Sahih al-Bukhari, 1467
sahihNarrated Zainab:
(the daughter of Um Salama) My mother said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ! Shall I receive a reward if I spend for the sustenance of Abu Salama's offspring, and in fact they are also my sons?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "Spend on them and you will get a reward for what you spend on them."
حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَةُ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ زَيْنَبَ ابْنَةِ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، {عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ،} قَالَتْ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَلِيَ أَجْرٌ أَنْ أُنْفِقَ عَلَى بَنِي أَبِي سَلَمَةَ إِنَّمَا هُمْ بَنِيَّ. فَقَالَ
أَنْفِقِي عَلَيْهِمْ، فَلَكِ أَجْرُ مَا أَنْفَقْتِ عَلَيْهِمْ
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Isnad
4 transmittersReferences2 variants
- In-Book Reference
- Book 24, Hadith 69
- USC-MSA web (English) reference
- Vol. 2, Book 24, Hadith 546 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
The Prophet ﷺ encouraged giving away in charity, explaining that the most rewarding charity is that which we give to our poor and needy relatives. This is because it reinforces solidarity and help those who are in need, let alone it fulfills the joining of kinship. In this hadeeth, the Mother of the Believers, Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), whose name is Hind bint Abee Umayyah, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, asked the Prophet ﷺ whether she will be rewarded for spending on her children from Aboo Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Asad who was her [first] husband and then died, and afterwards the Prophet ﷺ married her. Her children were, ‘Umar, Muhammad, Zaynab and Durrah; they were orphans without any source of income. She wanted to say that they are my children and I take care of their financial needs out of my compassion and feeling of responsibility towards them as their mother, not to mention they have more right in my charity than anyone else i.e., because they are orphans and needy, let alone her own children. She was concerned that she would not be rewarded for this good deed since it is driven by her feelings of motherhood. However, the Prophet ﷺ informed her that she will be rewarded for everything she would spend on them. From the benefits of this hadeeth is that we are rewarded for spending on own children and others, even if this is what our innate nature necessitates. .