The Book of Zakat — Hadith 2245

Arabic Text

وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ الْحَضْرَمِيُّ، عَنْ وُهَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ طَاوُسٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ مَثَلُ الْبَخِيلِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِ مَثَلُ رَجُلَيْنِ عَلَيْهِمَا جُنَّتَانِ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ إِذَا هَمَّ الْمُتَصَدِّقُ بِصَدَقَةٍ اتَّسَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى تُعَفِّيَ أَثَرَهُ وَإِذَا هَمَّ الْبَخِيلُ بِصَدَقَةٍ تَقَلَّصَتْ عَلَيْهِ وَانْضَمَّتْ يَدَاهُ إِلَى تَرَاقِيهِ وَانْقَبَضَتْ كُلُّ حَلْقَةٍ إِلَى صَاحِبَتِهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَسَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏"‏ فَيَجْهَدُ أَنْ يُوَسِّعَهَا فَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

English Translation

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: . The similitude of a miserly man and the giver of charity is that of two persons with coats of mail over them; when the giver of charity intends to give charity, it expands over him (to much so) that the footprints are also obliterated. And when the miserly man intends to give charity, it contracts over him, and his hands are tied up to his collar bone, and every ring is fixed up to another. He (the narrator) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: He would try to expand it. but he would not be able to do so.