Distribution of Water
كتاب المساقاة
Chapter 1: The Statement of Allah Ta'ala: "... And We have made from water every living thing..."
Chapter 2: Giving water in charity, or as a gift, and whoever thinks that giving water in charity, or as a gift or by way of a testament is permissible, whether it is divided or not
A tumbler (full of milk or water) was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ) who drank from it, while on his right side there was sitting a boy who was the youngest of those who were present and on his left side there were old men. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, "O boy, will you allow me to give it (i.e. the rest of the drink) to the old men?" The boy said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! I will not give preference to anyone over me to drink the rest of it from which you have drunk." So, the Prophet (ﷺ) gave it to him.
Anas bin Malik said, that once a domestic sheep was milked for Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) while he was in the house of Anas bin Malik. The milk was mixed with water drawn from the well in Anas's house. A tumbler of it was presented to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) who drank from it. Then Abu Bakr was sitting on his left side and a bedouin on his right side. When the Prophet (ﷺ) removed the tumbler from his mouth, `Umar was afraid that the Prophet (ﷺ) might give it to the bedouin, so he said. "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Give it to Abu Bakr who is sitting by your side." But the Prophet (ﷺ) gave it to the bedouin, who was to his right and said, "You should start with the one on your right side."
Chapter 3: Superfluous water should not be withheld from others
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Do not withhold the superfluous water, for that will prevent people from grazing their cattle."
that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Do not withhold the superfluous water in order to withhold the superfluous grass."
Chapter 4: If one digs a well and somebody falls in it and dies
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "No bloodmoney will be charged if somebody dies in a mine or in a well or is killed by an animal; and if somebody finds a treasure in his land he has to give one-fifth of it to the Government."
Chapter 5: Disputes and controversies about wells
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever takes a false oath to deprive somebody of his property will meet Allah while He will be angry with him." Allah revealed: 'Verily those who purchase a little gain at the cost of Allah's covenant, and their oaths.' ........(3.77) Al-Ashath came (to the place where `Abdullah was narrating) and said, "What has Abu `Abdur- Rahman (i.e. `Abdullah) been telling you? This verse was revealed concerning me. I had a well in the land of a cousin of mine. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked me to bring witnesses (to confirm my claim). I said, 'I don't have witnesses.' He said, 'Let the defendant take an oath then.' I said, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! He will take a (false) oath immediately.' Then the Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned the above narration and Allah revealed the verse to confirm what he had said." (See Hadith No. 692)
Chapter 6: The sin of him who witholds water from travellers
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "There are three persons whom Allah will not look at on the Day of Resurrection, nor will he purify them and theirs shall be a severe punishment. They are: -1. A man possessed superfluous water, on a way and he withheld it from travelers. -2. A man who gave a pledge of allegiance to a ruler and he gave it only for worldly benefits. If the ruler gives him something he gets satisfied, and if the ruler withholds something from him, he gets dissatisfied. -3. And man displayed his goods for sale after the `Asr prayer and he said, 'By Allah, except Whom None has the right to be worshipped, I have been given so much for my goods,' and somebody believes him (and buys them). The Prophet (ﷺ) then recited: "Verily! Those who purchase a little gain at the cost of Allah's Covenant and their oaths." (3.77)
Chapter 7: The dams of rivers
An Ansari man quarreled with Az-Zubair in the presence of the Prophet (ﷺ) about the Harra Canals which were used for irrigating the date-palms. The Ansari man said to Az-Zubair, "Let the water pass' but Az-Zubair refused to do so. So, the case was brought before the Prophet (ﷺ) who said to Az-Zubair, "O Zubair! Irrigate (your land) and then let the water pass to your neighbor." On that the Ansari got angry and said to the Prophet, "Is it because he (i.e. Zubair) is your aunt's son?" On that the color of the face of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) changed (because of anger) and he said, "O Zubair! Irrigate (your land) and then withhold the water till it reaches the walls between the pits round the trees." Zubair said, "By Allah, I think that the following verse was revealed on this occasion": "But no, by your Lord They can have No faith Until they make you judge In all disputes between them." (4.65)
Chapter 8: The land near the source of water to be irrigated first
When a man from the Ansar quarreled with Az-Zubair, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O Zubair! Irrigate (your land) first and then let the water flow (to the land of the others)." "On that the Ansari said, (to the Prophet), "It is because he is your aunt's son." On that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O Zubair! Irrigate till the water reaches the walls between the pits around the trees and then stop (i.e. let the water go to the other's land)." I think the following verse was revealed concerning this event: "But no, by your Lord They can have No faith Until they make you judge In all disputes between them." (4.65)
Chapter 9: The land to be covered with water up to the ankles
An Ansari man quarreled with Az-Zubair about a canal in the Harra which was used for irrigating date-palms. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), ordering Zubair to be moderate, said, "O Zubair! Irrigate (your land) first and then leave the water for your neighbor." The Ansari said, "Is it because he is your aunt's son?" On that the color of the face of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) changed and he said, "O Zubair! Irrigate (your land) and withhold the water till it reaches the walls that are between the pits around the trees." So, Allah's Apostle gave Zubair his full right. Zubair said, "By Allah, the following verse was revealed in that connection": "But no, by your Lord They can have No faith Until they make you judge In all disputes between them." (4.65) (The sub-narrator,) Ibn Shihab said to Juraij (another sub-narrator), "The Ansar and the other people interpreted the saying of the Prophet, 'Irrigate (your land) and withhold the water till it reaches the walls between the pits around the trees,' as meaning up to the ankles."
Chapter 10: The superiority of providing water
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "While a man was walking he felt thirsty and went down a well and drank water from it. On coming out of it, he saw a dog panting and eating mud because of excessive thirst. The man said, 'This (dog) is suffering from the same problem as that of mine. So he (went down the well), filled his shoe with water, caught hold of it with his teeth and climbed up and watered the dog. Allah thanked him for his (good) deed and forgave him." The people asked, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Is there a reward for us in serving (the) animals?" He replied, "Yes, there is a reward for serving any animate."
The Prophet (ﷺ) prayed the eclipse prayer, and then said, "Hell was displayed so close that I said, 'O my Lord ! Am I going to be one of its inhabitants?"' Suddenly he saw a woman. I think he said, who was being scratched by a cat. He said, "What is wrong with her?" He was told, "She had imprisoned it (i.e. the cat) till it died of hunger."
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "A woman was tortured and was put in Hell because of a cat which she had kept locked till it died of hunger." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) further said, (Allah knows better) Allah said (to the woman), 'You neither fed it nor watered when you locked it up, nor did you set it free to eat the vermin of the earth.' "
Chapter 11: The owner of a tank or a leather water-container
Once a tumbler (full of milk or water) was brought to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) who drank from it, while on his right side there was sitting a boy who was the youngest of those who were present, and on his left side there were old men. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, "O boy ! Do you allow me to give (the drink) to the elder people (first)?" The boy said, "I will not prefer anybody to have my share from you, O Allah's Apostle!" So, he gave it to the boy.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, I will drive some people out from my (sacred) Fount on the Day of Resurrection as strange camels are expelled from a private trough."
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "May Allah be merciful to the mother of Ishmael! If she had left the water of Zamzam (fountain) as it was, (without constructing a basin for keeping the water), (or said, "If she had not taken handfuls of its water"), it would have been a flowing stream. Jurhum (an Arab tribe) came and asked her, 'May we settle at your dwelling?' She said, 'Yes, but you have no right to possess the water.' They agreed."
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There are three types of people whom Allah will neither talk to, nor look at, on the Day of Resurrection. (They are): -1. A man who takes an oath falsely that he has been offered for his goods so much more than what he is given, -2. a man who takes a false oath after the `Asr prayer in order to grab a Muslim's property, and -3. a man who withholds his superfluous water. Allah will say to him, "Today I will withhold My Grace from you as you withheld the superfluity of what you had not created."
Chapter 12: Hima (private pasture)
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, No Hima except for Allah and His Apostle. We have been told that Allah's Apostle made a place called An-Naqi' as Hima, and `Umar made Ash-Sharaf and Ar-Rabadha Hima (for grazing the animals of Zakat).