Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 37609 — The words of Masruq

It is narrated from Masruq that he said: A righteous man went out in the darkness of the night with a purse of dirhams, wishing to give it in charity. He met a very wealthy man and gave him this purse of dirhams. When morning came there was an uproar: "Are you people not amazed at so-and-so and his wealth? A man came to him with a purse of dirhams and gave it to him." This reached the man who had given it, and it weighed heavily on him. He said: "I do not think it has been accepted from me, since I gave the purse to this wealthy man." 2. The narrator said: This man went out another night with a purse and gave it to a woman who committed fornication. When the people woke in the morning they began to say: "Are you not amazed at such-and-such a woman? So-and-so came to her and gave her a purse, although this woman does not turn anyone away from coming to her." This reached the man, and it weighed heavily on him. He said: "I do not think this charity has been accepted from me." 3. The narrator said: Then this man had a dream, and it was said to him: "The charity you gave to the wealthy man has been accepted from you, for We wanted to show him that there are people who give charity, so that he too would desire it. As for the woman, she only committed fornication out of need, and We wanted to make her chaste."