The Sufficient (Vol 5) · Hadith 401 (#Ḥadīth #5)

5- أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْفُضَيْلِ عَنْ أَبِي الصَّبَّاحِ الْكِنَانِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ فِي قَوْلِ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمَنْ كانَ فَقِيراً فَلْيَأْكُلْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ فَقَالَ ذَلِكَ رَجُلٌ يَحْبِسُ نَفْسَهُ عَنِ الْمَعِيشَةِ فَلا بَأْسَ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ إِذَا كَانَ يُصْلِحُ لَهُمْ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فَإِنْ كَانَ الْمَالُ قَلِيلا فَلا يَأْكُلْ مِنْهُ شَيْئاً قَالَ قُلْتُ أَرَأَيْتَ قَوْلَ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَإِنْ تُخالِطُوهُمْ فَإِخْوانُكُمْ قَالَ تُخْرِجُ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ بِقَدْرِ مَا يَكْفِيهِمْ وَتُخْرِجُ مِنْ مَالِكَ قَدْرَ مَا يَكْفِيكَ ثُمَّ تُنْفِقُهُ قُلْتُ أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانُوا يَتَامَى صِغَاراً وَكِبَاراً وَبَعْضُهُمْ أَعْلَى كِسْوَةً مِنْ بَعْضٍ وَبَعْضُهُمْ آكَلُ مِنْ بَعْضٍ وَمَالُهُمْ جَمِيعاً فَقَالَ أَمَّا الْكِسْوَةُ فَعَلَى كُلِّ إِنْسَانٍ مِنْهُمْ ثَمَنُ كِسْوَتِهِ وَأَمَّا [أَكْلُ] الطَّعَامِ فَاجْعَلُوهُ جَمِيعاً فَإِنْ الصَّغِيرَ يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مِثْلَ الْكَبِيرِ.

5. Ahmad ibn Muhammad has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Fudayl from abu al-Sabbah al-Kinaniy who has said the following: “About the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, ‘One who is poor can eat within the proper limits’, abu ‘Abd Allah , has said, ‘He is a man who holds himself back from making his living (to help the orphans). It is not harmful if he eats within the proper limits when he looks after their properties. If the properties are of a small amount he must not eat thereof.’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘What is the meaning of the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, “If you mix then they are your brothers in religion”?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You must take out from their property an amount that is sufficient for them for a certain time and from your own property a similar amount which is sufficient for you; then you can spend it.’ I then asked about the case where certain ones are smaller and others are bigger and of different amount of expenses for food and clothing. He (the Imam) said, ‘In matters of clothes each individual pays what is spent for that individual, but in matters of food they all share; a small person perhaps uses as much food as a larger one.’”

Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).