Sunan Ibn Majah
The Chapters on Gifts
كتاب الهبات
Chapter 1
الرَّجُلِ يَنْحَلُ وَلَدَهُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bishr, Bakr ibn Khalaf, narrated to us: Yazid ibn Zuray narrated to us, from Dawud ibn Abi Hind, from al-Shabi, from al-Numan ibn Bashir, who said: His father took him to the Prophet ﷺ, carrying him, and said, “Bear witness that I have given al-Numan such and such from my wealth.” He asked, “Have you given all your sons something like what you gave al-Numan?” He said, “No.” He said, “Then ask someone other than me to witness this.” He asked, “Would you not be pleased for them all to be equally dutiful to you?” He said, “Yes.” He said, “Then do not do this.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic chain is included in full. In the final exchange, البرّ refers to the children being dutiful toward their father.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham ibn Ammar narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Humayd ibn Abd al-Rahman and Muhammad ibn al-Numan ibn Bashir, who both informed him from al-Numan ibn Bashir, that his father gave him a young male slave. He then came to the Prophet ﷺ to ask him to witness the gift. He asked, “Have you given a gift to every one of your children?” He said, “No.” He said, “Then take it back.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic sanad is fully supplied here; the English witness omits it. غلام is rendered as a young male slave, following the wording of the source.
Chapter 2
مَنْ أَعْطَى وَلَدَهُ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ فِيهِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Bashshar and Abu Bakr ibn Khallad al-Bahili both said: Ibn Abi Adi narrated to us, from Husayn al-Muallim, from Amr ibn Shuaib, from Tawus, from Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar, who attributed the report to the Prophet ﷺ, that he said: “It is not lawful for a man to give a gift and then take it back, except for a father with regard to what he gives his child.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic explicitly includes both transmitters at the start of the chain and says that Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar raised the report to the Prophet.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Jamil ibn al-Hasan narrated to us: Abd al-Ala narrated to us: Said narrated to us, from Amir al-Ahwal, from Amr ibn Shuaib, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Prophet of Allah ﷺ said: “None of you should take back his gift, except a father who takes back what he gave to his child.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic chain is supplied in full. The pronoun “his grandfather” is retained without adding an identification absent from this text.
Chapter 3
الْعُمْرَى
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Yahya ibn Zakariyya ibn Abi Za idah narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Amr, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “There is no lifetime grant: whatever someone is given as a lifetime grant belongs to him.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The term umra refers to a lifetime grant. The Arabic is phrased as an emphatic declaration; the ruling in the second clause is retained.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Rumh narrated to us: al-Layth ibn Sad informed us, from Ibn Shihab, from Abu Salamah, from Jabir, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “Whoever grants a man a lifetime grant for himself and his descendants, his words thereby relinquish his right to it. It belongs to the one granted it and to his descendants.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic includes the condition “for him and his descendants” and states that the grantor thereby loses his claim; both clauses are rendered explicitly.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham ibn Ammar narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Amr ibn Dinar, from Tawus, from Hujr al-Madari, from Zayd ibn Thabit, that the Prophet ﷺ assigned a lifetime grant to the heir.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic chain is fully supplied. الوارث is singular generic, referring to the recipient and their heir or heirs; the English witness makes the latter explicit.
Chapter 4
الرُّقْبَى
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ishaq ibn Mansur informed us: Abd al-Razzaq informed us: Ibn Jurayj informed us, from Ata, from Habib ibn Abi Thabit, from Ibn Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “There is no ruqba. Whoever is given something as a ruqba, it belongs to him throughout his life and after his death.” The narrator said: Ruqba is when one says, “It belongs to whichever of us two dies later.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Ruqba is retained as a technical term, then explained by the report itself. The final explanation in Arabic is included although the English witness omits it.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Amr ibn Rafi narrated to us: Hushaym narrated to us. Ali ibn Muhammad also narrated to us: Abu Muawiyah narrated to us. Both said: Dawud narrated to us, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir ibn Abdullah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “A lifetime grant is valid for the one to whom it is granted, and a ruqba is valid for the one to whom it is granted.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic gives two parallel routes that converge at Dawud; both are preserved. The technical term ruqba is retained.
Chapter 5
الرُّجُوعِ فِي الْهِبَةِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Abu Usamah narrated to us, from Awf, from Khilas, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The likeness of one who takes back a gift is that of a dog: it eats until it is full, vomits, then returns to its vomit and eats it.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic uses a stark simile; it is retained without softening. The chain omitted from the English witness is included.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Bashshar and Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna both said: Muhammad ibn Jafar narrated to us: Shubah narrated to us, saying: I heard Qatadah relating, from Said ibn al-Musayyab, from Ibn Abbas, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “One who takes back his gift is like one who returns to his vomit.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
This wording gives the comparison without the dog image found in another report; the Arabic wording here is followed exactly.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Abdullah ibn Yusuf al-Arari narrated to us: Yazid ibn Abi Hakim narrated to us: al-Umari narrated to us, from Zayd ibn Aslam, from Ibn Umar, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said, “One who takes back his gift is like a dog that returns to its vomit.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The transmitter is identified only as al-Umari in the Arabic text, so no fuller identity is supplied.
Chapter 6
مَنْ وَهَبَ هِبَةً رَجَاءَ ثَوَابِهَا
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ali ibn Muhammad and Muhammad ibn Ismail both said: Waki narrated to us: Ibrahim ibn Ismail ibn Mujamma ibn Jariyah al-Ansari narrated to us, from Amr ibn Dinar, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “A man has the greater right to his gift so long as he has not been recompensed for it.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The condition has not been recompensed preserves the passive construction ما لم يثب منها and the English witness sense.
Chapter 7
عَطِيَّةِ الْمَرْأَةِ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِ زَوْجِهَا
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Yusuf al-Raqqi, Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Sayd alani, narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Salamah narrated to us, from al-Muthanna ibn al-Sabbah, from Amr ibn Shuaib, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in a sermon he delivered: “A woman may not dispose of her wealth without the husband permission once he has become bound to her in marriage.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic supplies the full chain and specifies that this was said in a sermon. The final phrase literally refers to the husband becoming possessor of her marital bond; it is rendered idiomatically as once they are married.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Harmalah ibn Yahya narrated to us: Abdullah ibn Wahb narrated to us: al-Layth ibn Sad informed me, from Abdullah ibn Yahya—a man among the descendants of Kab ibn Malik—from his father, from his grandfather, that his grandmother Khayrah, the wife of Kab ibn Malik, came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with some of her jewelry. She said, “I am giving this in charity.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to her, “A woman may not dispose of her wealth without permission from her husband. Did you ask Kab?” She said, “Yes.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then sent for Kab ibn Malik, her husband, and asked, “Did you give Khayrah permission to give her jewelry in charity?” He said, “Yes.” So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ accepted it from her.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The full unusual chain, including the narrator lineage description, is retained. The jewelry is described as hers, and the final acceptance follows confirmation from her husband.