The Book of Zakat — Hadith 2244

Arabic Text

حَدَّثَنِي سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ أَبُو أَيُّوبَ الْغَيْلاَنِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَامِرٍ، - يَعْنِي الْعَقَدِيَّ - حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ نَافِعٍ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ، عَنْ طَاوُسٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ ضَرَبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ مَثَلَ الْبَخِيلِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلَيْنِ عَلَيْهِمَا جُنَّتَانِ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ قَدِ اضْطُرَّتْ أَيْدِيهِمَا إِلَى ثُدَيِّهِمَا وَتَرَاقِيهِمَا فَجَعَلَ الْمُتَصَدِّقُ كُلَّمَا تَصَدَّقَ بِصَدَقَةٍ انْبَسَطَتْ عَنْهُ حَتَّى تُغَشِّيَ أَنَامِلَهُ وَتَعْفُوَ أَثَرَهُ وَجَعَلَ الْبَخِيلُ كُلَّمَا هَمَّ بِصَدَقَةٍ قَلَصَتْ وَأَخَذَتْ كُلُّ حَلْقَةٍ مَكَانَهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَأَنَا رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ بِإِصْبَعِهِ فِي جَيْبِهِ فَلَوْ رَأَيْتَهُ يُوَسِّعُهَا وَلاَ تَوَسَّعُ ‏.‏

English Translation

Abu Haraira reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave similitudes of a miserly man and the giver of charity as two persons who have two coats-of-mail over them with their hands pressed closely to their breasts and their collar bones. Whenever the giver of charity gives charity it (the coat-of mail) expands so much as to cover his finger tips and obliterate his foot prints. And whenever the miserly person intends to give charity (the coat-of-mail) contracts and every ring grips the place where it is. He (Abu Huraira) said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying with fingers in the opening of his shirt:" If you had seen him trying to expand it, it will not expand."