Narrated by Sayyiduna Uqbah bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed me over the collection of charity and alms. When I sought permission to eat from the wealth of zakat during this service, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) granted us permission.

Sayyiduna Mustawrid bin Shaddad (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever is appointed over our affairs, and if he does not have a house, he should acquire a house; if he does not have a wife, he should get married; if he does not have a servant, he should buy a servant; and if he does not have a mount, he should acquire a mount. But if he takes anything beyond this, he will be considered a betrayer and a thief.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna ‘Adi bin ‘Amirah Kindi (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: O people! Whoever among you is appointed over our work and he hides a needle or anything more than that, then he is committing a betrayal, and on the Day of Resurrection, he will bring it with him. A man of black complexion stood up—his name was Sa‘d bin ‘Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him)—the narrator says it is as if I am still seeing him in that state, and he said: O Messenger of Allah! Take this position back from me, I have no need for it. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: What is the reason for this? He said: I have heard you say such strict things about it. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: I still say that whoever we assign any responsibility to, he should present everything before us, whether little or much. Then whatever is given to him, he should take, and from whatever he is withheld, he should refrain.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: Sayyiduna Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Assign me a responsibility through which my livelihood can be maintained. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Hamza! Do you prefer to give life to a soul or to take it? He replied: Yes, to give life to a soul. Upon hearing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then take care of your own soul.

Narrated by Sayyiduna Suwaid bin Hubayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The best wealth of a man is a mare with many offspring or a row of date palms that have been grafted.

Narrated by Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Whenever a Muslim plants a crop or sows a plant, and birds, humans, or animals eat from it, it is considered charity for him.

Narrated from Sayyida Umm Mubashshir (may Allah be pleased with her), who was the wife of Sayyiduna Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him), she says: The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me while I was in a garden. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: Is this garden yours? I said: Yes. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: Who planted it, a Muslim or a disbeliever? I said: A Muslim. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whenever a Muslim cultivates a crop or plants a tree, and then any bird, human, beast, animal, or anything eats from it, it is charity for him.

It is narrated from a companion, who says: I heard with my own ears the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, saying that whoever plants a tree and patiently supervises and takes care of it until it starts bearing fruit, then whatever is eaten from the fruit of that tree will be considered charity for that person in the sight of Allah Almighty.

Narrated by Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever plants a tree, for every fruit that comes from it, Allah Almighty grants him a reward equal to it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I was planting a sapling in Damascus when a man passed by me and said: O Abu Darda! You are a companion and yet you do this work? I said: Do not be hasty in objecting to me, I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whenever a person plants a sapling, then whatever a human, or rather any creature of Allah Almighty, eats from it, it is charity for him.