Gift

In this Hadīth, Maymūnah bint al-Hārith (may Allah be pleased with her) freed a slave-girl of hers, because of her knowledge of the virtue of freeing slaves for the sake of Allah. She did this without informing or consulting the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). When it was the day when the Prophet would stay at her house overnight, she told him what she had done. He did not blame her for freeing the slave without first consulting him, but he only informed her that had she given that girl to her maternal uncles, she would have received a greater reward. In other words, he approved of and praised what she did, but told her that had she given it to her uncles from Banu Hilāl, it would have been better and she would have earned a greater reward due to the virtue of giving charity to one's relatives and maintaining good ties with them.

- رياض الصالحين من كلام سيد المرسلين؛ للإمام أبي زكريا النووي، تحقيق د. ماهر الفحل، دار ابن كثير-دمشق، الطبعة الأولى، 1428ه. - بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف سليم الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي- الطبعة الأولى1418ه. - نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف د. مصطفى الخِن وغيره، مؤسسة الرسالة-بيروت، الطبعة الرابعة عشر، 1407هـ. - صحيح البخاري –الجامع الصحيح-؛ للإمام أبي عبد الله محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، عناية محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة، الطبعة الأولى، 1422هـ. - صحيح مسلم؛ للإمام مسلم بن الحجاج، حققه ورقمه محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار عالم الكتب-الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1417هـ. - شرح رياض الصالحين؛ للشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين، مدار الوطن، الرياض، 1426هـ. - كنوز رياض الصالحين»، لحمد بن ناصر العمار، دار كنوز إشبيليا- الطبعة الأولى1430ه مرعاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح - أبو الحسن عبيد الله المباركفوري - إدارة البحوث العلمية والدعوة والإفتاء - الجامعة السلفية - بنارس الهند الطبعة: الثالثة - 1404 هـ، 1984.

‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): I have two neighbors, and I have been ordered to be generous to neighbors in general, but I cannot afford to give a gift to both of them at the same time. So which one should I give a gift to so as to be considered from those who are generous to neighbors? he said: The one whose door is the nearest to you.

نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، نشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة الرابعة عشر، 1407ه - 1987م. رياض الصالحين للنووي، تحقيق: ماهر ياسين الفحل، دار ابن كثير، دمشق، بيروت، ط1، 1428هـ. رياض الصالحين، للنووي، تحقيق: عصام هادي، وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية القطرية، دار الريان، بيروت، ط4، 1428هـ. صحيح البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، ط1، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422ه. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين، ط14، مؤسسة الرسالة، 1407هـ.

The Hadīth shows altruism of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and how he preferred that man to have the mantle although he himself was in need of it. The fact that he actually wore it indicates that he was in extreme need of it. A woman came and gave the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) a mantle as a gift. Then a man approached the Prophet and said: 'How beautiful it is!" and asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to give it to him. So the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) took it off, folded it, and gave it to him. Some Hadīth commentators mentioned that one of the lessons learned from this Hadīth is that it is permissible to seek blessings from the traces of the righteous. However, that is not the case. Rather, it is seeking the blessings specifically from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and none else can be compared to him in terms of virtue and righteousness. Also, the Companions never did that with anyone except the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) neither during his lifetime nor after his death. Had there been any good in it, they would have preceded us in doing it.

بهجة شرح رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف سليم الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي. تطريز رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف فيصل آل مبارك، تحقيق د. عبدالعزيز آل حمد، دار العاصمة-الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1423هـ. تيسير العزيز الحميد في شرح كتاب التوحيد؛ للإمام سليمان بن عبدالله بن محمد بن عبدالوهاب، تحقيق أسامة عطايا، دار الصميعي-الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1428هـ. الجمع بين الصحيحين؛ للإمام محمد بن فتوح الحميدي، تحقيق د. علي البواب، دار ابن حزم. دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين؛ لمحمد بن علان الشافعي، دار الكتاب العربي-بيروت. رياض الصالحين من كلام سيد المرسلين؛ للإمام أبي زكريا النووي، تحقيق د. ماهر الفحل، دار ابن كثير-دمشق، الطبعة الأولى، 1428هـ. صحيح البخاري –الجامع الصحيح-؛ للإمام أبي عبدالله محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، عناية محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة، الطبعة الأولى، 1422هـ. فتح الباري بشرح صحيح البخاري؛ للحافظ أحمد بن علي بن حجر العسقلاني، دار المعرفة-بيروت. كنوز رياض الصالحين؛ فريق علمي برئاسة أ.د. حمد العمار، دار كنوز إشبيليا-الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1430هـ. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف د. مصطفى الخِن وغيره، مؤسسة الرسالة-بيروت، الطبعة الرابعة عشر، 1407هـ.

One of the aspects of the excellent moral character of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was that he never flattered people at the expense of Allah's religion; but he never failed to soothe their hearts as well. While the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was in a state of "Ihrām", he happened to pass by As-Sa‘b ibn Jaththāmah (may Allah be pleased with him) who was a skillful archer and runner. So, when the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) passed by him, he hunted a zebra and offered it to him, whereupon the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) refused to accept it. This hurt As-Sa‘b so much; as how would the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) refuse his gift? So, his face changed (due to grief). When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) noticed that, he soothed his heart, and told him that he only refused it because he was in a state of "Ihrām", and a person in such a state cannot eat from any game that was hunted on his behalf.

بهجة شرح رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف سليم الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي. تطريز رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف فيصل آل مبارك، تحقيق د. عبدالعزيز آل حمد، دار العاصمة-الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1423هـ. رياض الصالحين من كلام سيد المرسلين؛ للإمام أبي زكريا النووي، تحقيق د. ماهر الفحل، دار ابن كثير-دمشق، الطبعة الأولى، 1428هـ. شرح رياض الصالحين؛ للشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين، مدار الوطن-الرياض، 1426هـ. صحيح البخاري –الجامع الصحيح-؛ للإمام أبي عبدالله محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، عناية محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة، الطبعة الأولى، 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم؛ للإمام مسلم بن الحجاج، حققه ورقمه محمد فؤاد عبدالباقي، دار عالم الكتب-الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1417هـ. فتح الباري بشرح صحيح البخاري؛ للحافظ أحمد بن علي بن حجر العسقلاني، دار المعرفة-بيروت. كنوز رياض الصالحين؛ فريق علمي برئاسة أ.د. حمد العمار، دار كنوز إشبيليا-الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1430هـ.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) appointed a man named Ibn al-Lutbiyyah to collect the Zakah from the tribe of Banu Sulaym. When he returned to Madīnah, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) held him accountable for what he had collected and how he had spent it. So Ibn al-Lutbiyyah said: This is your wealth, which I collected as Zakah, and this is a gift that was given to me. He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: Why do you not sit in the house of your father and mother to see whether gifts will be given to you if you are truthful? The rights and duties you were tasked with were the reason for those gifts being offered to you. If you had remained in your home, nothing would have been gifted to you. So, it is not permissible for you to consider it lawful simply because it reached you in the form of a gift. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ascended the pulpit angrily and delivered a sermon. He praised Allah and glorified Him, then said: To proceed, I appoint one of you to a duty—to oversee what Allah has entrusted to me of Zakah and war spoils. Then he returns from his assignment and says: This is for you, and this was given to me as a gift! Why does he not sit in the house of his father and mother to see if his gift will come to him? By Allah, no one takes anything unlawfully from what is given to him except that he will meet Allah on the Day of Judgment carrying it on his neck—whether it is a groaning camel, a mooing cow, or a bleating sheep. Then he raised his hands forcefully until those sitting saw the whiteness of his armpits, and he said: O Allah, I have conveyed Your ruling to them. Then Abu Humayd as-Sā‘idi (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that: This is what his eyes saw and his ears heard.

1. The ruler must clarify to those working under him what is required of them and what is prohibited in their duties.
2. A threat to those who take people's wealth unjustly.
3. There is no oppressor except that he will come on the Day of Judgment carrying what he wronged others with.
4. It is obligatory for any employee in any government position to fulfill the responsibilities assigned to him. He is not permitted to accept gifts related to his work. If he receives such gifts, he must place them in the public treasury, and he is not allowed to keep them for himself, because such gifts are a means to evil and a violation of trust.
5. Ibn Battāl said: This Hadīth indicates that a gift given to a public official is usually offered either as a token of gratitude for a favor, or to win his affection, or out of hope that he will show bias in applying the law. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) pointed out that in such gifts, the official is just like any other Muslim—he has no special privilege over them—and it is not permissible for him to take such gifts exclusively for himself.
6. An-Nawawi said: This Hadīth makes clear that gifts given to public officials are unlawful and considered a form of Ghulūl (stealing from the spoils of war), because the official has betrayed his trust and responsibility. This is why the Hadīth mentions the punishment: that he will carry what was gifted to him on the Day of Judgment, similar to the punishment for one who steals from the war booty. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clearly explained in the same Hadīth the reason for the prohibition of the gift: it is due to his position of authority. This is in contrast to a gift given to someone who is not a public official, for such gifts are recommended.
7. Ibn al-Munayyir said: It is understood from his statement: "Why does he not sit in the house of his father and mother" that it is permissible for a person in public office to accept gifts from someone who used to gift him before assuming that position. Ibn Hajar added: This is, of course, only allowed if the gift does not exceed what was customary before.
8. The prophetic method in giving advice is to speak generally, not to expose individuals.
9. Ibn Hajar said: It indicates the legitimacy of holding accountable those who are entrusted with responsibilities or public duties.
10. Ibn Hajar said: It denotes the permissibility of rebuking the one who makes a mistake.
11. Raising the hands in supplication is recommended.

صحيح البخاري (9/ 28) (6979). صحيح مسلم (3/ 1463) (1832). جمهرة اللغة، أبوبكر الأزدي (2/ 1067). المعجم الوسيط، مجمع اللغة العربية (2/ 1065). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (1/ 305). تطرز رياض الصالحين، لفيصل آل مبارك (ص166). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 234).

‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) helped a man to fight in the cause of Allah by giving him a horse. However, the man did not look after the horse and did not care for it properly; he exhausted the horse until it grew weak and emaciated. So ‘Umar wanted to buy the horse back from the man, thinking that it would be cheap due to its miserable condition. As he was unsure about buying it back, he consulted the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) first to clear his doubts. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade him from buying it back, even for a meager price, as he had given the horse for Allah's sake. One should not follow up on donations or feel attached to them. The person who received the donation may feel obliged to sell it back to the donor for a low price. In this case, the donor will receive back part of his charity at no price. Also, when charity is given, it takes with it one's bad deeds, so one should not take them back and should not look back. Buying back one's charity is like retracting one's charity, despite the price paid.

تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، للبسام، حققه وعلق عليه وخرج أحاديثه وصنع فهارسه: محمد صبحي بن حسن حلاق، ط10، مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات - مكتبة التابعين، القاهرة، 1426هـ. الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، لإسماعيل الأنصاري، ط1، دار الفكر، دمشق، 1381هـ. عمدة الأحكام من كلام خير الأنام صلى الله عليه وسلم، لعبد الغني المقدسي، دراسة وتحقيق: محمود الأرناؤوط، مراجعة وتقديم: عبد القادر الأرناؤوط، ط2، دار الثقافة العربية، دمشق ، بيروت، مؤسسة قرطبة، 1408 هـ. صحيح البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، ط1، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت، 1423هـ.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) drew an analogy to show how repulsive and disgusting it is that a person takes back the gift he has already given to someone. The one who does so is like a dog that vomits then it comes back to its vomit and eats it. This is an indication of the hideousness of such behavior and the meanness of the person who does it.

- صحيح البخاري –الجامع الصحيح-؛ للإمام أبي عبد الله محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، عناية محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة، الطبعة الأولى، 1422هـ. - صحيح مسلم؛ للإمام مسلم بن الحجاج، حققه ورقمه محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار عالم الكتب-الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1417هـ. - تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام-عبد الله البسام-تحقيق محمد صبحي حسن حلاق- مكتبة الصحابة- الشارقة- الطبعة العاشرة- 1426ه. - منحة العلام في شرح بلوغ المرام:تأليف عبد الله الفوزان-طبعة دار ابن الجوزي-الطبعة الأولى 1428. - فتح ذي الجلال والإكرام بشرح بلوغ المرام للشيخ ابن عثيمين- المكتبة الإسلامية القاهرة- تحقيق صبحي رمضان وأم إسراء بيومي- الطبعة الأولى 1427.

Al-‘Umrā” and Ar-Ruqbā are two types of lifelong gifts that used to be given during the pre-Islamic era. A man would give someone a house or something else by saying: I give this to you forever, or I give this to you as long as you are alive or as long as I am alive. Therefore, they used to wait for the death of the one given such a gift, in order to take back their gift. Islamic Shariah has approved the gift and annulled the condition of taking it back, which was often associated with it. This is because, in Islam, the one who takes his gift back is like the dog that vomits and swallows its vomit. Therefore, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) decreed that the lifelong gift is for the one to whom it was given and to his offspring after him. On the other hand, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) advised them to maintain their wealth because they assumed that the condition associated with the gift is not binding, and they are allowed to take their gifts back. So, he said: "Keep your wealth and do not spoil it. For indeed, whoever is given a lifelong gift, then it is for the one to whom it has been given and for his offspring, no matter he is alive or dead."

- صحيح البخاري –الجامع الصحيح-؛ للإمام أبي عبد الله محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، عناية محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة، الطبعة الأولى، 1422هـ. - صحيح مسلم؛ للإمام مسلم بن الحجاج، حققه ورقمه محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار عالم الكتب-الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1417هـ. - الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام للشيخ إسماعيل الأنصاري-مطبعة السعادة-الطبعة الثانية 1392ه. - تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام-عبد الله البسام-تحقيق محمد صبحي حسن حلاق- مكتبة الصحابة- الشارقة- الطبعة العاشرة- 1426ه.