Gifts

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If I am invited to a meal of a sheep's trotter or arm, I would accept the invitation, and if an arm or trotter were gifted to me, I would accept the gift."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was brought milk mixed with water. A Bedouin was sitting on his right and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was sitting on his left. He drank then gave it to the Bedouin and said: "The one on the right (first) then again the one on the right."

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: We chased a rabbit at Marr Azh-Zhahrān. The people ran after it but they got tired. I ran after it and eventually caught it, and brought it to Abu Talhah. He then slaughtered it and sent its hip and two thighs to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and he accepted them.

As-Sa‘b ibn Jaththāmah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I gave the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) a zebra as a gift, but he returned it to me. When he saw my face (being sad) he said: "We only refused it because we are in a state of Ihrām."

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Umm Hufayd, Ibn ‘Abbās' aunt, sent some dried yogurt, ghee (butter), and a mastigure (sand lizard) to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) as a gift. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ate the dried yogurt and the ghee, but left the mastigure, because he disliked it. Ibn ‘Abbās said: “The mastigure was eaten at the table of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and if it had been unlawful to eat, it could not have been eaten at his table.”

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) bought Barīrah from a household belonging to the Ansār, and they stipulated that they retain the ex-slave's allegiance. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allegiance is pledged to the one who did the favor (of setting the slave free)." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) also gave Barīrah the choice (either to retain her marriage or break it), as her husband was a slave. She gave some meat to ‘Ā’ishah as a gift, and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I wish you could cook this meat for us." ‘Ā’ishah said: "It was given in charity to Barīrah." He said: "It was charity to her but a gift to us."

The Mother of the Believers Maymūnah bint al-Hārith (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that she had set free a slave-girl of hers without first seeking the permission of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). On the day when it was her turn to have the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stay with her overnight, she said to him: "O Messenger of Allah, do you know that I set free my slave-girl?" He said: "Did you?" She replied: ‘Yes.’ He then said: "you would have received a greater reward had you given her to your maternal uncles."

‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that she said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have two neighbors, so which one of them should I give a gift to?" He said: "The one whose door is the nearest to you."

Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "When the revenues of Bahrain arrive, I shall give you this much and this much and this much." He passed away before the revenues were received. When they arrived during the caliphate of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), he called out: "Anyone whom the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) promised or owed anything should come to me." I went to him and said: "The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had said to me such-and-such." He took a double handful out of the money and gave it to me. I counted it and found that it was five hundred. Then he said to me: "Take twice as much more of that amount."

Sahl ibn Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was given something to drink, so he drank from it. There was a boy on his right and old men on his left. He said to the boy: "Do you allow me to give it to these?" The boy said: "No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah. I will not prefer anyone over myself with my share from you." So the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) put it in his hand.

‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: 'I donated a horse for Jihad. The man who had the horse neglected it, so I wanted to buy it back, thinking that he would sell it for a cheap price. I asked the Prophet about this, and he said: "Do not buy it back and do not take back your charity, even if he gives it to you for one dirham, for the one who takes back his gift is like the one who takes back his vomit."

Abu Muhammad Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are forty good qualities, the best of which is the lending of a milch goat. Whoever carries out any of these virtuous deeds seeking its reward (from Allah) with firm confidence that he will receive it, Allah will admit him to Paradise."