Zakat

Ibn Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent Muadh to Yemen and said: ‘You are going to a people from among the People of the Book. Invite them to testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. If they obey you in that, inform them that Allah has prescribed for them five prayers in each day and night. If they obey you in that, inform them that Allah has prescribed charity to be taken from their rich and returned to their poor. If they obey you in that, beware of taking the best of their property, and fear the supplication of the wronged, for there is no veil between it and Allah.’

Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘There is no owner of gold or silver who fails to pay what is due from it but that, on the Day of Resurrection, plates will be made for him from fire. They will be heated in the Fire of Hell, and his side, forehead, and back will be branded with them. Whenever they cool, they will be returned to him, during a day whose measure is fifty thousand years, until judgment is passed among the servants and his way is shown to him, either to Paradise or to the Fire.’ He was asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what about camels?’ He said: ‘There is no owner of camels who fails to pay what is due from them—and among what is due is milking them on the day they come to water—but that, on the Day of Resurrection, they will be spread out for him on a level plain, in the greatest abundance they have ever had, with not a single foal missing. They will trample him with their hooves and bite him with their mouths. Whenever the first of them passes over him, the last is brought back to him, during a day whose measure is fifty thousand years, until judgment is passed among the servants and his way is shown to him, either to Paradise or to the Fire.’ He was asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what about cattle and sheep?’ He said: ‘There is no owner of cattle or sheep who fails to pay what is due from them but that, on the Day of Resurrection, they will be spread out for him on a level plain, with none of them missing—not one with twisted horns, hornless, or with a broken horn. They will gore him with their horns and trample him with their hooves. Whenever the first of them passes over him, the last is brought back to him, during a day whose measure is fifty thousand years, until judgment is passed among the servants and his way is shown to him, either to Paradise or to the Fire.’ He was asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what about horses?’ He said: ‘Horses are of three kinds: they are a burden for one man, a covering for another, and a reward for another. As for the one for whom they are a burden, it is a man who keeps them out of ostentation and pride, in opposition to the people of Islam; they are a burden for him. As for the one for whom they are a covering, it is a man who keeps them in the path of Allah and does not neglect Allah’s due concerning their backs or their necks; they are a covering for him. As for the one for whom they are a reward, it is a man who keeps them in the path of Allah for the people of Islam, in a meadow or garden. Whatever they eat from that meadow or garden is recorded for him as good deeds, each amount they eat; and the amount of their dung and urine is recorded for him as good deeds. If they break their tether and run up a rise or two, Allah records for him, for the number of their tracks and their droppings, good deeds. If their owner passes them by a river and they drink from it, though he did not intend to water them, Allah records for him good deeds according to the amount they drank.’ He was asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what about donkeys?’ He said: ‘Nothing has been revealed to me about donkeys except this singular, comprehensive verse: “Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.”’ [Al-Zalzalah 99:7] Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported that 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 to him on the Day of Resurrection as a bald-headed serpent with two dark marks above its eyes. It will coil around his neck and seize him by his jawbones, saying, “I am your wealth; I am your hoard.”’ Then he recited this verse: ‘Let not those who are miserly with what Allah has given them from His bounty think…’ [Aal Imran 3:180]. Al-Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘There is no man who has camels, cattle, or sheep and fails to pay what is due from them but that they will be brought on the Day of Resurrection, as large and fat as they can be. They will trample him with their hooves and gore him with their horns. Whenever the last of them has passed, the first is brought back to him, until judgment is passed among the people.’

Jarir ibn Abdullah said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘When the alms collector comes to you, let him depart from you while pleased with you.’ Muslim transmitted it.

Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: When people brought their alms to the Prophet ﷺ, he would say, ‘O Allah, bless the family of so-and-so.’ My father brought him his alms, and he said, ‘O Allah, bless the family of Abu Awfa.’ Another version says: ‘When a man brought his alms to the Prophet ﷺ, he would say, “O Allah, bless him.”’

Abu Huraira said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent Umar to collect alms. It was said, ‘Ibn Jamil, Khalid ibn al-Walid, and al-Abbas have withheld it.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘What grievance does Ibn Jamil have, when he was poor and Allah and His Messenger enriched him? As for Khalid, you are wronging Khalid: he has kept his coats of mail and equipment in the path of Allah. As for al-Abbas, his obligation is mine, and an equal amount besides it.’ Then he said, ‘Umar, did you not know that a man’s paternal uncle is like the twin of his father?’

Abu Humayd al-Saidi said: The Prophet ﷺ appointed a man from al-Azd, called Ibn al-Lutbiyya al-Atbiyya, to collect alms. When he returned, he said, ‘This is for you, and this was given to me as a gift.’ The Prophet ﷺ delivered a sermon, praised and extolled Allah, and said: ‘To proceed: I appoint men from among you to some of the affairs Allah has entrusted to me. One of you comes and says, “This is for you, and this is a gift given to me.” Why did he not sit in his father’s house or his mother’s house and see whether he would be given a gift or not? By Him in whose hand is my soul, no one takes anything from it but that he will come with it on the Day of Resurrection carrying it on his neck: if it is a camel, it will groan; if a cow, it will bellow; if a sheep, it will bleat.’ Then he raised his hands until we saw the whiteness beneath his armpits, and said, ‘O Allah, have I conveyed it? O Allah, have I conveyed it?’ Al-Khattabi said: His words, ‘Why did he not sit in his mother’s or father’s house and see whether he would be given anything?’ prove that every matter used as a means to something forbidden is itself forbidden. And with every gain entering into contracts, one must consider whether its ruling when taken alone is the same as its ruling when joined with another or not. This is as stated in Sharh al-Sunna.

Adi ibn Umayra said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘If we appoint one of you to an office and he conceals from us even a needle, or anything above it, it is illicit appropriation, and he will bring it on the Day of Resurrection.’ Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: When the verse ‘Those who hoard gold and silver…’ was revealed, that weighed heavily on the Muslims. Umar said, ‘I will relieve you of this concern,’ and went to the Prophet of Allah. He said, ‘Prophet of Allah, this verse weighs heavily on your Companions.’ The Prophet ﷺ replied: ‘Allah prescribed zakat only to purify with it what remains of your wealth. And He prescribed inheritance’—and he mentioned a word—‘so that it would go to those after you.’ Umar then exclaimed, ‘Allah is greatest!’ Then he said to him, ‘Shall I tell you the best treasure a person may keep? A righteous wife: when he looks at her, she delights him; when he commands her, she obeys him; and when he is absent from her, she guards his interests.’ Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Jabir ibn Atik said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘A party of riders whom you dislike will come to you. When they come, welcome them and let them have what they seek. If they act justly, it is for their own good; if they act unjustly, it is against them. Keep them pleased, for the completion of your zakat is their satisfaction, and let them pray for you.’ Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Jarir ibn Abdullah said: Some people—meaning Bedouin Arabs—came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, ‘Some of the alms collectors come to us and wrong us.’ He said, ‘Keep your collectors pleased, even if you are wronged.’ Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Bashir ibn al-Khasasiyya said: We said, ‘The alms collectors exceed what is due against us. May we conceal from our wealth an amount equal to what they take in excess?’ He replied, ‘No.’ Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Rafi ibn Khadij said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The official who administers alms justly is like one who fights in the path of Allah, until he returns to his home.’ Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Amr ibn Shuaib, from his father, from his grandfather, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘There is to be no jalab or janab, and their alms are to be collected only at their dwellings.’ Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn Umar said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Whoever acquires wealth, there is no zakat due on it until a year has passed.’ Al-Tirmidhi transmitted it and mentioned that a group of transmitters traced it only as far back as Ibn Umar.

Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Al-Abbas asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about paying his alms in advance before it was due, and he granted him permission to do so. Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and al-Darimi transmitted it.

Amr ibn Shuaib, from his father, from his grandfather, reported that the Prophet ﷺ addressed the people and said: ‘Whoever is guardian of an orphan who has property should trade with it and not leave it until alms consume it.’ Al-Tirmidhi transmitted it and said: There is criticism of its chain because al-Muthanna ibn al-Sabbah is weak.

Abu Huraira said: When the Prophet ﷺ died, Abu Bakr was appointed as his successor, and some of the Arabs disbelieved. Umar said, ‘Abu Bakr, how can you fight the 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 right; and his reckoning is with Allah.”’ Abu Bakr said, ‘By Allah, I will surely fight whoever separates prayer from zakat, for zakat is the right due on wealth. By Allah, if they withhold from me even a female kid that they used to pay to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, I will fight them over withholding it.’ Umar said, ‘By Allah, it was only when I saw that Allah had opened Abu Bakr’s heart to fighting that I knew it was the truth.’

Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘On the Day of Resurrection, one of your hoards will become a bald-headed serpent. Its owner will flee from it while it pursues him, until he puts his fingers into its mouth.’ Ahmad transmitted it.