Category: Q n A

A delegation of the tribe of `Abdul Qais came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! We are
from the tribe of Rabi`a, and the infidels of the tribe of Mudar stands between us and you; so we
cannot come to you except during the Sacred Months. Please order us to do something (religious
deeds) which we may carry out and also invite to it our people whom we have left behind.” The
Prophet said, “I order you to do four things and forbid you four others: (I order you) to have faith in
Allah, and confess that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, (and the Prophet (ﷺ) gestured with
his hand like this (i.e. one knot) and to offer prayers perfectly and to pay the Zakat, and to pay onefifth
of the booty in Allah’s Cause. And I forbid you to use Dubba’, Hantam, Naqir and Muzaffat (all
these are the names of utensils used for preparing alcoholic drinks).”

When the verses of charity were revealed, we used to work as porters. A man came and distributed
objects of charity in abundance. And they (the people) said, “He is showing off.” And another man
came and gave a Sa (a small measure of food grains); they said, “Allah is not in need of this small
amount of charity.” And then the Divine Inspiration came: “Those who criticize such of the believers
who give in charity voluntarily and those who could not find to give in charity except what is
available to them.” (9.79).

When Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) died and Abu Bakr became the caliph some Arabs renegade (reverted to
disbelief) (Abu Bakr decided to declare war against them), `Umar, said to Abu Bakr, “How can you
fight with these people although Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, ‘I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight the
people till they say: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and whoever said it then he will
save his life and property from me except on trespassing the law (rights and conditions for which he
will be punished justly), and his accounts will be with Allah.’ ” Abu Bakr said, “By Allah! I will fight
those who differentiate between the prayer and the Zakat as Zakat is the compulsory right to be taken
from the property (according to Allah’s orders) By Allah! If they refuse to pay me even a she-kid
which they used to pay at the time of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) . I would fight with them for withholding it”
Then `Umar said, “By Allah, it was nothing, but Allah opened Abu Bakr’s chest towards the decision
(to fight) and I came to know that his decision was right.”

When Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) died and Abu Bakr became the caliph some Arabs renegade (reverted to
disbelief) (Abu Bakr decided to declare war against them), `Umar, said to Abu Bakr, “How can you
fight with these people although Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, ‘I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight the
people till they say: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and whoever said it then he will
save his life and property from me except on trespassing the law (rights and conditions for which he
will be punished justly), and his accounts will be with Allah.’ ” Abu Bakr said, “By Allah! I will fight
those who differentiate between the prayer and the Zakat as Zakat is the compulsory right to be taken
from the property (according to Allah’s orders) By Allah! If they refuse to pay me even a she-kid
which they used to pay at the time of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) . I would fight with them for withholding it”
Then `Umar said, “By Allah, it was nothing, but Allah opened Abu Bakr’s chest towards the decision
(to fight) and I came to know that his decision was right.”

I gave the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet (ﷺ) for offering prayer perfectly, giving Zakat, and giving
good advice to every Muslim.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “(On the Day of Resurrection) camels will come to their owner in the best state of
health they have ever had (in the world), and if he had not paid their Zakat (in the world) then they
would tread him with their feet; and similarly, sheep will come to their owner in the best state of
health they have ever had in the world, and if he had not paid their Zakat, then they would tread him
with their hooves and would butt him with their horns.” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “One of their rights is that
they should be milked while water is kept in front of them.” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “I do not want anyone
of you to come to me on the Day of Resurrection, carrying over his neck a sheep that will be bleating.
Such a person will (then) say, ‘O Muhammad! (please intercede for me,) I will say to him. ‘I can’t help
you, for I conveyed Allah’s Message to you.’ Similarly, I do not want anyone of you to come to me
carrying over his neck a camel that will be grunting. Such a person (then) will say “O Muhammad!
(please intercede for me).” I will say to him, “I can’t help you for I conveyed Allah’s message to you.”

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Whoever is made wealthy by Allah and does not pay the Zakat of his wealth,
then on the Day of Resurrection his wealth will be made like a baldheaded poisonous male snake with
two black spots over the eyes. The snake will encircle his neck and bite his cheeks and say, ‘I am your
wealth, I am your treasure.’ ” Then the Prophet (ﷺ) recited the holy verses:– ‘Let not those who withhold .
. .’ (to the end of the verse). (3.180).

We went out with ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar and a bedouin said (to ‘Abdullah), “Tell me about Allah’s saying: “And those who hoard up gold and silver (Al-Kanz – money, gold, silver etc., the Zakat of which has not been paid) and spend it not in the Way of Allah (V.9:34).” Ibn ‘Umar said, “Whoever hoarded them and did not pay the Zakat thereof, then woe to him. But these holy Verses were revealed before the Verses of Zakat. So when the Verses of Zakat were revealed, Allah made Zakat a purifier of the property.”

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) said, “No Zakat is due on property mounting to less than five Uqiyas (of
silver), and no Zakat is due on less than five camels, and there is no Zakat on less than five Wasqs.”
(A Wasqs equals 60 Sa’s) & (1 Sa=3 K gms App.)

I passed by a place called Ar-Rabadha and by chance I met Abu Dhar and asked him, “What has
brought you to this place?” He said, “I was in Sham and differed with Muawiya on the meaning of
(the following verses of the Qur’an): ‘They who hoard up gold and silver and spend them not in the
way of Allah.’ (9.34). Muawiya said, ‘This verse is revealed regarding the people of the scriptures.” I
said, It was revealed regarding us and also the people of the scriptures.” So we had a quarrel and
Mu’awiya sent a complaint against me to `Uthman. `Uthman wrote to me to come to Medina, and I
came to Medina. Many people came to me as if they had not seen me before. So I told this to `Uthman
who said to me, “You may depart and live nearby if you wish.” That was the reason for my being here
for even if an Ethiopian had been nominated as my ruler, I would have obeyed him .