Sayyiduna Malik bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) sent me a message: Some people from the households of your tribe have come to Madinah. We have ordered some grants to be given to them; you should distribute them among them. I said: O Commander of the Faithful, please instruct someone else instead of me for this task. He said: O man, you take it into your possession. The narrator says: I was still sitting there when, in the meantime, Sayyiduna Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) servant Yarfa came and said: Sayyiduna Uthman, Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Awf, Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas, and Sayyiduna Zubair bin Awwam (may Allah be pleased with them) have arrived. (The narrator says) I do not remember whether he mentioned Sayyiduna Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) or not. They are seeking permission to enter. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Allow them to enter. The narrator says: After a short while, the servant came again and said: Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) are seeking permission to enter. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Allow both of them to enter. When Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) entered, he said: O Commander of the Faithful, decide between me and this gentleman. These two gentlemen had a disagreement at that time regarding that property which Allah Almighty had granted to His Messenger as fay’ from the wealth of Banu Nadir. Those present said: O Commander of the Faithful, decide between these two gentlemen, and satisfy each of them regarding the other, for their dispute has become prolonged. So Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I ask you both by Allah, by whose command the heavens and the earth are established, do you know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“We do not leave inheritance; whatever we leave behind is charity.”
They said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) indeed said this. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) repeated the same words to both of them, and they both replied: Yes. So Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I will tell you about this fay’ property which Allah Almighty granted exclusively to His Prophet; He did not grant it to anyone except His Prophet. Allah Almighty said:“And whatever Allah has bestowed upon His Messenger as fay’, you did not spur your horses or camels for it.”So this was specific for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). By Allah! The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not keep it for himself to the exclusion of you, nor did he show any favoritism regarding it among you. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) distributed it among you, spread it among you, until only a small portion of this wealth remained. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would arrange a year’s sustenance for his family from it.
Sometimes the narrator named Mu’ammar has narrated these words: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would set aside a year’s sustenance for his family from it, and whatever wealth remained, he would spend it in the way of Allah. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: After the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), I am the most entitled to follow the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in this matter. I will do regarding it what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do. Then Sayyiduna Umar turned to Sayyiduna Ali and Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and said: You both think that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was unjust and sinful in this matter, whereas Allah knows that he was truthful, righteous, and a follower of the truth. Then after Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), I was made the guardian of it. This was during the two years of my rule. I also did regarding it what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) used to do. You both thought that I was unjust and sinful in this matter, whereas Allah knows that I was truthful, righteous, and a follower of the truth in this matter. Then you both came to me. This gentleman, i.e., Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), came seeking the inheritance of his nephew, and this gentleman, i.e., Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), came and was demanding from me the inheritance of his wife. So I said to both of you: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say:“We do not leave inheritance; whatever we leave behind is charity.”
(Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said:) After that, I thought it appropriate to hand it over to both of you. I took from both of you an oath and a firm promise in the name of Allah that you would act regarding it as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did, as Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) did, and as I did after becoming caliph. So both of you said: Hand it over to us on this condition. Now you are seeking another decision regarding it. By Him in whose command the heavens and the earth are established, I will not give any other decision between you regarding it. If you cannot take care of it, then return it to me.
The narrator says: After that, those lands came into the possession of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), then they remained in the hands of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), then in the hands of Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), then in the hands of Sayyiduna Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both), then in the hands of Imam Zain al-Abidin (may Allah be pleased with him), then in the hands of Sayyiduna Hasan bin Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him), then in the possession of Sayyiduna Zaid bin Hasan.
The narrator named Mu’ammar has narrated these words: Then they remained in the hands of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him).