12/13. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 997a — Start Charity With Yourself
Starting with oneself, then one's family, then one's relatives, when spending
Hadith About the Priority of Spending
Sahih Muslim : 997a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 997a
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رُمْحٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ أَعْتَقَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي عُذْرَةَ عَبْدًا لَهُ عَنْ دُبُرٍ، فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم . فَقَالَ " أَلَكَ مَالٌ غَيْرُهُ " . فَقَالَ لاَ . فَقَالَ " مَنْ يَشْتَرِيهِ مِنِّي " . فَاشْتَرَاهُ نُعَيْمُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْعَدَوِيُّ بِثَمَانِمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ فَجَاءَ بِهَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَدَفَعَهَا إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ " ابْدَأْ بِنَفْسِكَ فَتَصَدَّقْ عَلَيْهَا فَإِنْ فَضَلَ شَىْءٌ فَلأَهْلِكَ فَإِنْ فَضَلَ عَنْ أَهْلِكَ شَىْءٌ فَلِذِي قَرَابَتِكَ فَإِنْ فَضَلَ عَنْ ذِي قَرَابَتِكَ شَىْءٌ فَهَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا " . يَقُولُ فَبَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ وَعَنْ يَمِينِكَ وَعَنْ شِمَالِكَ .
Jabir Narrated from:
A person from the Banu 'Udhra set a slave free after his death. This news reached the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). Upon this he said: Have you any property besides it? He said: No. Upon this he said: Who would buy (this slave) from me?Nulaim b. Abdullah bought it for eight hundred dirhams and (this amount was) brought to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who returned it to him (the owner), and then said: Start with your own self and spend it on yourself, and if anything is left, it should be spent on your family, and if anything is left (after meeting the needs of the family) it should be spent on relatives, and if anything is left from the family, it should be spent like this, like this. And he was saying: In front of you, on your right and on your left.
[1] That is, he agreed to set free his slave through the practice of Tadbir .Reference : Sahih Muslim 997aIn-book reference : Book 12, Hadith 50USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 5, Hadith 2183
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 997a
This Hadith about the priority of spending gives a clear order. A man had set a slave free after his death, while he had no other property. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم asked if he had anything besides it, then arranged for the slave to be bought and returned the money to the owner. He then taught him to start with himself, then spend on his family if anything remains, then on relatives, and then on others around him. The message is practical. Giving is good, but it should not ignore basic personal and family needs. The Hadith shows balance in sadaqa and financial duty.
What we learn from this hadith
- A person should begin spending with his own basic needs.
- Family comes before wider giving when resources are limited.
- Relatives are given a place after family in this spending order.
- Charity should be balanced with real responsibilities.
