Obligatory Charity Tax (Zakat)

Abu Asim al-Dahhak ibn Makhlad narrated to us, from Zakariyya ibn Ishaq, from Yahya ibn Abdullah ibn Sayfi, from Abu Maʿbad, from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with them both: The Prophet ﷺ sent Muʿadh, may Allah be pleased with him, to Yemen and said: “Call them to testify that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah. If they obey you in that, inform them that Allah has prescribed for them five prayers in every day and night. If they obey you in that, inform them that Allah has prescribed charity upon their wealth, to be taken from their rich and returned to their poor.”

Hafs ibn Umar narrated to us: Shuʿba narrated to us, from Ibn ʿUthman ibn ʿAbdullah ibn Mawhab, from Musa ibn Talha, from Abu Ayyub, may Allah be pleased with him, that a man said to the Prophet ﷺ: “Tell me of a deed that will admit me to Paradise.” He said, “What is his need? What is his need?” The Prophet ﷺ then said: “A need, indeed: worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him; establish the prayer; give the zakat; and maintain ties of kinship.” Bahz said: Shuʿba narrated to us: Muhammad ibn ʿUthman and his father, ʿUthman ibn ʿAbdullah, both heard Musa ibn Talha, from Abu Ayyub, with this same report. Abu Abd Allah said: I fear that “Muhammad” is not preserved; rather, it is “ʿAmr.”

Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Rahim narrated to me: ʿAffan ibn Muslim narrated to us: Wuhayb narrated to us, from Yahya ibn Saʿid ibn Hayyan, from Abu Zurʿa, from Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, that a Bedouin came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: “Show me a deed which, if I do it, will admit me to Paradise.” He said: “Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him; establish the prescribed prayer; give the obligatory zakat; and fast Ramadan.” The man said: “By Him in whose hand is my soul, I will do no more than this.” When he turned away, the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever would like to look at a man from among the people of Paradise, let him look at this man.” Musaddad narrated to us, from Yahya, from Abu Hayyan, who said: Abu Zurʿa informed me, from the Prophet ﷺ, with this same report.

Hajjaj related to us: Hammad ibn Zayd related to us: Abu Jamra related to us. He said: I heard Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) say: The delegation of Abd al-Qays came to the Prophet ﷺ. They said, ‘Messenger of Allah, this branch of Rabiʿa is separated from you by the unbelievers of Mudar, and we can reach you only during the Sacred Month. Give us something to follow from you and to which we may invite those we have left behind.’ He said, ‘I command you to do four things and forbid you four things: faith in Allah and bearing witness that there is no god but Allah’—and he closed his hand in this way—‘establishing prayer, giving zakat, and paying one fifth of what you gain. I forbid you the dubba, hantam, naqir, and muzaffat.’ Sulayman and Abu al-Nuʿman also related from Hammad the wording: ‘Faith in Allah: bearing witness that there is no god but Allah.’

Abu al-Yaman al-Hakam ibn Nafiʿ related to us: Shuʿayb ibn Abi Hamza informed us, from al-Zuhri, to whom ʿUbayd Allah ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUtba ibn Masʿud related: Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ died, Abu Bakr was [in authority], and some of the Arabs disbelieved, ʿUmar said, ‘How can you fight these people when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “I have been commanded to fight the people until they say, ‘There is no god but Allah.’ Whoever says it has protected his property and his life from me, except by its due right; and his reckoning is with Allah.”’ Abu Bakr said, ‘By Allah, I will fight whoever separates prayer from zakat, for zakat is the due right of property. By Allah, if they withhold from me even a young she-goat that they used to give to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, I will fight them for withholding it.’ ʿUmar said: By Allah, it was only that Allah opened Abu Bakr’s breast [to the decision], and I recognized that it was the truth.

Ibn Numayr related to us. He said: My father related to me: Ismaʿil related to us, from Qays, who said: Jarir ibn ʿAbd Allah said, ‘I pledged allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ to establish prayer, give zakat, and offer sincere counsel to every Muslim.’

Al-Hakam ibn Nafiʿ related to us: Shuʿayb informed us: Abu al-Zinad related to us that ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Hurmuz al-Aʿraj told him that he heard Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) say: The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Camels will come to their owner in the best condition they have ever been in; if he had not given their due, they will trample him with their hooves. Sheep will come to their owner in the best condition they have ever been in; if he had not given their due, they will trample him with their hooves and gore him with their horns.’ He also said, ‘Part of their due is that they be milked at the water.’ He said, ‘Let none of you come on the Day of Resurrection carrying a bleating sheep on his neck and say, “O Muhammad!” I will say, “I have no power to do anything for you; I conveyed the message.” Nor should he come carrying a grunting camel on his neck and say, “O Muhammad!” I will say, “I have no power to do anything for you; I conveyed the message.”’

Ali ibn ʿAbd Allah related to us: Hashim ibn al-Qasim related to us: ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Dinar related to us, from his father, from Abu Salih al-Samman, from Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Whoever is given wealth by Allah but does not pay its zakat, his wealth will be made to appear on the Day of Resurrection as a bald-headed serpent with two raisin-like swellings. It will coil around him on the Day of Resurrection, then seize him by his jaws—that is, his cheeks—and say, “I am your wealth; I am your treasure.”’ Then he recited, ‘Let not those who are miserly…’—the verse.

Ahmad ibn Shabib ibn Saʿid said: My father related to us, from Yunus, from Ibn Shihab, from Khalid ibn Aslam, who said: We went out with ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both). A Bedouin said, ‘Explain to me Allah’s words: “Those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in Allah’s way.”’ Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said, ‘Whoever hoarded it and did not pay its zakat, woe to him. This was only before zakat was revealed. When it was revealed, Allah made it a purification for wealth.’

Ishaq ibn Yazid related to us: Shuʿayb ibn Ishaq informed us. Al-Awzaʿi said: Yahya ibn Abi Kathir informed me that ʿAmr ibn Yahya ibn ʿUmara informed him, from his father, Yahya ibn ʿUmara ibn Abi al-Hasan, that he heard Abu Saʿid (may Allah be pleased with him) say: The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘There is no zakat on less than five awaq; there is no zakat on less than five dhawd; and there is no zakat on less than five awsuq.’

ʿAli said: He heard Hushaym. Husayn informed us, from Zayd ibn Wahb, who said: I passed through al-Rabadha and there was Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him). I said to him, ‘What brought you to this place where you are staying?’ He said, ‘I was in Syria, and Muʿawiya and I disagreed about those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in Allah’s way. Muʿawiya said, “It was revealed concerning the People of the Book.” I said, “It was revealed concerning us and them.” We continued in disagreement over that, and he wrote to ʿUthman (may Allah be pleased with him), complaining of me. ʿUthman wrote to me, “Come to Medina.” I came there, and people gathered around me in such numbers that it was as though they had never seen me before. I mentioned that to ʿUthman, and he said to me, “If you wish, withdraw and stay nearby.” That is what brought me to this place. Even if they appointed an Abyssinian over me, I would hear and obey.’

ʿAyyash related to us: ʿAbd al-Aʿla related to us: al-Jurayri related to us, from Abu al-ʿAla, from al-Ahnaf ibn Qays, who said, ‘I sat [with them].’ Ishaq ibn Mansur also related to me: ʿAbd al-Samad informed us. He said: My father related to me: al-Jurayri related to us: Abu al-ʿAla ibn al-Shikhkhir related to us that al-Ahnaf ibn Qays told them: I sat with an assembly of Quraysh when a man with coarse hair, clothes, and appearance came, stood before them, greeted them, and said, ‘Give the hoarders the news of a heated stone in the fire of Hell. It will be placed on one of their nipples until it emerges from the nughḍ of his shoulder; then it will be placed on his shoulder nughḍ until it emerges from his nipple, trembling.’ Then he turned away and sat by a pillar. I followed him and sat with him, not knowing who he was. I said to him, ‘I think the people disliked what you said.’ He said, ‘They understand nothing.’ He said to me, ‘My close companion told me—’ I said, ‘Who is your close companion?’ He said, ‘The Prophet ﷺ [said]: “Abu Dharr, can you see Uhud?”’ He said: I looked at the sun to see how much of the day remained, thinking that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sending me on an errand for him. I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘I would not like to have gold equal to Uhud and spend all of it except three dinars.’ And these people understand nothing; they are only gathering worldly things. No, by Allah, I will not ask them for worldly goods or seek their advice about religion until I meet Allah.

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna related to us: Yahya related to us, from Ismaʿil, who said: Qays related to me, from Ibn Masʿud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say, ‘There is no envy except in two cases: a person to whom Allah has given wealth and empowered to spend it for what is right, and a person to whom Allah has given wisdom, by which he judges and which he teaches.’

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna related to us: Yahya related to us, from Ismaʿil, who said: Qays related to me, from Ibn Masʿud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say, ‘There is no envy except in two cases: a person to whom Allah has given wealth and empowered to spend it for what is right, and a person to whom Allah has given wisdom, by which he judges and which he teaches.’

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna related to us: Yahya related to us, from Ismaʿil, who said: Qays related to me, from Ibn Masʿud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say, ‘There is no envy except in two cases: a person to whom Allah has given wealth and empowered to spend it for what is right, and a person to whom Allah has given wisdom, by which he judges and which he teaches.’

ʿAbd Allah ibn Munir related to us: He heard Abu al-Nadr: ʿAbd al-Rahman—meaning Ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Dinar—related to us, from his father, from Abu Salih, from Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Whoever gives in charity the equivalent of a date from good earnings—and Allah accepts only what is good—Allah receives it in His right hand, then nurtures it for its giver just as one of you raises his young horse, until it becomes like a mountain.’ Sulayman followed him in transmitting it from Ibn Dinar. Warqaʾ related it from Ibn Dinar, from Saʿid ibn Yasar, from Abu Huraira, from the Prophet ﷺ. Muslim ibn Abi Maryam, Zayd ibn Aslam, and Suhayl also related it from Abu Salih, from Abu Huraira, from the Prophet ﷺ.

Adam related to us: Shuʿba related to us: Maʿbad ibn Khalid related to us. He said: I heard Haritha ibn Wahb say: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say, ‘Give in charity, for a time will come upon you when a man will walk about with his charity and find no one to accept it. The man will say, “If you had brought it yesterday, I would have accepted it; as for today, I have no need of it.”’

Abu al-Yaman related to us: Shuʿayb informed us: Abu al-Zinad related to us, from ʿAbd al-Rahman, from Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The Hour will not come until wealth among you becomes abundant and overflows, so that the owner of wealth will be concerned about who will accept his charity. He will offer it, and the one to whom he offers it will say, “I have no need of it.”’

ʿAbd Allah ibn Muhammad related to us: Abu ʿAsim al-Nabil related to us: Saʿdan ibn Bishr related to us: Abu Mujahid related to us: Muhill ibn Khalifa al-Taʾi related to us. He said: I heard ʿAdi ibn Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) say: I was with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when two men came to him. One complained of poverty, and the other complained of banditry. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘As for banditry, it will be only a short time before a caravan travels to Mecca without a protector. As for poverty, the Hour will not come until one of you goes about with his charity and finds no one to accept it. Then each of you will surely stand before Allah with no screen between him and Him and no interpreter to interpret for him. He will surely say to him, “Did I not give you wealth?” and he will say, “Yes.” Then He will surely say, “Did I not send you a messenger?” and he will say, “Yes.” He will look to his right and see nothing but the Fire, then look to his left and see nothing but the Fire. So let each of you guard himself against the Fire, even with half a date; and if he finds nothing, then with a good word.’