Lady Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“O assembly of women! Give charity, even if it is from your jewelry.”And Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) was light-handed (i.e., poor), so I went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to ask about the matter, and I met another Ansari woman named Zainab who wanted to ask the same thing I wanted to ask. So I said to Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him): Ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for us, to whom should we give our charity, to (our husband) Abdullah or to our relatives? Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said:“Which Zainab is this?”It was said: The wife of Abdullah bin Mas’ud. He said:“For her, there is a double reward (in giving to Abdullah): one for kinship and one for charity.”

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Sayyiduna Abu Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) was the wealthiest among the Ansar of Madinah in terms of wealth and gardens, and the most beloved of his gardens to him was the garden of Birha’, which was opposite the Prophet’s Mosque, and the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to go into it and drink its sweet water. Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When this verse «لَنْ تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّى تُنْفِقُوا .....» was revealed, that is,“You will never attain righteousness until you spend from that which you love most.” [آل عمران: 92/3]

Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna Abu Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: My most beloved wealth is Birha’, so now I give it in charity, hoping for its goodness and for it to be a treasure for me in the Hereafter. So, O Messenger of Allah, use it wherever and however you wish. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Excellent! That is profitable wealth, that is a wealth of great income. I have heard what you have said, and I think it best that you distribute it among your close relatives.”Sayyiduna Abu Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah! I will do so. Thus, Sayyiduna Abu Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) distributed it among his relatives and the sons of his paternal uncle.