Sunan an-Nasa'i
Sunan an-Nasa'i 2548
أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا وُهَيْبٌ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ طَاوُسٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " مَثَلُ الْبَخِيلِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِ مَثَلُ رَجُلَيْنِ عَلَيْهِمَا جُنَّتَانِ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ قَدِ اضْطَرَّتْ أَيْدِيَهُمَا إِلَى تَرَاقِيهِمَا فَكُلَّمَا هَمَّ الْمُتَصَدِّقُ بِصَدَقَةٍ اتَّسَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى تُعَفِّيَ أَثَرَهُ وَكُلَّمَا هَمَّ الْبَخِيلُ بِصَدَقَةٍ تَقَبَّضَتْ كُلُّ حَلْقَةٍ إِلَى صَاحِبَتِهَا وَتَقَلَّصَتْ عَلَيْهِ وَانْضَمَّتْ يَدَاهُ إِلَى تَرَاقِيهِ " . وَسَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " فَيَجْتَهِدُ أَنْ يُوَسِّعَهَا فَلاَ تَتَّسِعُ " .
Ahmad ibn Sulayman reported: Affan narrated to us: Wuhayb narrated to us: Abd Allah ibn Tawus narrated to us, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: The likeness of a miser and a charitable person is that of two men wearing coats of iron, with their hands constrained up to their collarbones. Whenever the charitable person intends to give charity, his armor expands for him until it erases his tracks. Whenever the miser intends to give charity, every ring contracts toward its neighboring ring, and it shrinks around him until his hands draw together at his collarbones. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: He tries hard to widen it, but it does not widen.
Translation notes
This version describes the iron garments, hands, and contracting rings in its own terms; its wording is kept distinct from the preceding variant.