Narrated by Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he (peace be upon him) said: "Zakat is not obligatory on a Muslim for his (servant) slave and his (riding) horse."

`Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that one day the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sitting on the pulpit and we were sitting around him. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Among the things I fear for you after me is that the freshness and adornment of the world will be opened up for you." So a man said, "O Messenger of Allah! (What harm can come from abundance of wealth? Wealth is such a good thing.) Can a good thing also produce evil?" (Upon hearing this) the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) remained silent. Then it was said to him, "What is the matter with you that you are conversing with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) while he is not speaking to you?" Then we thought that revelation was descending upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (that is why he remained silent). So when the revelation was completed, it is said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) wiped the sweat from his face and said: "Where is the questioner?" As if the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) liked his (question). Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "(Yes, it is true that) a good thing does not produce evil, but (evil arises from its misuse). Look, along with the spring season, such grass also grows that (when eaten by grazing animals) kills or makes them sick. But among those who graze on this greenery, the one who eats until both his sides are filled, then stands in the sun, then defecates and urinates, and (after that) grazes again (does not eat excessively all at once, he does not die). And indeed, this wealth is a pleasant green pasture. So what a good wealth it is for a Muslim who gives from it to the poor, the orphan, and the traveler." Or the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said something similar: "And indeed, whoever takes this wealth unlawfully will be like the one who eats but is never satisfied, and that wealth will testify against him on the Day of Resurrection."

The hadith of Lady Zainab, the wife of Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with her), has just been mentioned (see the chapter: Spending Zakat on one’s relatives...). In this narration, she also says that I went to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and found an Ansari woman at the door who had come with a need similar to mine. Then, Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by us, so we said to him: Ask the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) on our behalf whether it is sufficient for me to spend (my wealth) on my husband and the orphans under my care? And we told (Sayyiduna Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him) not to mention our names. (But when Sayyiduna Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, went and asked the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), he said:“Who are these two women?”Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) said,“Zainab.”The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked,“Which Zainab?”He replied,“The wife of Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with them both).”The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:“Yes (it is sufficient, rather) she will have a double reward: the reward of maintaining kinship and the reward of giving charity.”

Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Will I have any reward if I spend (my wealth) on the children of Abu Salamah, for they are my sons?" He (peace be upon him) replied: "Spend on them; whatever you spend on them, you will be rewarded for it."

Narrated Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) appointed a man to collect charity, i.e., zakat. That man went and brought the collected charity, then said: Ibn Jameel, Khalid bin Al-Walid, and Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with them) did not give (zakat). So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Ibn Jameel refused because he was poor, and Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made him rich (indeed, his refusal indicates rebellion). As for Khalid bin Al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him), you are wronging Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him) (why did you ask him for zakat? Because) he has reserved his armors and weapons for the cause of Allah. As for Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib, he is the uncle of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); zakat is obligatory upon him, and the same amount again (so I will pay it)."

Narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that some people from among the Ansar asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for something, so he gave them. Then they asked him again, and he gave them again, until whatever wealth he had was finished. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When I have wealth, I will not withhold it from you. But (remember that) whoever refrains from asking, Allah will protect him (from poverty and need), and whoever shows self-sufficiency, Allah will make him self-sufficient, and whoever is patient, Allah will make him patient. And (listen) no one has been given a blessing better and more extensive than patience (so do not let go of patience)."

Narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, it is better for one of you to take a rope, gather firewood, carry it on his back, and sell it, than to go to someone and ask him (for something), whether he gives him or refuses."

Narrated by Sayyiduna Zubair bin Al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he said: "Indeed, for one of you to take his rope, gather a bundle of wood on his back, bring it and sell it, and by this means Allah preserves his honor, is better for him than asking people (even though it is not known) whether they will give him or not."

Sayyiduna Hakim bin Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I once asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for something, and he gave it to me. Then I asked again, and he gave it to me. I asked again, and he gave it to me. After that, he said: "O Hakim! This wealth is a sweet and lush thing. Whoever takes it without greed, there is blessing in it for him, and whoever takes it with greed, there is no blessing in it for him, and he is like the one who eats but is never satisfied. And the upper hand is better than the lower hand." Sayyiduna Hakim (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I said, "O Messenger of Allah! By the One Who has sent you with the truth, I will not take anything from anyone after you until I depart from this world." So, when Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) became the Caliph, he kept calling Hakim (may Allah be pleased with him) to give him his stipend (which was fixed for all the companions), but he refused to accept it. Then Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), during his caliphate, called him to give him his stipend, but he refused to accept it. So Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Muslims! I make you witness that I am offering Hakim (may Allah be pleased with him) his right, but he refuses to take his share from this booty." In short, Sayyiduna Hakim (may Allah be pleased with him) did not take anything from anyone after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) until he passed away.

Ameer-ul-Mu'mineen Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to give me wealth, so I would say: "Give it to the one who is more in need than me." So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Take it. When some wealth comes to you from this (source) and you are not greedy for it, nor have you asked for it, then accept it. And whatever you do not get, do not worry about obtaining it, and do not pursue it."