24/2. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1622d — Giving Charity Without Taking It Back
The Prohibition Of Taking Back One's Charity After It Has Been Accepted, Except In The Case Of What A Father Gives To A Son Or Grandson
Hadith About Giving Charity and Not Taking It Back
Sahih Muslim : 1622d
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1622d
وَحَدَّثَنِي هَارُونُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الأَيْلِيُّ، وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ عِيسَى، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي عَمْرٌو، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ الْحَارِثِ - عَنْ بُكَيْرٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ سَعِيدَ بْنَ الْمُسَيَّبِ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَتَصَدَّقُ بِصَدَقَةٍ ثُمَّ يَعُودُ فِي صَدَقَتِهِ كَمَثَلِ الْكَلْبِ يَقِيءُ ثُمَّ يَأْكُلُ قَيْأَهُ " .
Ibn 'Abbas Narrated from:
I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) say: The similitude of one who gives a charity and then gets it back is like that of a dog which vomits and then eats its vomit.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1622dIn-book reference : Book 24, Hadith 11USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 12, Hadith 3957
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1622d
This narration gives the warning in first-person hearing from Ibn Abbas: he heard the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم say it. The message is simple and strong. A person who gives charity and then goes back to it is compared to a dog that vomits and then eats its vomit. This is a clear hadith about taking back charity after giving it. The image is not soft, and that is part of the teaching. It makes the act look shameful and unpleasant. The hadith does not talk about every possible gift case here. It speaks about one who gives a charity and then returns to that charity. So the practical meaning is to give sadaqah with a clean heart and avoid trying to reclaim it later.
What we learn from this hadith
- Charity should be given without later trying to reclaim it.
- The Prophet used a strong example to warn against this act.
- The report focuses on charity after it has been given.
- The listener is taught to dislike returning to sadaqah.
