Chapter: Accepting a gift

The people used to look forward for the days of my (`Aisha's) turn to send gifts to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in order to please him.

Ibn `Abbas said: Um Hufaid, Ibn `Abbas's aunt sent some dried yogurt (butter free), ghee (butter) and a mastigar to the Prophet (ﷺ) as a gift. The Prophet (ﷺ) ate the dried yogurt and butter but left the mastigar because he disliked it. Ibn `Abbas said, "The mastigar was eaten at the table of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and if it had been illegal to eat, it could not have been eaten at the table of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)."

Whenever a meal was brought to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), he would ask whether it was a gift or Sadaqa (something given in charity). If he was told that it was Sadaqa, he would tell his companions to eat it, but if it was a gift, he would hurry to share it with them.

Some meat was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ) and it was said that the meat had been given in charity to Buraira. He said, "It was Sadaqa for Buraira but a gift for us."

I intended to buy Buraira but her masters stipulated that her Wala should be for them. When the Prophet was told about it, he said to me, "Buy and manumit her, as the Wala' is for the liberator." Once Buraira was given some meat, and the Prophet (ﷺ) asked, "What is this?" I said, "It has been given to Buraira in charity." He said, "It is sadaqa for her but a gift for us." Buraira was given the option (to stay with her husband or to part with him). `Abdur-Rahman (a sub-narrator) wondered, "Was her husband a slave or a free man?" Shu`ba (another sub-narrator) said, "I asked `Abdur-Rahman whether her husband was a slave or a free man. He replied that he did not know whether he was a slave or a free man."

Once the Prophet (ﷺ) went to `Aisha and asked her whether she had something (to eat). She said that she had nothing except the mutton which Um 'Atiyya had sent to (Buraira) in charity. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that it had reached its destination (i.e. it is no longer an object of charity.)