Hadith 996

This hadith is listed as number 2312 in Maktaba Shamila

حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْجَرْمِيُّ ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ أَبْجَرَ الْكِنَانِيُّ ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ ، عَنْ طَلْحَةَ بْنِ مُصَرِّفٍ ، عَنْ خَيْثَمَةَ ، قَالَ : كُنَّا جُلُوسًا مَعَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو ، إِذْ جَاءَهُ قَهْرَمَانٌ لَهُ ، فَدَخَلَ ، فَقَالَ : أَعْطَيْتَ الرَّقِيقَ قُوتَهُمْ ، قَالَ : لَا ، قَالَ : فَانْطَلِقْ فَأَعْطِهِمْ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " كَفَى بِالْمَرْءِ إِثْمًا أَنْ يَحْبِسَ عَمَّنْ يَمْلِكُ قُوتَهُ " .
Khaithama reported: While we were sitting in the company of 'Abdullah bin 'Umar there came in his steward. He (Ibn 'Umar) said: Have you supplied the provision to the slaves? He said: No. Upon this he said: Go and give (the provision) to them, for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has said: This sin is enough for a man that he withholds the subsistence from one whose master he is.
Hadith Reference صحيح مسلم / كتاب الزكاة / 996
Hadith Grading محدثین: أحاديث صحيح مسلم كلها صحيحة
Hadith Takhrij «أحاديث صحيح مسلم كلها صحيحة»
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
1692. Commentary: That is, one’s wife and children whose expenses are his responsibility, or those individuals who are under his care. For example, parents or other relatives, or servants and attendants, and employees of an institution under his management to whom he pays a salary. To not give such dependents their financial rights, or to give them less, or to delay giving them without reason, or to neglect them while giving charity to others and not caring for them, is tantamount to neglecting them. And it is a sin. The same warning applies to depriving animals and birds under one’s ownership of their rights. Along with this meaning and understanding, it can also mean that a person neglects the one through whom he receives sustenance and provision... That is, if that person is deserving of service, then not serving him. For example, the husband for the wife, and the father for the children... or not being grateful to him. For example, a brother for a brother, or unnecessarily finding faults in him, or not forgiving if he makes a mistake, etc.—due to these reasons, a person’s means of sustenance may be cut off, or the bonds of affection, love, and kinship may be severed. And if he loses them, then this is a sinful matter. The statements of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), may my parents be sacrificed for him, of this kind are proof that he was the possessor of comprehensive speech (jawami‘ al-kalim). (Allahumma salli wa barik wa sallim ‘alayh)
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 1692
Shaykh Muhammad Ibrahim bin Basheer
Benefit:
In this hadith, the responsibility of providing food and maintenance is mentioned—that whoever does not spend on his family and dependents is a wrongdoer. And it is a well-known fact that the most virtuous form of charity (sadaqah) is to spend on one's own family and dependents.
Source: Musnad al-Humaydi: Commentary by Muhammad Ibrahim bin Bashir, Page: 610