Representation, Authorization, Business by Proxy

Narrated Ali: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ordered me to give in charity the coverings and hides of the sacrificial camels that had been slaughtered.

Narrated Uqba ibn Amir: The Prophet (ﷺ) gave him sheep to distribute among his companions. One young male goat remained, so he mentioned it to the Prophet (ﷺ), who said, “Offer it as a sacrifice yourself.”

Narrated Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf: I made a written agreement with Umayya ibn Khalaf that he would protect my dependents in Mecca and I would protect his dependents in Medina. When I mentioned al-Rahman in the document, he said, “I do not know al-Rahman. Write my name for me as it was in the pre-Islamic period.” So I wrote, “Abd Amr.” On the day of Badr, when people had gone to sleep, I went to a mountain to protect him. Bilal saw him and went to a gathering of the Ansar, saying, “Umayya ibn Khalaf! I will not be safe if Umayya escapes!” A group of the Ansar went out following us. When I feared they would catch us, I left Umayya’s son behind to occupy them, and they killed him, but they still insisted on pursuing us. Umayya was a heavy man. When they caught up with us, I told him, “Kneel.” He knelt, and I threw myself over him to shield him. They thrust their swords at him from beneath me until they killed him. One of them struck my foot with his sword. Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf used to show us that scar on the back of his foot. Abu Abd Allah said: Yusuf heard this from Salih, and Ibrahim from his father.

Narrated Abu Said al-Khudri and Abu Huraira: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) appointed a man over Khaybar. He came to him with fine dates and was asked, “Are all the dates of Khaybar like this?” He replied, “We take one saʿ of these for two saʿs, and two saʿs for three.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Do not do that. Sell the mixed dates for dirhams, then buy fine dates with the dirhams.” He said the same regarding things measured by weight.

Narrated Ibn Kaʿb ibn Malik from his father: We had sheep grazing at Salaʿ. One of our enslaved women saw one of our sheep in its death throes, so she broke a stone and slaughtered it with it. My father told them, “Do not eat it until I ask the Prophet (ﷺ), or send someone to ask him.” He asked the Prophet (ﷺ), or sent someone, and the Prophet ordered that it be eaten. Ubayd Allah said, “I admire that she was an enslaved woman and that she slaughtered it.” Abdah also transmitted it from Ubayd Allah.

Narrated Abu Huraira: A man was owed a camel of a particular age by the Prophet (ﷺ), and he came to claim it. The Prophet said, “Give it to him.” They searched for a camel of that age but found only one older. He said, “Give it to him.” The man said, “You have paid me in full; may Allah repay you fully.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “The best of you are those who repay in the best manner.”

Narrated Abu Huraira: A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) demanding his due harshly, and the Prophet’s companions were about to confront him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Leave him, for the one who is owed a right may speak.” Then he said, “Give him a camel of the same age as his.” They said, “Messenger of Allah, we can find only one better than his.” He said, “Give it to him, for the best among you are those who repay in the best manner.”

Narrated Marwan ibn al-Hakam and al-Miswar ibn Makhrama: Ibn Shihab said: Urwa reported that Marwan and al-Miswar informed him that when the delegation of Hawazin came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as Muslims, he stood up. They asked him to return their property and captives. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to them, “The truest words are dearest to me. Choose one of the two: the captives or the property. I have been waiting for you.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had waited for them for some ten-odd nights after returning from al-Taif. When they realized that he would return to them only one of the two, they said, “We choose our captives.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood among the Muslims, praised Allah as He deserves, and then said, “To proceed: these brothers of yours have come to us repentant, and I think it right to return their captives to them. Whoever among you is willing to relinquish his share, let him do so; whoever wishes to retain his share until we give it to him from the first spoils Allah grants us, let him do so.” The people said, “We willingly relinquish it for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “We do not know which of you has given permission and which has not, so return until your representatives convey your decision to us.” The people returned, their representatives spoke with them, and then they came back to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and informed him that they had willingly relinquished their shares and given permission.

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: Al-Makki ibn Ibrahim narrated to us, from Ibn Jurayj, from Ata ibn Abi Rabah and others; they added details to one another, and not all of them conveyed the entire report from one man, from Jabir ibn Abdullah. Jabir said: I was with the Prophet (ﷺ) on a journey, riding a sluggish camel that was at the rear of the group. The Prophet (ﷺ) passed me and asked, “Who is that?” I said, “Jabir ibn Abdullah.” He asked, “What is the matter with you?” I said, “I am riding a sluggish camel.” He asked, “Do you have a stick?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “Give it to me.” I gave it to him. He struck the camel and urged it on, and from that point it was at the front of the group. He said, “Sell it to me.” I said, “Rather, it is yours, Messenger of Allah.” He said, “Sell it to me. I have bought it for four dinars, and you may ride it until Medina.” When we drew near Medina, I began to dismount. He asked, “Where are you going?” I said, “I have married a previously married woman.” He said, “Why not a young woman, so that you could play with her and she with you?” I said, “My father died and left daughters, so I wanted to marry a woman who had been married before and had experience.” He said, “That is the reason.” When we arrived in Medina, he said, “Bilal, pay him and give him extra.” Bilal gave him four dinars and added a qirat. Jabir said, “The Messenger of Allah’s extra payment never left me.” The qirat never left the saddlebag of Jabir ibn Abdullah.

Narrated Sahl ibn Sad: A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said, “Messenger of Allah, I have offered myself to you.” A man said, “Marry her to me.” He said, “We have married her to you for what you have of the Quran.”

Uthman ibn al-Haytham Abu Amr said: Awf narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Sirin, from Abu Huraira, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) appointed me to guard the Ramadan zakat. Someone came and began scooping up food. I seized him and said, “By Allah, I will take you to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)!” He said, “I am needy, I have dependents, and I am in great need.” So I let him go. In the morning the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Abu Huraira, what happened to your captive last night?” I said, “Messenger of Allah, he complained of great need and dependents, so I took pity on him and let him go.” He said, “He lied to you, and he will come back.” I knew he would return because the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had said he would. I watched for him, and he came and began scooping up food. I seized him and said, “I will take you to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)!” He said, “Let me go. I am needy and have dependents. I will not return.” I took pity on him and let him go. In the morning the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, “Abu Huraira, what happened to your captive?” I said, “Messenger of Allah, he complained of great need and dependents, so I took pity on him and let him go.” He said, “He lied to you, and he will come back.” On the third night I watched for him. He came and began scooping up food, so I seized him and said, “I will take you to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). This is the last of three times: you claim you will not return, then you return.” He said, “Let me go; I will teach you some words by which Allah will benefit you.” I asked, “What are they?” He said, “When you go to bed, recite the Verse of the Throne: ‘Allah—there is no god but Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer,’ and complete the verse. You will have a guardian from Allah with you, and no devil will approach you until morning.” So I let him go. In the morning the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “What happened to your captive last night?” I said, “Messenger of Allah, he claimed he would teach me words by which Allah would benefit me, so I let him go.” He asked, “What are they?” I said, “He told me: When you go to bed, recite the Verse of the Throne from its beginning to its end—‘Allah—there is no god but Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer.’ He also told me, ‘You will have a guardian from Allah with you, and no devil will approach you until morning.’” They were extremely eager for good. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “He told you the truth, although he is a great liar. Do you know with whom you have been speaking these three nights, Abu Huraira?” I said, “No.” He said, “That was Satan.”

Narrated Abu Said al-Khudri: Bilal brought the Prophet (ﷺ) some barni dates. The Prophet asked him, “Where did these come from?” Bilal said, “We had some inferior dates, and I sold two saʿs of them for one saʿ of these, so that we could feed the Prophet (ﷺ).” The Prophet said, “Ah, ah! This is the very essence of usury, the very essence of usury. Do not do that. If you want to buy, sell the dates in a separate sale, then buy these.”

Narrated Amr: Regarding Umar’s charitable endowment: “There is no blame on the trustee if he eats from it or feeds a friend, provided he does not accumulate wealth.” Ibn Umar was responsible for Umar’s charitable endowment, and he used to give gifts from it to people in Mecca with whom he stayed.

Narrated Zayd ibn Khalid and Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Go, Unays, to this man’s wife. If she confesses, then stone her.”

Narrated Uqba ibn al-Harith: Al-Nuayman—or al-Nuayman’s son—was brought in drunk, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ordered those in the house to strike him. I was among those who struck him; we hit him with sandals and palm stalks.

Narrated Aisha: I twisted the garlands for the sacrificial animals of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with my own hands. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) put the garlands on them with his own hands, then sent them with my father. Nothing that Allah had made lawful to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) became forbidden to him until the sacrificial animals were slaughtered.

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: Abu Talha was the wealthiest of the Ansar in Medina, and the property he loved most was Bayruha, which faced the mosque. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to enter it and drink its pleasant water. When the verse “You will never attain righteousness until you spend from what you love” (Quran 3:92) was revealed, Abu Talha stood before the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said, “Messenger of Allah, Allah Most High says in His Book, ‘You will never attain righteousness until you spend from what you love.’ The property I love most is Bayruha. I give it as charity for Allah, hoping for its righteousness and as a provision stored with Allah. Place it wherever you wish, Messenger of Allah.” He said, “Excellent! That is wealth that will go; that is wealth that will go. I have heard what you said about it, and I think you should give it to your closest relatives.” Abu Talha said, “I will do so, Messenger of Allah.” So Abu Talha distributed it among his relatives and paternal cousins. Ismail transmitted it from Malik in the same way. Ruh transmitted from Malik with the wording “profitable” instead of “going.”

Narrated Abu Musa: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “The trustworthy treasurer who spends—or, perhaps he said, gives—what he has been ordered to give, fully and generously, with a contented heart, to the person to whom he was ordered to give it, is one of the two charitable givers.”