Chapter

Zakat

كتاب الزكاة

Arabic Text

حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عُقْبَةَ، مَوْلَى الزُّبَيْرِ ‏:‏ أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ الْقَاسِمَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُكَاتَبٍ، لَهُ قَاطَعَهُ بِمَالٍ عَظِيمٍ هَلْ عَلَيْهِ فِيهِ زَكَاةٌ فَقَالَ الْقَاسِمُ ‏:‏ إِنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقَ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَأْخُذُ مِنْ مَالٍ زَكَاةً حَتَّى يَحُولَ عَلَيْهِ الْحَوْلُ ‏.‏ قَالَ الْقَاسِمُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ ‏:‏ وَكَانَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ إِذَا أَعْطَى النَّاسَ أَعْطِيَاتِهِمْ يَسْأَلُ الرَّجُلَ هَلْ عِنْدَكَ مِنْ مَالٍ وَجَبَتْ عَلَيْكَ فِيهِ الزَّكَاةُ فَإِذَا قَالَ ‏:‏ نَعَمْ، أَخَذَ مِنْ عَطَائِهِ زَكَاةَ ذَلِكَ الْمَالِ، وَإِنْ قَالَ ‏:‏ لاَ، أَسْلَمَ إِلَيْهِ عَطَاءَهُ وَلَمْ يَأْخُذْ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا ‏.‏

English Translation

Yahya related to me from Malik that Muhammad ibn Uqba, the mawla of az Zubayr, asked al-Qasim ibn Muhammad whether he had to pay any zakat on a large sum given to him by his slave to buy his freedom. Al- Qasim said, "Abu Bakr as-Siddiq did not take zakat from anyone's property until it had been in his possession for a year." Al- Qasim ibn Muhammad continued, "When Abu Bakr gave men their allowances he would ask them, 'Do you have any property on which zakat is due?' If they said, 'Yes,' he would take the zakat on that property out of their allowances. If they said, 'No,' he would hand over their allowances to them without deducting anything from them."