Mishkat al-Masabih
Mishkat al-Masabih 1867
وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَجُلٌ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَيُّ الصَّدَقَةِ أَعْظَمُ أَجْرًا؟ قَالَ: " أَنْ تَصَدَّقَ وَأَنْتَ صَحِيحٌ شَحِيحٌ تَخْشَى الْفَقْرَ وَتَأْمُلُ الْغِنَى وَلَا تُمْهِلَ حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَتِ الْحُلْقُومَ قُلْتَ: لِفُلَانٍ كَذَا وَلِفُلَانٍ كَذَا وَقَدْ كَانَ لِفُلَانٍ "
Abu Huraira said: A man asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, which alms brings the greatest reward?’ He replied, ‘That you give alms while you are healthy, reluctant to part with wealth, fearing poverty and hoping for riches. Do not delay until, when the soul reaches the throat, you say, “So much for so-and-so, and so much for so-and-so,” when it has already become so-and-so’s.’
Translation notes
The Arabic ends with ‘and it had already been for so-and-so’; the English witness explains this as property passing by inheritance. The source itself does not state that explanation explicitly.