The Book on Government — Hadith 4611

Arabic Text

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعُ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ أَبِي، خَالِدٍ عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، عَنْ عَدِيِّ بْنِ عَمِيرَةَ الْكِنْدِيِّ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏"‏ مَنِ اسْتَعْمَلْنَاهُ مِنْكُمْ عَلَى عَمَلٍ فَكَتَمَنَا مِخْيَطًا فَمَا فَوْقَهُ كَانَ غُلُولاً يَأْتِي بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَقَامَ إِلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ أَسْوَدُ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ اقْبَلْ عَنِّي عَمَلَكَ قَالَ ‏"‏ وَمَا لَكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ سَمِعْتُكَ تَقُولُ كَذَا وَكَذَا ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ وَأَنَا أَقُولُهُ الآنَ مَنِ اسْتَعْمَلْنَاهُ مِنْكُمْ عَلَى عَمَلٍ فَلْيَجِئْ بِقَلِيلِهِ وَكَثِيرِهِ فَمَا أُوتِيَ مِنْهُ أَخَذَ وَمَا نُهِيَ عَنْهُ انْتَهَى ‏"‏ ‏.‏

English Translation

It has been reported on the authority of 'Adi b. 'Amira al-Kindi who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Whosoever from you is appointed by us to a position of authority and he conceals from us a needle or something smaller than that, it would be misappropriation (of public funds) and will (have to) produce it on the Day of Judgment. The narrator says: A dark-complexioned man from the Ansar stood up - I can visualise him still - and said: Messenger of Allah, take back from me your assignment. He said: What has happened to you? The man said: I have heard you say so and so. He said: I say that (even) now: Whosoever from you is appointed by us to a position of authority, he should bring everything, big or small, and whatever he is given therefrom he should take, and he should restrain himself from taking that which is forbidden.