُلَّمَا هَمَّ بِصَدَقَةٍ قَلَصَتْ وَأَخَذَتْ كُلُّ حَلْقَةٍ بِمَكَانِهَا قَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ فَأَنَا رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ بِإِصْبَعِهِ هَكَذَا فِي جَيْبِهِ فَلَوْ رَأَيْتَهُ يُوَسِّعُهَا وَلاَ تَتَوَسَّعُ  

that the Messenger of Allah ( ﷺ) gave similitudes of a miserly man and the giver of charity as two persons who have two coats-of-mail over them with their hands pressed closely to their breasts and their collar bones. Whenever the giver of charity gives charity it (the coat-of mail) expands so much as to cover his finger tips and obliterate his foot prints. And whenever the miserly person intends to give charity (the coat-of-mail) contracts and every ring grips the place where it is. He (Abu Huraira) said: I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying with fingers in the opening of his shirt:" If you had seen him trying to expand it, it will not expand."  

ضَرَبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَثَلَ الْبَخِيلِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلَيْنِ عَلَيْهِمَا جُنَّتَانِ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ قَدِ اضْطُرَّتْ أَيْدِيهِمَا إِلَى ثُدَيِّهِمَا وَتَرَاقِيهِمَا فَجَعَلَ الْمُتَصَدِّقُ كُلَّمَا تَصَدَّقَ بِصَدَقَةٍ انْبَسَطَتْ عَنْهُ حَتَّى تُغَشِّيَ أَنَامِلَهُ وَتَعْفُوَ أَثَرَهُ وَجَعَلَ الْبَخِيلُ كُلَّمَا هَمَّ بِصَدَقَةٍ قَلَصَتْ وَأَخَذَتْ كُلُّ حَلْقَةٍ مَكَانَهَا قَالَ فَأَنَا رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ بِإِصْبَعِهِ فِي جَيْبِهِ فَلَوْ رَأَيْتَهُ يُوَسِّعُهَا وَلاَ تَوَسَّعُ  

. The similitude of a miserly man and the giver of charity is that of two persons with coats of mail over them; when the giver of charity intends to give charity, it expands over him (to much so) that the footprints are also obliterated. And when the miserly man intends to give charity, it contracts over him, and his hands are tied up to his collar bone, and every ring is fixed up to another. He (the narrator) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: He would try to expand it. but he would not be able to do so.  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَثَلُ الْبَخِيلِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِ مَثَلُ رَجُلَيْنِ عَلَيْهِمَا جُنَّتَانِ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ إِذَا هَمَّ الْمُتَصَدِّقُ بِصَدَقَةٍ اتَّسَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى تُعَفِّيَ أَثَرَهُ وَإِذَا هَمَّ الْبَخِيلُ بِصَدَقَةٍ تَقَلَّصَتْ عَلَيْهِ وَانْضَمَّتْ يَدَاهُ إِلَى تَرَاقِيهِ وَانْقَبَضَتْ كُلُّ حَلْقَةٍ إِلَى صَاحِبَتِهَا قَالَ فَسَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ فَيَجْهَدُ أَنْ يُوَسِّعَهَا فَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعُ  

"The parable of the miser and the one who gives in charity is that of two men wearing coats of mail with their hands tied to their collarbones. Every time the one who gives thinks of giving in charity, the (coat of mail) expands until it obliterates his traces, and every time the miser thinks of giving charity, every circle (of the coat of mail) contracts and sticks to him, and his hand is tied up to his collarbones." I heard the Messenger of Allah say: "He tries to expand it, but he cannot." (Using translation from Nasāʾī 2548)   

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ مَثَلُ الْبَخِيلِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِ مَثَلُ رَجُلَيْنِ عَلَيْهِمَا جُنَّتَانِ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ قَدِ اضْطُرَّتْ أَيْدِيهِمَا إِلَى تَرَاقِيهِمَا فَكُلَّمَا هَمَّ الْمُتَصَدِّقُ بِصَدَقَةٍ اتَّسَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى تُعَفِّيَ أَثَرَهُ وَكُلَّمَا هَمَّ الْبَخِيلُ بِصَدَقَةٍ انْقَبَضَتْ عَلَيْهِ كُلُّ حَلْقَةٍ مِنْهَا إِلَى صَاحِبَتِهَا وَتَقَلَّصَتْ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ فَسَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَعْنِي يَقُولُ فَيَجْهَدُ أَنْ يُوَسِّعَهَا فَلَا تَتَّسِعُ  

Messenger of Allah ﷺ has set forth an example for a miser and a charitable person by comparing them to two men wearing two iron cloaks and their hands are raised to their breasts and necks. Whenever the charitable man tries to give a charitable gift, his iron cloak expands till it becomes so wide that it will cover his fingertips and obliterate his tracks And, whenever the miser wants to give a charitable gift, his cloak becomes very tight over him and every ring gets stuck to its place Abu Huraira added; I saw Messenger of Allah ﷺ putting his finger in the (chest) pocket of his shirt like that If you but saw him trying to widen (the opening of his shirt) but it did not widen. (Using translation from Bukhārī 5797)  

ضَرَبَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مَثَلَ الْبَخِيلِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلَيْنِ عَلَيْهِمَا جُنَّتَانِ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ قَدِ اضْطُرَّتْ أَيْدِيهِمَا إِلَى ثَدْيَيْهِمَا وَتَرَاقِيهِمَا فَجَعَلَ الْمُتَصَدِّقُ كُلَّمَا تَصَدَّقَ بِصَدَقَةٍ انْبَسَطَتْ عَنْهُ حَتَّى تَغْشَى أَنَامِلَهُ وَتَعْفُوَ أَثَرَهُ وَجَعَلَ الْبَخِيلُ كُلَّمَا هَمَّ بِصَدَقَةٍ قَلَصَتْ كُلُّ حَلْقَةٍ وَأَخَذَتْ بِمَكَانِهَا قَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ فَأَنَا رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ بِإِصْبَعَيْهِ فِي جُبَّتِهِ فَلَوْ رَأَيْتَهُ يُوَسِّعُهَاوَلَا تُوَسَّعُ  

The Prophet ﷺ said, "The example of a miser and the one who gives in charity, is like the example of two men wearing iron cloaks so tightly that their arms are raised forcibly towards their collar-bones. So, whenever a charitable person wants to give in charity, his cloak spreads over his body so much so that it wipes out his traces, but whenever the miser wants to give in charity, the rings (of the iron cloak) come closer to each other and press over his body, and his hands gets connected to his collarbones. Abu Huraira heard the Prophet ﷺ saying. "The miser then tries to widen it but in vain." (Using translation from Bukhārī 2917)  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ «مَثَلُ الْبَخِيلِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِ مَثَلُ رَجُلَيْنِ عَلَيْهِمَا جُبَّتَانِ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ قَدِ اضْطَرَّتْ أَيْدِيَهُمَا إِلَى تَرَاقِيهِمَا فَكُلَّمَا هَمَّ الْمُتَصَدِّقُ بِصَدَقَةٍ اتَّسَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى تُعَفِّيَ أَثَرَهُ وَكُلَّمَا هَمَّ الْبَخِيلُ بِصَدَقَةٍ تَقَبَّضَتْ كُلُّ حَلْقَةٍ إِلَى صَاحِبَتِهَا وَتَقَلَّصَتْ عَلَيْهِ وَانْضَمَّتْ يَدَاهُ إِلَى تَرَاقِيهِ» وَسَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ «فَيَجْهًدُ أَنْ يُوَسِّعَهَا فَلَا تَتَّسِعُ»