Sunan Ibn Majah: The Chapters on Charity

the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Do not take back your charity.”

“The likeness of the one who gives charity then takes it back is that of a dog who vomits then goes back and eats its vomit.”

he gave a horse in charity at the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), then he saw its owner selling it for a low price. He went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and asked him about that, and he said: “Do not buy what you gave in charity.”

he gave a horse called Ghamr or Ghamrah to someone, then he saw one of its colts or fillies attributed to his horse being sold, but he refrained from (buging) it.

“A woman came to-the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I gave my mother a slave girl of mine, and she has died.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Allah (SWT) has rewarded you, and returned to you your inheritance (without your seeking that.' ”

“A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: 'I gave my mother a garden of mine, and she has died and has no other heir but me.' The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said: 'Your charity is valid and your garden has been returned to you.' ”

“Umar bin Khattab acquired some land at Khaibar, and he came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and consulted him. He said: 'O Messenger of Allah(ﷺ), I have been given some wealth at Khaibar and I have never been given any wealth that is more precious to me than it. What do you command me to do with it? He said: 'If you wish, you can make it an endowment and give (its produce) in charity.' So 'Umar gave it on the basis that it would not be sold, given away or inherited, and (its produce) was to be given to the poor, to relatives, for freeing slaves, in the cause of Allah, to way fares and to guests; and there was nothing wrong if a person appointed to be in charge of it consumed from it on a reasonable basis or feeding a fried, without accumulating it for himself.”

“Umar bin Khattab said: 'O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), the one hundred shares of the Khaibar I have never been given any wealth that is more beloved to me than them, and I wanted to give them in charity.' The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Make it an endowment and give its produce in the cause of Allah (SWT).”

I heard Abu Umamah say: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'Borrowed items are to be returned and an animal borrowed for milking is to be returned.”

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'Borrowed items are to be returned and an animal borrowed for milking is to be returned.' ”

“The hand that takes is responsible for what it has taken until it returns it.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever is entrusted with an item for safekeeping, is not responsible for it (so long as he is not negligent).' ”

the Prophet (ﷺ) gave him a Dinar to buy him a sheep, and he bought two sheep for him, then he sold one of them for a Dinar, and bought a Dinar and a sheep to the Prophet (ﷺ). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed for blessing for him.

“(Wrongdoing) is when a rich man takes a long time to repay a debt, and if one of you is referred to a rich man (to collect a debt), he should accept that referral.”

“When a rich man takes too long to repay a debt, this is wrongdoing, and if the debt is transferred to a rich man, you should accept if.”

I heard Abu Umamah Al-Bahil say: “I heard the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) say: “The guarantor is responsible and the debt must be repaid.' ”

That during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), a man pursued a debtor who owed him ten Dinar, and he said: “I do not have anything to give you.” He (the creditor) said: “No, by Allah, I will not leave you until you pay the debt or you bring me a guarantor.” Then he dragged him to the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Prophet (ﷺ) said to him: “How long will you wait?” He said: “One month.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “I will be a guarantor for him.” Then he came to him at the time the Prophet (ﷺ) had said, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said to him: “Where did you get this from?” He said: “From a mine.” He said: “There is nothing good in it,” and he paid the debt for him.

“I heard 'Abdullah bin Abu Qatadah narrate from his father that a corpse was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ) for him to offer the funeral prayer, and he said: 'Pray for your companion, for he owes a debt.' Abu Qatadah said: 'I will stand surely for him?' The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'In full?' He said: 'In full.” And the debt he owed was eighteen or nineteen Dirham.”

the Mother of the Believers Maimunah used to take out loans frequently, and some of her family said: “Do not that,” and they denounced her for that. She said: “No. I heard my Prophet (ﷺ) and my close friend say: ‘There is no Muslim who takes out a loan and Allah(SWT) knows that he intends to pay it back, but Allah(SWT) will pay it back for him in this world.'”

“Allah will be the borrower until he pays off his debt, so long as it (the loan) is not for something that Allah dislikes.”

“ Any Man who takes out a loan, having resolved not to pay it back, will meet Allah (SWT) as a thief.”

“Whoever takes people's wealth with the intention of destroying it, Allah (SWT) will destroy him.”

“Anyone whose soul leaves his body and he is free of three things, will enter Paradise: Arrogance, stealing from the spoils of war, and debt.”

“The soul of the believer is attached to his debt until it is paid off.”

“Whoever dies owing a Dinar or a Dirham, it will be paid back from his good deeds, because then there will be no Dinar or Dirham.”

if a believer died at the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he had debts, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would ask: “Did he leave anything with which to off his debt?” If they said yes, then he would offer the funeral prayer for him, but if they said no, then he would say: “Pray for your companion.” When Allah granted his Prophet (ﷺ) the conquests, he said: “I am nearer to the believers than their own selves. Whoever dies owing a debt, I will pay it off for him, and whoever leaves behind wealth, it will be for his heirs.”

“Whoever leaves behind money, it is for his heirs, and whoever leaves behind a debt for children, I am nearer to the believers.”

Whoever is easy with (a debtor) who is in difficulty, Allah will be easy with him in this world and in the Hereafter.”

“Whoever gives respite to one in difficulty, he will have (the reward of) an act of charity for each day. Whoever gives him respite after payment becomes due, will have (the reward of) an act of charity equal to (the amount of the loan) for each day.”

the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever would like Allah to shade him with His shade, let him give respite to one in difficulty, or waive repayment of the loan.”

“A man died and it was said to him: 'What did you do?' Either he remembered or was reminded and said: 'I used to be easy going in coins and cash collecting debts due, and I used to give respite to (the debtor) who was in difficulty. So, Allah (SWT) forgave him.' ” Abu Masud said: “I heard that from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).”

“Whoever demands his rights let him do so in a decent manner as much as he can.”

“Take your rights in a decent manner as much as he can.”

“The best of you - or among the best of you - are those who pay off their debts in the best manner.”

the Prophet (ﷺ) borrowed thirty or forty thousand from him, when he fought at Hunain. When he came back he paid the loan, then the Prophet (ﷺ) said to him: 'May Allah (SWT) bless your family and your wealth for you. The reward for lending is repayment and words of paradise.”

“A man came to ask the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) for some debt or some right, and he spoke harshly to him, and the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) wanted to rebuke him. But the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Let him be, for the one who is owed something has authority over the debtor, until it is paid off.' ”

“A Bedouin came to the Prophet (ﷺ) to ask him to pay back a debt that he owed him, and he spoke harshly, saying: 'I will make things difficult for you unless you repay me.' His Companions rebuked him and said: 'Woe to you, do you know who you are speaking to?' He said: 'I am only asking for my rights.' The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Why do you not support the one who has a right?' Then he sent word to Khawlah bint Qais, saying to her: 'If you have dates, lend them to us until our dates come, then we will pay you back.' She said: 'Yes, may my father be ransomed for you, O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)!' So she gave him a loan, and he paid back the Bedouin and fed him. He (the Bedouin) said: 'You have paid me in full, may Allah (SWT) pay you in full.' He (the Prophet (ﷺ) ) said: 'Those are the best of people. May that nation not be cleansed (of sin) among whom the weak cannot get their rights without trouble.' ”

“If one who can afford it delays repayment, his honor and punishment become permissible.”

“I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) with a man who owed me money, and he said to me: 'Keep him.' Then he passed by me at the end of the day and said: 'What did your prisoner do, O brother of Banu Tamim?' ”

he demanded payment owed by Ibn Abi Hadrad in the mosque. Their voices became so loud that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard them when he was in his house. He came out and called Ka'b who said: “Here I am, O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)!” He said: “Waive this much of your loan,” and gestured with his hand to indicate half. He said: “I will do that,” and he said: “Get up and repay it.”

“Sulaiman bin Udhunan lent 'Alqamah one thousand Dirham until he got his salary, When he got his salary, he demanded that he pay him back and treated him harshly. He paid him back, and it was as if 'Alqamah was angry. Several months passed then he came to him and said: 'Lend me one thousand Dirham until my salary comes.' He said 'Yes, it would be an honor. O Umm 'Utbah! Bring me that sealed leather bag that you have.' He said: 'By Allah(SWT), these are your Dirham that you paid back to me; I did not touch a single Dirham., ' What made you do what you did to me (i.e., treat me so harshly)?' He said: 'What I heard from you.' He said: 'What did you hear from me?' He said: 'I heard you narrated from Ibn Mas'ud that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “There is no Muslim who lends something to another Muslim twice, but it will be like giving charity once.”He said: 'That is what Ibn Mas'ud told me.' ”

“On the night on which I was taken on the Night Journey (Isra), I saw written at the gate of Paradise: 'Charity brings a tenfold reward and a loan brings an eighteen fold reward.' I said: 'O Jibril! Why is a loan better than charity?' He said: 'Because the beggar asks when he has something, but the one who asks for loan does so only because he is in need.' ”

“I asked Anas bin Malik: 'What if a man gives his brother a loan, then (the borrower) give him a gift?’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘If anyone of you borrow something then he gives (the lender) a gift or gives him a ride on his riding-beast, he should not accept the gift or the ride, unless they used to treat each other in that manner beforehand.'”

his brother died, leaving behind three hundred Dirham and dependents. “I wanted to spend (his money) on his dependents, but the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Your brother is being detained by his debt, so pay it off for him.'” He said “O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I have paid it off apart from two Dinar, which a woman is claiming but she has no proof.” He said: “Give them to her for she is telling the truth.”

his father died owing thirty Wasq to a Jewish man. Jabir bin Abdullah asked him for respite but he refused. Jabir asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to intercede for him with him, so the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went and spoke to the Jew, asking him to accept dates in lieu of what was owed, but he refused. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) spoke to him but he refused to give respite. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went in among the date-palm trees and walked among them. Then he said to Jabir: “Pick (dates) for him and pay off what is owed to him in full.” So he picked thirty Wasq of dates after the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came back, and there were twelve Wasq more (than what was owed). Jabir came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to tell him what had happened, and he found that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was absent. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came back he came to him and told him that he had paid off the debt in full, and he told him about the extra dates. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Tell 'Umar bin Khattab about that.” So Jabir went to 'Umar said to him: “I knew when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) walked amongst them that Allah (SWT) would bless them for us.”

“A debt will be settled on the Day of Resurrection if the one who owes it dies, apart from three: A man who lost his strength fighting in the cause of Allah (SWT), so he borrows in order to become strong again to fighting in the cause of Allah (SWT), so he borrows in order to become strong again to fight the enemy of Allah (SWT) and his enemy. A man who sees a Muslims die and he cannot find anything with which to shroud him except by taking a loan. A man who sees a Muslim die and he cannot find anything with which to shroud him except, by taking a loan. A man who fears Allah (SWT) if he stays single, so he gets married for fear of (losing) his religious commitment. Allah will pay off the debt for these people on the Day of Resurrection.”