الهَدِيَّة
THE GIFT
دُوُرُ الهَدِيَّةِ فِي الّمَحَبّةِ / The Role of Gifts in Love
1ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): تَهادَوا تَحابُّوا، تَهادُوا فإنَّها تَذهَبُ بِالضَّغائنِ.
1– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Give gifts to each other and you will love each other; give gifts to each other for it removes grudges.’
[al-Kafi, v. 5, p. 144, no. 14]
2ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): الهَدِيَّةُ تُورِثُ المَوَدَّةَ، وتَجدُرُ الاُخُوَّةَ، وتُذهِبُ الضَّغينَةَ، تَهادُوا تَحابُّوا.
2– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘A gift brings about affection, reinforces brotherhood, and removes grudges. Give gifts to each other and you will love each other.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 77, p. 166, no. 2]
الهَدِيَّة
THE GIFT
3ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): لَأن اُهدِيَ لأخِي المُسلِمِ هَدِيَّةً تَنفَعُهُ أحَبُّ إلَيَّ مِن أن أتَصَدَّقَ بمِثلِها.
3– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Giving a gift to my Muslim brother that he would benefit from is more beloved to me than giving its like in charity.’
[al-Kafi, v. 5, p. 144, no. 12]
حُرمَةُ هَدايا العُمّالِ / The Prohibition of Gifts to Workers*
4ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): هَدايا العُمّالِ غُلولٌ.
4– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Gifts to workers are forbidden, all
[kinds] of them.’
[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 15068]
5ـ استَعمَلَ النَّبيُّ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) رجُلاً مِن بَني أسَدٍ يُقال لَهُ ابنُ الاُتبِيّةِ على صَدَقَةٍ، فلَمّا قَدِمَ قالَ: هذا لَكُم و هذا اُهدِيَ لِي، فقامَ النَّبيُّ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) عَلَى المِنبَرِ... فحَمِدَ اللّهَ وأثنى علَيهِ ثُمّ قالَ: ما بالُ العامِلِ نَبعَثُهُ، فَيأتي فَيقولُ: هذا لَكَ و هذا لِي ؟! فهَلّا جَلَسَ في بَيتِ أبِيهِ واُمِّهِ فيَنظُرَ أيُهدى لَهُ أم لا ؟ وَالّذي نَفسي بِيَدِهِ لا يَأتي بشيءٍ إلّا جاءَ بهِ يَومَ القِيامَةِ يَحمِلُهُ على رَقَبَتِهِ، إنكانَ بَعيراً لَهُ رُغاءٌ أو بَقَرَةً لَها خُوارٌ أو شاةً تَيعَرُ.
5– Abu Hamid al-Sa`aidi said, ‘The Prophet (SAWA) employed a man from the tribe of Bani Asad who was called Ibn al-Utbiyya to go and collect some charity and when he came back, he said, ‘This is for you, and this is my gift
[assuming possession of some of the donation for himself].’ So the Prophet (SAWA) ascended the pulpit. He praised Allah and extolled Him, and said, ‘What is it with the worker who we send
[to work] and he comes back and says, ‘This is for you and this is for me!’ He should sit in the house of his mother and father and see if he is given a gift or not?! By He who owns my soul, anything that he takes he will be carrying on his neck on the Day of Resurrection, even if it is a grumbling camel, a bellowing cow, or a moaning sheep.’
[Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6753]
النَّهيُ عَن قَبولِ هَدِيَّةِ المُشرِكِ / Prohibition of Accepting Gifts from Polytheists
6ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): إنّا لا نَقبَلُ هَدِيَةَ مُشرِكٍ.
6– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘We do not accept the gift of a polytheist.’
[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 15068]
7ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنّ رسولَ اللّهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) نَهى عَن زَبْدِ المُشرِكينَ ؛ يُريدُ هَدايا أهلِ الحَربِ.
7– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The Prophet (SAWA) prohibited the
[acceptance of] gifts from the polytheists, meaning gifts from people who were at war with Muslims.’
[Mustadrak al-Wasail, v. 13, p. 208, no. 15128]
الحَثُّ عَلى قَبولِ الهَدِيَّةِ / Enjoinment of Accepting a Gift
8ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): لَو اُهدِيَ إلَيَّ كُراعٌ لَقَبِلتُهُ.
8– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘If an animal's leg was gifted to me, I would accept it.’
[al-Kafi, v. 5, p. 143, no. 8]
9ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): مِن تَكرِمَةِ الرّجُلِ لأخيهِ المُسلمِ أن يَقبَلَ تُحفَتَهُ، ويُتحِفَهُ بما عِندَهُ، ولا يَتَكَلّفَ لَهُ شيئاً.
9– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘A person’s honouring of his Muslim brother entails accepting his gift, and that he give him from what he has, and that he does not burden him in any way.’
[al-Kafi, v. 5, p. 143, no. 9]
10ـ عن رسولِ اللّهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) ـ لِعائشةَ لَمّا أهدَت إلَيها امرأةٌ مِسكينَةٌ هَدِيَّةً فلَم تَقبَلْها رَحمَةً لَها ـ: ألاَ قَبِلتيها مِنها وكافَيتيها مِنها؟! فلا تَرى أ نَّكِ حَقَّرتيها ! يا عائشةُ، تَواضَعي فإنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ المُتواضِعينَ ويُبغِضُ المُستَكبِرينَ .
10– The Prophet (SAWA) said to Aisha when a poor lady gave her a gift and she did not accept it in compassion for her, ‘Why did you not accept it and recompense her with its equivalent?! Do you not see that you have humiliated her? O Aisha, be humble for Allah loves the humble and hates the haughty.’
[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 14482]
العائِدُ في هِبَتِهِ / Returning With one’s Gift
11ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): العائدُ فِي هِبَتِهِ كالعائدِ في قَيئهِ .
11– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘One who returns with his gift
[without giving it] is like one who swallows his own vomit.’
[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 46164]
12ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في الرّجُلِ يَخرُجُ بِالصَّدَقَةِ لِيُعطِيَها السّائلَ فيَجِدَهُ قد ذَهَبَ ـ: فلْيُعطِها غَيرَهُ، ولا يَرُدَّها في مالِهِ.
12– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said regarding a man who goes out with charity to give it to a beggar only to find that he has gone, ‘Then he should give it to someone else and not return it back to his wealth.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 103, p. 189, no. 5]
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* What is intended here are the gifts that workers assume and take for themselves, almost as a form of bribery (ed.)