Musnad Abdur Rahman

Abu Salamah narrated from his father Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Give charity, for indeed I wish to send it forward.” So Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah! I have four thousand. I give two thousand as a loan to Allah the Exalted, and I leave two thousand for my family. He said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “May Allah bless what you have given, and may Allah bless what you have kept for your family.” (Abdur Rahman bin Awf, may Allah be pleased with him) said: A man from the Ansar came and said: O Messenger of Allah! I give one sa’ as a loan to my Lord the Exalted, and I keep one sa’ for my family. So the hypocrites criticized this and further said: By Allah! Ibn Awf has given only for show. Then they said: Is Allah and His Messenger not in need of this sa’ of his? So Allah the Exalted revealed this verse: «الَّذِينَ يَلْمِزُونَ الْمُطَّوِّعِينَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي الصَّدَقَاتِ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ إِلَّا جُهْدَهُمْ فَيَسْخَرُونَ مِنْهُمْ سَخِرَ اللَّـهُ مِنْهُمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ» [9-التوبة:79] “Those who criticize the believers who give charity willingly, and those who find nothing to give except what they earn with their own effort, and they mock them—Allah will mock them, and for them is a painful punishment.”