Mishkat al-Masabih

Mishkat al-Masabih 1954

Arabic hadith text

عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: حَمَلْتُ عَلَى فَرَسٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَأَضَاعَهُ الَّذِي كَانَ عِنْدَهُ فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَشْتَرِيَهُ وَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ يَبِيعُهُ بِرُخْصٍ فَسَأَلْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: «لَا تَشْتَرِهِ وَلَا تَعُدْ فِي صَدَقَتِكَ وَإِنْ أَعْطَاكَهُ بِدِرْهَمٍ فَإِنَّ الْعَائِدَ فِي صَدَقَتِهِ كَالْكَلْبِ يَعُودُ فِي قَيْئِهِ» . وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: «لَا تَعُدْ فِي صَدَقَتِكَ فَإِنَّ الْعَائِدَ فِي صَدَقَتِهِ كالعائد فِي قيئه»

Translation

‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said: I gave a horse for service in the path of Allah. The man who had it neglected it, and I wanted to buy it, thinking he would sell it cheaply. I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: ‘Do not buy it, and do not take back your charity, even if he gives it to you for a dirham. The one who takes back his charity is like a dog that returns to its vomit.’ Another version has: ‘Do not take back your charity, for the one who takes it back is like one who returns to his vomit.’