Sahih Muslim, 1025 a
sahihUmair, the freed slave of Abi'l-Lahm reported:
I was the slave (of Abi'l-Lahm). I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) if I could give some charity out of my master's wealth. He said: Yes, and the reward is half and half between you two.
وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَابْنُ، نُمَيْرٍ وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ جَمِيعًا عَنْ حَفْصِ، بْنِ غِيَاثٍ - قَالَ ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصٌ، - عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ عُمَيْرٍ، مَوْلَى آبِي اللَّحْمِ قَالَ كُنْتُ مَمْلُوكًا فَسَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَأَتَصَدَّقُ مِنْ مَالِ مَوَالِيَّ بِشَىْءٍ قَالَ
نَعَمْ وَالأَجْرُ بَيْنَكُمَا نِصْفَانِ
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Isnad
5 transmittersReferences2 variants
- In-Book Reference
- Book 12, Hadith 105
- USC-MSA web (English) reference
- Book 5, Hadith 2236 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Islam urges noble manners and forbids evil ones. Noble manners include spending and giving charity to the poor and upholding kinship ties. In this Hadīth, ‘Umayr, the freed slave of Ābi al-Lahm, relates that he was a slave at the early stage of Islam, and as he was a slave, not possessing money and could not dispose of his master's money. So, he asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about giving charity from his master's money to the poor and needy. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) replied to him: "Yes, and the reward will be half and half between you" i.e., yes, you have the right to give charity from the money of your masters, and the reward of charity will be divided between you. So, Allah will give the reward to the servant who gives charity for his deed and will give the reward to the owner of the money for his money. What appears from the narrations of this Hadīth is that the reward is divided between both of you if the master agrees to that and permits his servant to give charity out of his money in the first place. It is not intended that the slave may give without the approval of his master. The reward being divided between them does not mean that the reward of one of them is shared with the other; thus the reward of the money itself is divided between the two of them. Rather, it means that each of them has a reward. In other words, this charity that the slave gives out with the permission of his master entails a reward for the amount of money and for the deed. Thus, it is divided between them: this person takes the share of his money, and this person takes the share of his deed. So, the owner of the money does not compete with the performer of the deed over the share of his deed, neither does the performer of the deed compete with the owner of the money over the share of his money. The Hadīth indicates that we should ask the people of knowledge about things that cause unease within our minds. It also points out that people should take care of their slaves and servants and comfort them by allowing them to give charity from their money, with their permission. And it mentions that the slave and the master are rewarded for the charity given by the slave: the master is rewarded for his money, and the slave is rewarded for his deed..