It is narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin Hazm (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote a letter to the people of Yemen containing the rulings on obligations, sunan and blood money (diyah), and sent it with Amr bin Hazm, and it was read out to the people of Yemen. Its text was as follows: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Shurahbil bin Abd Kulal, al-Harith bin Abd Kulal and Nu'aym bin Kulal (the chiefs of Dhu Ru'ayn, Ma'afir and Hamdan). To proceed: Your messenger has returned, and you have paid the fifth (khumus) of Allah from the spoils. As for the tenth ('ushr) on the produce of land which Allah has made obligatory upon the believers, its details are as follows: land that is watered by rain from the sky, by flowing water or by natural moisture, a tenth ('ushr) is due on it, provided the produce reaches five wasq (approximately 653 kilograms); and land that is watered by wells or buckets, half a tenth (a twentieth) is due on it, provided the produce reaches five wasq. For grazing camels, one sheep is due for every five camels until the number reaches twenty-four. When it exceeds twenty-four by even one, then from twenty-five to thirty-five a one-year-old she-camel (bint makhad) is due; if there is none, a two-year-old male camel (ibn labun) is to be given. From thirty-six to forty-five, a two-year-old she-camel (bint labun) is due. From forty-six to sixty, a three-year-old she-camel (hiqqah) fit for mating is due. From sixty-one to seventy-five, a four-year-old she-camel (jadha'ah) is due. From seventy-six to ninety, two two-year-old she-camels (bint labun) are due. From ninety-one to one hundred and twenty, two three-year-old she-camels (hiqqah) fit for mating are due. When there are more than that, one two-year-old she-camel (bint labun) is due for every forty and one three-year-old she-camel (hiqqah) for every fifty. For cattle, a one-year-old calf, male or female (tabi'), is due for every thirty, and a two-year-old cow (musinnah) for every forty. For every forty grazing sheep, one sheep is due until the number reaches one hundred and twenty; from one hundred and twenty-one to two hundred, two sheep; from two hundred and one to three hundred, three sheep; and beyond that, one sheep is due for every hundred. In zakah, neither a very old, nor an emaciated, nor a defective animal will be taken, nor the male (stud) of the flock, unless the collector considers it appropriate. For fear of zakah, separate animals are not to be gathered together, nor are animals kept together to be separated, and partners will settle the account between themselves equally. In silver, five dirhams of zakah are due on every five awqiyah (approximately 595 grams), and on what exceeds that, one dirham on every forty dirhams (two and a half percent); nothing is due on less than five awqiyah. And one dinar is due on every forty dinars. Indeed, charity (zakah) is not lawful for Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) or for the family of Muhammad; it is only for the purification of people's souls, and it is for the poor among the believers, for (jihad in) the path of Allah and for travellers. Nothing is due on slaves, lands and their labourers provided that the tenth ('ushr) of their produce is being paid, and nothing is due on a Muslim's slave and horse (kept for personal use)." It was also written in this letter: "The greatest of the major sins in the sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection are: associating partners with Allah, killing a believer unjustly, fleeing from the battlefield, disobedience to parents, slandering a chaste woman, learning magic, consuming usury (riba) and consuming the wealth of an orphan. Umrah is the lesser Hajj; the Qur'an is to be touched only in a state of purity; there is no divorce before marriage; there is no freeing (of a slave) before ownership; no one should pray in a single garment in such a way that one of his sides is exposed; no one should pray with his hair tied in a knot; and no one should pray in a single garment in such a way that there is nothing on his shoulder." It was also in the letter: "Whoever deliberately kills a believer, retaliation (qisas) is due on him, unless the heirs of the one killed agree (otherwise). The blood money for a life is one hundred camels; for a nose cut off completely, the full blood money; for the tongue, the blood money; for the two lips, the blood money; for the testicles, the blood money; for the penis, the blood money; for the spine, the blood money; for the two eyes, the blood money; for one leg, half the blood money; for a head wound that reaches the membrane of the brain (ma'mumah), a third of the blood money; for a deep abdominal wound, a third of the blood money; for an injury in which a bone is broken and displaced, fifteen camels; for every finger or toe of the hands and feet, ten camels; for a tooth, five camels; for a head wound that exposes the bone, five camels. A man is to be killed (in retaliation) for a woman, and upon the people of gold (those who deal in money), one thousand dinars are due." This is a great and detailed hadith in this chapter, whose authenticity was attested by the Commander of the Believers Sayyiduna Umar bin Abd al-Aziz and by the imam of the scholars of his era, Muhammad bin Muslim al-Zuhri, as I mentioned earlier. Sulayman bin Dawud al-Dimashqi al-Khawlani is known for narrating from al-Zuhri; although Yahya bin Ma'in criticised him, others declared him trustworthy.

As Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Hatim narrates from his father. He states: I heard my father when he was asked about the hadith of Amr bin Hazm concerning the letter on charities (sadaqat) which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote for him, and he said: In our view, Sulayman bin Dawud al-Khawlani is a narrator about whom there is "la ba'sa bihi" (no harm in him). Abu Muhammad bin Abi Hatim says: I also heard Imam Abu Zur'ah say the same. Imam al-Hakim says: I have exerted my full scholarly effort (ijtihad) in recording these detailed and summarised hadiths concerning zakah, and this book cannot do without their explanation. I have argued for their authenticity through authentic chains from the caliphs and the Tabi'in showing that they accepted these narrations and acted upon them, in which there is sufficient proof for those who reflect. Our imam Shu'bah used to say about a hadith of Uqbah bin Amir al-Juhani concerning ablution: "If something like this were established as authentic for me from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), it would be dearer to me than my own life, my wealth and my family." And that was a hadith about voluntary prayer; so what then of these sunan and hadiths which are the foundational pillars and principles of Islam? Allah alone grants success, and He is sufficient for me, and the best Disposer of affairs.