Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Ibn Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Hazrat Ahnaf bin Qais (may Allah have mercy on him) said: We were sitting at the door of Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) when suddenly a slave girl came out. We said to her: Umar’s slave girl, to which she replied: I am not Umar’s slave girl, nor am I lawful for Umar. I am the property of Allah. The narrator says: Then we began to discuss among ourselves what is lawful for Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) from the property of Allah. When this conversation reached Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he sent a messenger to call us and asked: What were you talking about? We replied: A slave girl came to us, so we said to her: Umar’s slave girl, upon which she said that she is not Umar’s slave girl, nor is she lawful for Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), indeed she is the property of Allah. Then we began to discuss how much of Allah’s property is lawful for you (may Allah be pleased with him). He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I will tell you how much of Allah’s property I have considered lawful for myself: one set of clothes for summer and winter, the mount on which I perform Hajj and the one on which I perform Umrah, and the ration for my family which is equal to that of an average man of the Quraysh—not like the wealthy among the Quraysh nor like their poor. And I am also one of the Muslims; whatever needs they have, I have the same needs.