Sunan an-Nasa'i
Sunan an-Nasa'i 2591
أَخْبَرَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ حَمْزَةَ - قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي الأَوْزَاعِيُّ، عَنْ هَارُونَ بْنِ رِئَابٍ، أَنَّهُ حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، عَنْ قَبِيصَةَ بْنِ مُخَارِقٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " لاَ تَصْلُحُ الْمَسْأَلَةُ إِلاَّ لِثَلاَثَةٍ رَجُلٍ أَصَابَتْ مَالَهُ جَائِحَةٌ فَيَسْأَلُ حَتَّى يُصِيبَ سِدَادًا مِنْ عَيْشٍ ثُمَّ يُمْسِكَ وَرَجُلٍ تَحَمَّلَ حَمَالَةً فَيَسْأَلُ حَتَّى يُؤَدِّيَ إِلَيْهِمْ حَمَالَتَهُمْ ثُمَّ يُمْسِكَ عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ وَرَجُلٍ يَحْلِفُ ثَلاَثَةُ نَفَرٍ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ مِنْ ذَوِي الْحِجَا بِاللَّهِ لَقَدْ حَلَّتِ الْمَسْأَلَةُ لِفُلاَنٍ فَيَسْأَلُ حَتَّى يُصِيبَ قِوَامًا مِنْ مَعِيشَةٍ ثُمَّ يُمْسِكَ عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ فَمَا سِوَى ذَلِكَ سُحْتٌ " .
Hisham ibn Ammar reported: Yahya—meaning Ibn Hamzah—narrated to us: al-Awzai narrated to me, from Harun ibn Riab, who related to him from Abu Bakr, from Qabisah ibn Mukhariq, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: Asking is lawful only for three: a man whose wealth has been struck by a calamity, who asks until he obtains enough support for his livelihood, then stops; a man who undertakes a financial liability, who asks until he pays off that liability to its creditors, then stops asking; and a man for whom three discerning men from his community swear by Allah that asking has become lawful for so-and-so. He asks until he obtains enough to sustain his livelihood, then stops asking. Anything beyond that is ill-gotten wealth.
Translation notes
This version gives its own formulation of the three conditions. The threshold terms and syntax of the third condition are rendered cautiously and flagged for review.
قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " لاَ تَصْلُحُ الْمَسْأَلَةُ إِلاَّ لِثَلاَثَةٍ رَجُلٍ أَصَابَتْ مَالَهُ جَائِحَةٌ فَيَسْأَلُ حَتَّى يُصِيبَ سِدَادًا مِنْ عَيْشٍ ثُمَّ يُمْسِكَ وَرَجُلٍ تَحَمَّلَ حَمَالَةً فَيَسْأَلُ حَتَّى يُؤَدِّيَ إِلَيْهِمْ حَمَالَتَهُمْ ثُمَّ يُمْسِكَ عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ وَرَجُلٍ يَحْلِفُ ثَلاَثَةُ نَفَرٍ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ مِنْ ذَوِي الْحِجَا بِاللَّهِ لَقَدْ حَلَّتِ الْمَسْأَلَةُ لِفُلاَنٍ فَيَسْأَلُ حَتَّى يُصِيبَ قِوَامًا مِنْ مَعِيشَةٍ ثُمَّ يُمْسِكَ عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ فَمَا سِوَى ذَلِكَ سُحْتٌ " .
The third condition construction and the exact threshold meant by sidad and qiwam are not fully explicit.
Do the three discerning people attest that asking is lawful for him, and should the threshold be rendered as subsistence, enough for a livelihood, or another measure?