A man from the people of the scripture came to the Prophet and said, "O Abal-Qasim! Allah will hold the Heavens upon a Finger, and the Earth on a Finger and the land on a Finger, and all the creation on a Finger, and will say, 'I am the King! I am the King!' " I saw the Prophet (after hearing that), smiling till his premolar teeth became visible, and he then recited: -- 'No just estimate have they made of Allah such as due to him... (39.67)

Some meat was presented to the Prophet (p.b.u.h) and it had been given to Barira (the freed slave-girl of Aisha) in charity. He said, "This meat is a thing of charity for Barira but it is a gift for us."

I gave the pledge of allegiance to Allah's Apostle for the following:

1. offer prayers perfectly

2. pay the Zakat (obligatory charity)

3. and be sincere and true to every Muslim.

Allah's Apostle said, "There is no Zakat on less than five camels and also there is no Zakat on less than five Awaq (of silver). (5 Awaq = 22 Fransa Riyals of Yemen or 200 Dirhams.) And there is no Zakat on less than five Awsuq. (A special measure of food-grains, and one Wasq equals 60 Sa's.) (For gold 20, Dinars i.e. equal to 12 Guinea English. No Zakat for less than 12 Guinea (English) of gold or for silver less than 22 Fransa Riyals of Yemen.)

Narrated Abi Sa`id Al-Khudri:

I heard the Prophet saying (as above).

that Abu Bakr As-Siddiq wrote to him the law of Zakat which was made obligatory by Allah's Apostle. He wrote: 'Partners possessing joint property (sheep) have to pay its Zakat equally.

`Uqba bin Al-Harith said that a black woman came and claimed that she had suckled both of them (i.e. `Uqba and his wife). So, he mentioned that to the Prophet who turned his face from him and smiled and said, "How (can you keep your wife), and it was said (that both of you were suckled by the same woman)?" His wife was the daughter of Abu Ihab-al-Tamimi.

While I was walking with the Prophet who was wearing a Najrani outer garment with a thick hem, a bedouin came upon the Prophet and pulled his garment so violently that I could recognize the impress of the hem of the garment on his shoulder, caused by the violence of his pull. Then the bedouin said, "Order for me something from Allah's Fortune which you have." The Prophet turned to him and smiled, and ordered that a gift be given to him.

Um Salama said, "Um Sulaim said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Allah does not refrain from saying the truth! Is it obligatory for a woman to take a bath after she gets nocturnal discharge?' He said, 'Yes, if she notices the water (i.e. discharge).' Um Salama smiled and said, 'Does a woman get discharge?' Allah's Apostle said. 'Then why does a child resemble (its mother)?"

Once I was walking with Allah's Apostle and he was wearing a Najram Burd with thick margin. A bedouin followed him and pulled his Burd so violently that I noticed the side of the shoulder of Allah's Apostle affected by the margin of the Burd because of that violent pull. The Bedouin said, "O Muhammad! Give me some of Allah's wealth which is with you." Allah's Apostle turned and looked at him, and smiling, 'he ordered that he be given something.

The Prophet did not screen himself from me (had never prevented me from entering upon him) since I embraced Islam, and whenever he saw me, he would receive me with a smile. Once I told him that I could not sit firm on horses. He stroked me on the chest with his hand, and said, "O Allah! Make him firm and make him a guiding and a rightly guided man.

A man asked the Prophet, "O Allah's Apostle! What kind of charity is the best?" He replied. "To give in charity when you are healthy and greedy hoping to be wealthy and afraid of becoming poor. Don't delay giving in charity till the time when you are on the death bed when you say, 'Give so much to soand- so and so much to so-and so,' and at that time the property is not yours but it belongs to so-and-so (i.e. your inheritors).

That Abu Bakr wrote for him, Zakat regulations which Allah's Apostle had made compulsory, and wrote that one should neither collect various portions (of the property) nor divide the property into various portions in order to avoid paying Zakat.

Abu Bakr wrote to me what was made compulsory by Allah's Apostle and that was (regarding the payments of Zakat): Neither the property of different people may be taken together nor the joint property may be split for fear of (paying more, or receiving less) Zakat.

Al-Hasan bin `Ali took a date from the dates given in charity and put it in his mouth. The Prophet said, "Expel it from your mouth. Don't you know that we do not eat a thing which is given in charity?"

`Umar bin Al-Khattab asked the permission of Allah's Apostle to see him while some Quraishi women were sitting with him, talking to him and asking him for more expenses, raising their voices above the voice of Allah's Apostle. When `Umar asked for the permission to enter, the women quickly put on their veils. Allah'sf Apostle allowed him to enter and `Umar came in while Allah's Apostle was smiling, `Umar said "O Allah's Apostle! May Allah always keep you smiling." The Prophet said, "These women who have been here, roused my wonder, for as soon as they heard your voice, they quickly put on their veils. "`Umar said, "O Allah's Apostle! You have more right to be feared by them than I." Then `Umar addressed the women saying, "O enemies of yourselves! You fear me more than you do Allah's Apostle ?" They said, "Yes, for you are harsher and sterner than Allah's Apostle." Then Allah's Apostle said, "O Ibn Al-Khattab! By Him in Whose Hands my life is! Never does Satan find you going on a way, but he takes another way other than yours."

`Umar bin Al-Khattab asked permission of Allah's Apostle to see him while some Quraishi women were sitting with him and they were asking him to give them more financial support while raising their voices over the voice of the Prophet. When `Umar asked permission to enter, all of them hurried to screen themselves the Prophet admitted `Umar and he entered, while the Prophet was smiling. `Umar said, "May Allah always keep you smiling, O Allah's Apostle! Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you !" The Prophet said, "I am astonished at these women who were with me. As soon as they heard your voice, they hastened to screen themselves." `Umar said, "You have more right, that they should be afraid of you, O Allah's Apostle!" And then he (`Umar) turned towards them and said, "O enemies of your souls! You are afraid of me and not of Allah's Apostle?" The women replied, "Yes, for you are sterner and harsher than Allah's Apostle." Allah's Apostle said, "O Ibn Al-Khattab! By Him in Whose Hands my life is, whenever Satan sees you taking a way, he follows a way other than yours!"

Abu Bakr , wrote to me about the Zakat which Allah had ordered His Apostle to observe: Whoever had to pay Jahda (Jahda means a four-year-old she-camel) as Zakat from his herd of camels and he had not got one, and he had Hiqqa (three-year-old she-camel), that Hiqqa should be accepted from him along with two sheep if they were available or twenty Dirhams (one Durham equals about 1/4 Saudi Riyal) and whoever had to pay Hiqqa as Zakat and he had no Hiqqa but had a Jadha, the Jadha should be accepted from him, and the Zakat collector should repay him twenty Dirhams or two sheep; and whoever had to pay Hiqqa as Zakat and he had not got one, but had a Bint Labun (two-year-old she-camel), it should be accepted from him along with two sheep or twenty Dirhams; and whoever had to pay Bint Labun and had a Hiqqa, that Hiqqa should be accepted from him and the Zakat collector should repay him twenty Dirhams or two sheep; and whoever had to pay Bint Labun and he had not got one but had a Bint Makhad (one-year-old she camel), that Bint Makhad should be accepted from him along with twenty Dirhams or two sheep.

Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) appointed a man called Ibn Al-Lutbiya, from the tribe of Al-Asd to collect Zakat from Bani Sulaim. When he returned, (after collecting the Zakat) the Prophet checked the account with him.

A man said to Allah's Apostle , "My mother died, will it benefit her if I give in charity on her behalf?" The Prophet replied in the affirmative. The man said, "I have a garden and I make you a witness that I give it in charity on her behalf."

When Allah Apostle was in Ta'if (trying to conquer it), he said to his companions, "Tomorrow we will return (to Medina), if Allah wills." Some of the companions of Allah's Apostle said, "We will not leave till we conquer it." The Prophet said, "Therefore, be ready to fight tomorrow." On the following day, they (Muslims) fought fiercely (with the people of Ta'if) and suffered many wounds. Then Allah's Apostle said, "Tomorrow we will return (to Medina), if Allah wills." His companions kept quiet this time. Allah's Apostle then smiled.

While I was going along with Allah's Apostle who was wearing a Najrani Burd (sheet) with a thick border, a bedouin overtook the Prophet and pulled his Rida' (sheet) forcibly. I looked at the side of the shoulder of the Prophet and noticed that the edge of the Rida' had left a mark on it because of the violence of his pull. The bedouin said, "O Muhammad! Order for me some of Allah's property which you have." The Prophet turned towards him, (smiled) and ordered that he be given something.

Sa'd bin 'Ubada Al-Ansari sought the verdict of Allah's Apostle regarding a vow made by his mother who had died before fulfilling it. Allah's Apostle said, "Fulfill it on her behalf." Some people said, "If the number of camels reaches twenty, then their owner has to pay four sheep as Zakat; and if their owner gives them as a gift or sells them in order to escape the payment of Zakat cunningly before the completion of a year, then he is not to pay anything, and if he slaughters them and then dies, then no Zakat is to be taken from his property."

Al-Hasan bin 'All took a date from the dates of the Sadaqa and put it in his mouth. The Prophet said (to him) in Persian, "Kakh, kakh! (i.e. Don't you know that we do not eat the Sadaqa (i.e. what is given in charity) (charity is the dirt of the people)).

`Umar got some property in Khaibar and he came to the Prophet and informed him about it. The Prophet said to him, "If you wish you can give it in charity." So `Umar gave it in charity (i.e. as an endowment) the yield of which was to be used for the good of the poor, the needy, the kinsmen and the guests.

Whenever Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) ordered us to give in charity, we used to go to the market and work as porters and get a Mudd (a special measure of grain) and then give it in charity. (Those were the days of poverty) and today some of us have one hundred thousand.

Once the Prophet went to `Aisha and asked her whether she had something (to eat). She said that she had nothing except the mutton which Um 'Atiyya had sent to (Barirah) in charity. The Prophet said that it had reached its destination (i.e. it is no longer an object of charity.)

Once I said, "O Allah's Apostle! I have no property except what has been given to me by Az-Zubair (i.e. her husband). May I give in charity?" The Prophet said, "Give in charity and do not withhold it; otherwise Allah will withhold it back from you . "

While the Muslims were offering the Fajr prayer, Allah's Apostle suddenly appeared before them by living the curtain of the dwelling place of `Aisha, looked towards the Muslims who were standing in rows. He smiled with pleasure. Abu Bakr started retreating to join the row on the assumption that the Prophet wanted to come out for the prayer. The Muslims intended to leave the prayer (and were on the verge of being put to trial), but the Prophet beckoned them to complete their prayer and then he let the curtain fall. He died in the last hours of that day.

When Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) sent Mu`adh to Yemen, he said (to him), "YOU are going to people of a (Divine) Book. First of all invite them to worship Allah (alone) and when they come to know Allah, inform them that Allah has enjoined on them, five prayers in every day and night; and if they start offering these prayers, inform them that Allah has enjoined on them, the Zakat. And it is to be taken from the rich amongst them and given to the poor amongst them; and if they obey you in that, take Zakat from them and avoid (don't take) the best property of the people as Zakat."

When we were ordered to give alms, we began to work as porters (to earn something we could give in charity). Abu `Aqil came with one half of a Sa` (special measure for food grains) and another person brought more than he did. So the hypocrites said, "Allah is not in need of the alms of this (i.e. Abu `Aqil); and this other person did not give alms but for showing off." Then Allah revealed:-- 'Those who criticize such of the Believers who give charity voluntarily and those who could not find to give in charity except what is available to them.' (9.79)

Three principles were established because of Barira: (i) When Banra was manumitted she was given the option (to remain with her slave husband or not). (ii) Allah's Apostle said "The Wala of the slave) is for the one who manumits (the slave). (iii) When Allah's Apostle entered (the house), he saw a cooking pot on the fire but he was given bread and meat soup from the soup of the home. The Prophet said, "Didn't I see the cooking pot (on the fire)?" It was said, "That is the meat given in charity to Barira, and you do not eat the (things given in) charity." The Prophet said, "It is an object of charity for Barira, and it is a present for us."

The Prophet said, "On a land irrigated by rain water or by natural water channels or if the land is wet due to a near by water channel Ushr (i.e. one-tenth) is compulsory (as Zakat); and on the land irrigated by the well, half of an Ushr (i.e. one-twentieth) is compulsory (as Zakat on the yield of the land)."

I heard the Prophet saying, "O people! Give in charity as a time will come upon you when a person will wander about with his object of charity and will not find anybody to accept it, and one (who will be requested to take it) will say, "If you had brought it yesterday, would have taken it, but today I am not in need of it."

The Prophet went to `Aisha and asked her whether she had something (to eat). She replied that she had nothing except the mutton (piece) which Nusaiba (Um 'Atiyya) had sent to us (Barira) in charity." The Prophet said, "It has reached its place and now it is not a thing of charity but a gift for us."

The Prophet said, "The example of a miser and the one who gives in charity, is like the example of two men wearing iron cloaks so tightly that their arms are raised forcibly towards their collar-bones. So, whenever a charitable person wants to give in charity, his cloak spreads over his body so much so that it wipes out his traces, but whenever the miser wants to give in charity, the rings (of the iron cloak) come closer to each other and press over his body, and his hands gets connected to his collarbones. Abu Huraira heard the Prophet saying. "The miser then tries to widen it but in vain."

While Abu Bakr was leading the people in the morning prayer on a Monday, the Prophet came towards them suddenly having lifted the curtain of 'Aisha's house, and looked at them as they were standing in rows and smiled. Abu Bakr tried to come back thinking that Allah's Apostle wanted to come out for the prayer. The attention of the Muslims was diverted from the prayer because they were delighted to see the Prophet. The Prophet waved his hand to them to complete their prayer, then he went back into the room and let down the curtain. The Prophet expired on that very day.