Chapter: The Likeness of the giver and the miser

Hadith 1021 Part A

setting

Abu Haraira reported that the likeness of one who spends or one who gives charity is that of a person who has two cloaks or two coats-of-mail over him right from the breast to the collar bones. And when the spender (and the other narrator said, when the giver of charity) makes up his mind to give charity, it (coat-mail) becomes expanded for him. But when a miserly person intends to spend, it contracts and every ring grips the place where it is. For the giver of charity, this coat-of. mail expands to cover his whole body and obliterates even his footprints. Abu Huraira said

(The miserly man) tries to expand it (the coat-of-mail) but it does not expand.

Hadith 1021 Part B

setting

Abu Haraira reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave similitudes of a miserly man and the giver of charity as two persons who have two coats-of-mail over them with their hands pressed closely to their breasts and their collar bones. Whenever the giver of charity gives charity it (the coat-of mail) expands so much as to cover his finger tips and obliterate his foot prints. And whenever the miserly person intends to give charity (the coat-of-mail) contracts and every ring grips the place where it is. He (Abu Huraira) said

I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying with fingers in the opening of his shirt:" If you had seen him trying to expand it, it will not expand."

Hadith 1021 Part C

setting

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

. The similitude of a miserly man and the giver of charity is that of two persons with coats of mail over them; when the giver of charity intends to give charity, it expands over him (to much so) that the footprints are also obliterated. And when the miserly man intends to give charity, it contracts over him, and his hands are tied up to his collar bone, and every ring is fixed up to another. He (the narrator) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: He would try to expand it. but he would not be able to do so.