Muslim ibn Shu'bah said: Nafi' ibn Alqamah appointed my father as charge d'affaires of his tribe, and commanded him to collect sadaqah (zakat) from them. My father sent me to a group of them; so I came to an aged man called Sa'r ibn Disam I said: My father has sent me to you to collect zakat from you. He asked: What kind of animals will you take, my nephew? I replied: We shall select the sheep and examine their udders. He said: My nephew, I shall narrate a tradition to you. I lived on one of these steppes during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ along with my sheep. Two people riding a camel came to me. They said to me: We are messengers of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, sent to you so that you may pay the sadaqah (zakat) on your sheep. I asked: What is due from me for them? They said: One goat. I went to a goat which I knew was full of milk and fat, and I brought it to them. They said: This is a pregnant goat. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prohibited us to accept a pregnant goat. I asked: What will you take then? They said: A goat in its second year or a goat in its third year. I then went to a goat which had not given birth to any kid, but it was going to do so. I brought it to them. They said: Give it to us. They took it on the camel and went away. Abu Dawud said: Abu 'Asim transmitted this tradition from Zakariyya. He said: Muslim bin Shu'bah is a narrator in the chain of this tradition as reported by the narrator Rawh.
This hadith teaches us about paying our obligatory charity known as zakat which must be done yearly according to Islamic teachings if we are able-bodied Muslims with enough wealth that meets certain criteria set out by Islamic law. It also teaches us how important it is for us as Muslims to follow instructions given by those appointed over us such as our parents or elders in our community when collecting this charity from others who are obligated to pay it according to their wealth status at any given time throughout the year cycle .
