Chapter on What Must Be Given Out from Charity and the Least Amount That Is Given

Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām|Volume 4|Book 1|Chapter 16

Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām

Volume 4, Book 1, Chapter 16

Chapter on What Must Be Given Out from Charity and the Least Amount That Is Given
8 hadiths · 2 commentaries
Commentary 1

قال الشيخ رحمه الله:) وأقل ما يعطى الفقير من الزكاة المفروضة خمس دراهم وليس لاكثره حد( إلى آخر الباب

The Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah (swt) have mercy on him, said: “The least that is given to the poor person from the obligatory zakat is five dirhams (darahim), and there is no limit to its maximum,” until the end of the chapter.

Hadith 1

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ اَلْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ أَبِي وَلاَّدٍ اَلْحَنَّاطِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ:» لاَ يُعْطَى أَحَدٌ مِنَ اَلزَّكَاةِ أَقَلَّ مِنْ خَمْسَةِ دَرَاهِمَ وَ هُوَ أَقَلُّ مَا فَرَضَ اَللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ اَلزَّكَاةِ فِي أَمْوَالِ اَلْمُسْلِمِينَ فَلاَ تُعْطُوا أَحَداً أَقَلَّ مِنْ خَمْسَةِ دَرَاهِمَ فَصَاعِداً«.

Muhammad ibn Yaqub, from Muhammad ibn Yahya, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from al-Hasan ibn Mahbub, from Abu Wallad al-Hannat, from Abu Abdillah (a.s), peace be upon him, who said: I (narrator) heard Imam (a.s) saying: “No one is to be given from zakat less than five dirhams, and it is the least of what Allah (swt), Mighty and Majestic, has made obligatory from zakat in the wealth of the Muslims. So do not give anyone less than five dirhams and upwards.”

Hadith 2

سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ بْنِ حَمَّادٍ اَلْأَنْصَارِيِّ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ وَ عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ بْنِ بُكَيْرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ قَالَ:» لاَ يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُدْفَعَ اَلزَّكَاةُ أَقَلَّ مِنْ خَمْسَةِ دَرَاهِمَ فَإِنَّهَا أَقَلُّ اَلزَّكَاةِ«.

Sa’ad ibn Abdullah, from Ibrahim ibn Ishaq ibn Ibrahim, from Abdullah ibn Hammad al-Ansari, from Muawiyah ibn Ammar and Abdullah ibn Bukayr, from Abu Abdillah (a.s), peace be upon him, who said: Imam (a.s) said: “It is not permissible for zakat to be paid as less than five dirhams, for it is the least amount of zakat.”

Hadith 3

فَأَمَّا مَا رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي اَلصُّهْبَانِ قَالَ: كَتَبْتُ إِلَى اَلصَّادِقِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ هَلْ يَجُوزُ لِي يَا سَيِّدِي أَنْ أُعْطِيَ اَلرَّجُلَ مِنْ إِخْوَانِي مِنَ اَلزَّكَاةِ اَلدِّرْهَمَيْنِ وَ اَلثَّلاَثَةَ اَلدَّرَاهِمِ فَقَدِ اِشْتَبَهَ ذَلِكَ عَلَيَّ فَكَتَبَ» ذَلِكَ جَائِزٌ«.

As for what Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa narrated from Muhammad ibn Abi al-Suhban, who said: I (narrator) wrote to Imam al-Sadiq (a.s), peace be upon him: “Is it permissible for me, my master, to give a man from among my brothers two dirhams and three dirhams from zakat? This has become unclear to me.” Imam (a.s) wrote: “That is permissible.”

Commentary 2

فمحمول على النصاب الذي يلي النصاب الاول لان النصاب الثاني والثالث وما فوق ذلك ربما كان الدرهمين والثلاثة حسب تزايد الاموال فلا بأس باعطاء ذلك لواحد فأما النصاب الاول فلا يجوز ذلك فيه حسب ما قدمناه. فأما الذي يدل على انه يجوز أن يعطى اكثر من خمسه دراهم.

It is therefore understood as referring to the threshold (nisab) that comes after the first threshold, because the second, third, and higher thresholds may sometimes amount to two dirhams or three dirhams, depending on the increase in the wealth. Thus, there is no harm in giving that amount to one person. As for the first threshold, it is not permissible to do so with it, according to what we have already presented. As for what indicates that it is permissible to give more than five dirhams, it is what has been narrated (in the following hadith):

Hadith 4

مَا رَوَاهُ اَلْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ غَزْوَانَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ كَمْ يُعْطَى اَلرَّجُلُ اَلْوَاحِدُ مِنَ اَلزَّكَاةِ قَالَ» أَعْطِهِ مِنَ اَلزَّكَاةِ حَتَّى تُغْنِيَهُ«.

What al-Husayn ibn Said narrated from Muhammad ibn Abi Umayr, from Said ibn Ghazwan, from Abu Abdillah (a.s), peace be upon him, who said: I (narrator) asked Imam (a.s): How much is one man to be given from zakat? Imam (a.s) said: “Give him from zakat until you make him self-sufficient.”

Hadith 5

وَ عَنْهُ عَنِ اِبْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ زِيَادِ بْنِ مَرْوَانَ عَنْ أَبِي اَلْحَسَنِ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ:» أَعْطِهِ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ«.

And from him, from Ibn Abi Umayr, from Ziyad ibn Marwan, from Abu al-Hasan Musa (a.s), peace be upon him, who said: Imam (a.s) said: “Give him one thousand dirhams.”

Hadith 6

سَعْدٌ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ اَلْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ اَلصَّقْرِ عَنِ اَلْحَسَنِ بْنِ اَلْحُسَيْنِ اَللُّؤْلُؤِيِّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ أُعْطِي اَلرَّجُلَ مِنَ اَلزَّكَاةِ مِائَةَ دِرْهَمٍ قَالَ» نَعَمْ« قُلْتُ مِائَتَيْنِ قَالَ» نَعَمْ« قُلْتُ ثَلاَثَمِائَةٍ قَالَ» نَعَمْ« قُلْتُ أَرْبَعَمِائَةٍ قَالَ» نَعَمْ« قُلْتُ خَمْسَمِائَةٍ قَالَ» نَعَمْ حَتَّى تُغْنِيَهُ«.

Sad, from Ahmad ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Saqr, from al-Hasan ibn al-Husayn al-Lului, from Muhammad ibn Sinan, from Ishaq ibn Ammar, who said: I (narrator) said to Abu Abdillah (a.s), peace be upon him: “May I give a man one hundred dirhams from zakat?” Imam (a.s) said: “Yes.” I (narrator) asked: “Two hundred (dirhams)?” Imam (a.s) said: “Yes.” I (narrator) replied: “Three hundred (dirhams)?” Imam (a.s) said: “Yes.” I (narrator) asked: “Four hundred (dirhams)?” Imam (a.s) said: “Yes.” I (narrator) asked: “Five hundred (dirhams)?” Imam (a.s) said: “Yes, until you make him self-sufficient.”

Hadith 7

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اَلْمَلِكِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ عَنْ أَبِي اَلْحَسَنِ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لَهُ أُعْطِي اَلرَّجُلَ مِنَ اَلزَّكَاةِ ثَمَانِينَ دِرْهَماً قَالَ» نَعَمْ وَزِدْهُ« قُلْتُ أُعْطِيهِ مِائَةَ دِرْهَمٍ قَالَ» نَعَمْ وَ أَغْنِهِ إِنْ قَدَرْتَ عَلَى أَنْ تُغْنِيَهُ«.

Muhammad ibn Yaqub, from Ahmad, from Abd al-Malik ibn Utbah, from Ishaq ibn Ammar, from Abu al-Hasan Musa (a.s), peace be upon him, who said: I (narrator) said to Imam (a.s): “May I give a man eighty dirhams from zakat?” Imam (a.s) said: “Yes, and increase him.” I (narrator) asked: “May I give him one hundred dirhams?” Imam (a.s) said: “Yes, and make him self-sufficient, if you are able to make him self-sufficient.”

Hadith 8

وَ عَنْهُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ إِدْرِيسَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ اَلْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ فَضَّالٍ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ مُصَدِّقِ بْنِ صَدَقَةَ عَنْ عَمَّارِ بْنِ مُوسَى عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ كَمْ يُعْطَى اَلرَّجُلُ مِنَ اَلزَّكَاةِ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ» إِذَا أَعْطَيْتَ فَأَغْنِهِ«.

And from him, from Ahmad ibn Idris, from Muhammad ibn Ahmad, from Ahmad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Faddal, from Amr ibn Said, from Musaddiq ibn Sadaqah, from Ammar ibn Musa, from Abu Abdillah (a.s), peace be upon him: Imam (a.s) was asked, “How much is a man to be given from zakat?” He (narrator) said: “Abu Ja’far (a.s), peace be upon him, said: ‘When you give, then make him self-sufficient.’”