The Book of Zakat

كتاب الزكاة

Chapter 46: Giving to those whose hearts have been inclined (towards Islam) and urging those whose faith is strong to show patience

Anas b. Malik reported

We conquered Mecca and then we went on an expedition to Hunain. The polytheists came, forming themselves into the best rows that I have seen. They first formed the rows of cavalry, then those of infantry, and then those of women behind them. Then there were formed the rows of sheep and goats and then of other animals. We were also people large in number, and our (number) had reached six thousand. And on one side Khalid b. Walid was in charge of the cavalry. And our horses at once turned back from our rear. And we could hardly hold our own when our horses were exposed, and the bedouins and the people whom we knew took to their heels. (Seeing this) the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called thus: O emigrants, O emigrants. He then. said: O Ansar, O Ansar. (Anas said: This hadith is transmitted by a group of eminent persons.) We said: At thy beck and call are we, Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then advanced and he (Anas) said: By Allah, we had not yet reached them when Allah defeated them. and we took possession of the wealth and we then marched towards Ta'if, and we besieged them for forty nights. and then came back to Mecca and encamped (at a place), and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began to bestow a hundred camels upon each individual. The rest of the hadith is the same.

Rafi' b. Khadij reported that the Messenger of Allah; (ﷺ) gave to Abu Sufyan b. Harb and Safwan. b. Umayya and 'Uyaina b. Hisn and Aqra' b. Habis, i.e. to every one of these persons, one hundred camels, and gave to 'Abbas b. Mirdas less than this number. Upon this 'Abbas b. Mirdis said

You allot the share of my booty and that of my horse between 'Uyaina and Aqra'. Both Uyaina and Aqra' are in no way more eminent than Mirdas (my father) in the assembly. I am in no way inferior to any one of these persons. And he who is let down today would not be elevated. He (the narrator) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then completed one hundred camels for him.

Chapter 6: The sin of one who withholds Zakat

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (way peace be upon him) as saying

If any owner of gold or silver does not pay what is due on him, when the Day of Resurrection would come, plates of fire would be beaten out for him; these would then be heated in the fire of Hell and his sides, his forehead and his back would be cauterized with them. Whenever these cool down, (the process is) repeated during a day the extent of which would be fifty thousand years, until judgment is pronounced among servants, and he sees whether his path is to take him to Paradise or to Hell. It was said: Messenger of Allah, what about the camel? He (the Holy Prophet) said: If any owner of the camel does not pay what is due on him, and of his due in that (camel) is (also) to milk it on the day when it comes down to water. When the Day of Resurrection comes a soft sandy plain would be set for him, as extensive as possible, (he will find) that not a single young one is missing, and they will trample him with their hoofs and bite him with their mouths. As often as the first of them passes him, the last of them would be made to return during a day the extent of which would be fifty thousand years, until judgment is pronounced among servants and he sees whether his path is to take him to Paradise or to Hell. It was (again) said: Messenger of Allah, what about cows (cattle) and sheep? He said: It any owner of the cattle and sheep does not pay what is due on them, when the Day of Resurrection comes a soft sandy plain would be spread for them, he will find none of them missing, with twisted horns, without horns or with a broken horn, and they will gore him with their horns and trample him with their hoofs. As often as the first of them passes him the last of them would be made to return to him during a day the extent of which would be fifty thousand years, until judgment would be pronounced among the servants. And he would be shown his path-path leading him to Paradise or to Hell. It was said: Messenger of Allah, what about the horse? Upon this he said: The horses are of three types. To one than (these are) a burden, and to another man (these are) a covering, and still to another man (these are) a source of reward. The one for whom these are a burden is the person who rears them in order to show off, for vainglory and for opposing the Muslims; so they are a burden for him. The one for whom these are a covering is the person who rears them for the sake of Allah but does not forget the right of Allah concerning their backs and their necks, and so they are a covering for him. As for those which bring reward (these refer to) the person who rears them for the sake of Allah to be used for Muslims and he puts them in meadow and field. And whatever thing do these eat from that meadow and field would be recorded on his behalf as good deeds, as would also the amount of their dung and urine. And these would not break their halter and prance a course or two without having got recorded the amount of their hoof marks and their dung as a good deed on his behalf (on behalf of their owner). And their master does not bring them past a river from which they drink, though he did not intend to quench their thirst, but Allah would record for him the amount of what they drink on his behalf as deeds. It was said: Messenger of Allah, what about the asses?, Upon this he said: Nothing has been revealed to me in regard to the asses (in particular) except this one verse of a comprehensive nature:" He who does an atom's weight of good will see it, and he who does an atom's weight of evil will see it" (xcix. 7)

This hadith has been narrated by Abu Huraira through another chain of transmitters

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:" When a person does not pay what is due to Allah or Sadaqa of his camels...." The rest of the hadith is the same.

Jabir b. Abdullah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying

No owner of camels or cattle or flock of sheep or goats who does not pay his due (would be spared punishment) but would be made to sit on the Day of Resurrection on a soft sandy ground and the hoofed animals would trample him with their hoofs and gore him with their horns. And none of them on that day would be without horns, or with broken horns. We said: Messenger of Allah, but what is due on them? He said: Lending of the male (for use) and lending of the bucket (used for drawing water for them) and for mating and milking them near water and providing them as a ride for the sake of Allah. And no owner of the property who does not pay Zakat (would be spared punishment) but it (his property) would turn into a bald snake and would follow its owner wherever he would go, and he would run away from it, and it would be said to him: That is your property about which you were stingy. And when he would find no other way out he would thrust his hand in its mouth and it would gnaw it like a male camel.

Chapter 8: Severe Punishment for the one who does not pay Zakat

Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) said

Nothing is more delighting to me than this that Uhud should be of gold for me, and no dinar is left with me out of it before three nights pass except a dinar which I would set aside for the repayment of debt upon me.

Chapter 10: Stern warning concerning those who hoard wealth

Ahnaf b. Qais reported

While I was in the company of the (elites) of Quraiah, Abu Dharr came there and he was saying: Give glad tidings to the hoarders of riches that their backs would be branded (so deeply) that (the hot Iron) would come out of their sides, and when the backs of their necks would be branded, it would come out of their foreheads. He (Abu Dharr) then went away and sat down. I asked who he was. They said: He is Abu Dharr. I went to him and said to him: What is this that I heard from you which you were saying before? He said: I said nothing but only that which I heard from their Prophet (ﷺ). I again said: What do you say about this gift? He said: Take it, for today it is a help. But when it becomes a price for your religion, then abandon it.

Chapter 11: Encouragement to spend and glad tidings of compensation for the one who spends on good deeds

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying that Allah said to him

" Spend, I will bestow upon you." And the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The right hand of Allah is full and spending (the riches) liberally during day and night will not diminish (the resources of Allah). Don't you see what (an enormous amount of resources) He has spent since He created the heaven and the earth, and what is in His right hand has not decreased? His Throne is upon the water. And in His other hand is death, and He elevates and degrades (whom He likes).

Chapter 13: Starting with oneself, then one's family, then one's relatives, when spending

Jabir reported

A person from the Banu 'Udhra set a slave free after his death. This news reached the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon hhn). Upon this he said: Have you any property besides it? He said: No. Upon this he said: Who would buy (this slave) from me? Nulaim b. Abdullah bought it for eight hundred dirhams and (this amount was) brought to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who returned it to him (the owner), and then said: Start with your own self and spend it on yourself, and if anything is left, it should be spent on your family, and if anything is left (after meeting the needs of the family) it should be spent on relatives, and if anything is left from the family, it should be spent like this, like this. And he was saying: In front of you, on your right and on your left.

Chapter 14: The virtue of spending and giving charity to relatives, spuses, children and parents, even if they are idolaters

A hadith like this has been narrated on the authority of Zainab the wife of 'Abdullah, and she said

I was in the mosque and the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) saw me and said: Give Sadaqa even though it is out of your jewellery. The rest of the hadith is the same.

Umm Salama said

I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) whether there is a reward for me if I spend on Abu Salama's sons, and I am not going to abandon them in this state (of helplessness) for they are my sons. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Yes. For you is the reward for what you spend on them.

Chapter 16: The word charity (Sadaqah) may apply to all good deeds Ma'ruf

Hudhaifa and Abu Shaiba reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

Every act of goodness is sadaqa.

Abu Dharr reported

some of the people from among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him: Messenger of Allah, the rich have taken away (all the) reward. They observe prayer as we do; they keep the fasts as we keep, and they give Sadaqa out of their surplus riches. Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) said: Has Allah not prescribed for you (a course) by following which you can (also) do sadaqa? In every declaration of the glorification of Allah (i. e. saying Subhan Allah) there is a Sadaqa, and every Takbir (i. e. saying Allah-O-Akbar) is a sadaqa, and every praise of His (saying al-Hamdu Lillah) is a Sadaqa and every declaration that He is One (La illha ill-Allah) is a sadaqa, and enjoining of good is a sadaqa, and forbidding of that which is evil is a Sadaqa, and in man's sexual Intercourse (with his wife, ) there is a Sadaqa. They (the Companions) said: Messenger of Allah, is there reward for him who satisfies his sexual passion among us? He said: Tell me, if he were to devote it to something forbidden, would it not be a sin on his part? Similarly, if he were to devote it to something lawful, he should have a reward.

'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

Abu Taubah said: "Perhaps he said: 'Will reach the evening.'"

This hadith has been narrated by Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters.

Chapter 17: The one who spends and the one who withholds

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

There is never a day wherein servants (of God) get up at morn, but are not visited by two angels. One of them says: 0 Allah, give him more who spends (for the sake of Allah), and the other says: 0 Allah, bring destruction to one who withholds.

Chapter 18: Encouragement to give charity before there is no one to accept it

Abu Musa reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

There would come a time for the people when a person would roam about with Sadaqa of gold, but he would find no one to accept it from him. And a man would be seen followed by forty women seeking refuge with him on account of the scarcity of males and abundance of females."

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenaer (ﷺ) as saying

The earth will vomit long pieces of its liver like columns of gold and silver, and the murderer will come and say: It was for this that I committed murder. The breaker of family ties will come and say: It was for this that I broke the family ties; and the thief will come and say: It is for this that my hands were cut off. They will then leave it and will not take anything out of it.

Chapter 19: Acceptance of charity that comes from good (Tayyib) earnings, and the growth thereof

Narrated Abu Huraira

This hadith has been transmitted through another chain the same as the narration of Ya'qub from Suhail (# 2212).

Chapter 20: Encouragement to give charity even if it is with half a date or a kind word. And charity is a shield against the fire.

Mundhir b. Jarir narrated on the authority of his father

When we were sitting in the company of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). There came people dressed in striped woollen clothes, and the rest of the hadith in the same, and there (it is also mentioned):" He observed the Zuhr prayer and then climbed up a small pulpit, praised Allah, lauded Him, and then said: Verily Allah in His Book has revealed: 'O people, fear your Lord, ' etc." (iv. 1).