The Book of Zakat — Hadith 2243

Arabic Text

حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرٌو النَّاقِدُ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏ قَالَ عَمْرٌو وَحَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ قَالَ وَقَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ طَاوُسٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ مَثَلُ الْمُنْفِقِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ عَلَيْهِ جُبَّتَانِ أَوْ جُنَّتَانِ مِنْ لَدُنْ ثُدِيِّهِمَا إِلَى تَرَاقِيهِمَا فَإِذَا أَرَادَ الْمُنْفِقُ - وَقَالَ الآخَرُ فَإِذَا أَرَادَ الْمُتَصَدِّقُ - أَنْ يَتَصَدَّقَ سَبَغَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ مَرَّتْ وَإِذَا أَرَادَ الْبَخِيلُ أَنْ يُنْفِقَ قَلَصَتْ عَلَيْهِ وَأَخَذَتْ كُلُّ حَلْقَةٍ مَوْضِعَهَا حَتَّى تُجِنَّ بَنَانَهُ وَتَعْفُوَ أَثَرَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَقَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ فَقَالَ يُوَسِّعُهَا فَلاَ تَتَّسِعُ ‏.‏

English Translation

Abu Haraira reported that the likeness of one who spends or one who gives charity is that of a person who has two cloaks or two coats-of-mail over him right from the breast to the collar bones. And when the spender (and the other narrator said, when the giver of charity) makes up his mind to give charity, it (coat-mail) becomes expanded for him. But when a miserly person intends to spend, it contracts and every ring grips the place where it is. For the giver of charity, this coat-of. mail expands to cover his whole body and obliterates even his footprints. Abu Huraira said: (The miserly man) tries to expand it (the coat-of-mail) but it does not expand.