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سنن دارمي
Darimi
من كتاب الزكاةFrom the Book of Zakat
باب في فَضْلِ الْيَدِ الْعُلْيَا:Chapter: The Virtue of the Giving Hand
Hadith 1691
اُردوEn
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عُثْمَانَ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ مُوسَى بْنَ طَلْحَةَ يَذْكُرُ، عَنْ حَكِيمِ بْنِ حِزَامٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: "خَيْرُ الصَّدَقَةِ عَنْ ظَهْرِ غِنًى، وَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى، وَابْدَأْ بِمَنْ تَعُولُ".
Sayyiduna Hakim bin Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best charity is that which is given while you are wealthy, and the upper hand is better than the lower hand, and you should give charity first to the one whom you are supporting."
Brief Explanation
(Commentary on Hadiths 1689 to 1691)
«أَبْدَأَ بِمَنْ تَعُولُ» (“Begin with those whom you support”) — Its explanation is found in the narration of Sunan an-Nasa’i: such as your mother, your father, your sister, then those who are of lesser rank among them. That is, when showing kindness, a person should first do good to the aforementioned individuals, spend on them, and then, if able, give charity and alms to others. It should be clear that it is not permissible to give zakat to one’s parents; rather, one should spend on them from one’s own wealth.
And Allah knows best.
Maulana Dawood Raz rahimahullah says: It is necessary for every Muslim man that he strives to become a person of means, and after fulfilling Allah’s right of zakat from his wealth, he should try to live in such a way that his hand is always the upper hand (the giver), and never the lower hand throughout his life, i.e., he should remain a giver, not a taker, and should not stretch his hand before people.
This hadith also encourages that even in a state of need, one should not stretch out one’s hand before people; rather, by acting with patience and steadfastness, maintaining trust in Allah and self-respect, one should rely on the labor of one’s own strength for sustenance.
«أَبْدَأَ بِمَنْ تَعُولُ» (“Begin with those whom you support”) — Its explanation is found in the narration of Sunan an-Nasa’i: such as your mother, your father, your sister, then those who are of lesser rank among them. That is, when showing kindness, a person should first do good to the aforementioned individuals, spend on them, and then, if able, give charity and alms to others. It should be clear that it is not permissible to give zakat to one’s parents; rather, one should spend on them from one’s own wealth.
And Allah knows best.
Maulana Dawood Raz rahimahullah says: It is necessary for every Muslim man that he strives to become a person of means, and after fulfilling Allah’s right of zakat from his wealth, he should try to live in such a way that his hand is always the upper hand (the giver), and never the lower hand throughout his life, i.e., he should remain a giver, not a taker, and should not stretch his hand before people.
This hadith also encourages that even in a state of need, one should not stretch out one’s hand before people; rather, by acting with patience and steadfastness, maintaining trust in Allah and self-respect, one should rely on the labor of one’s own strength for sustenance.
