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Sahih Muslim 1832c (Book 33, Hadith 39) #11849
Honesty and Integrity in Dealing with Public Funds

SUMMARY: This hadith is about the importance of honesty and integrity when dealing with public funds, and the consequences of taking from them without justification.

It has been reported on the authority of Abu Humaid as-Sa'idi who said: The Messenger of Allah appointed a man from the Azd tribe called Ibn al-Utbiyya, in charge of Sadaqat to be received from Banu Sulaim. When he came (back), the Messenger of Allah asked him to render his account. He said: This wealth is for you (ie for the public treasury) and this is a gift (presented to me). The Messenger of Allah said: You should have remained in the house of your father and your mother, until your gift came to you if you spoke the truth; then he addressed us. He praised God and extolled Him, and afterwards said: I appoint a man from you to a responsible post sharing with him authority that God has entrusted to me, and he comes to me saying: This wealth is for you (ie for the public treasury) and this is a gift presented to me. Why did he not remain in the house of his father and his mother and his gift came to him, if he was truthful? By God, any one of you will not take anything from (the public funds) without any justification, but will meet his Lord carrying it on himself on the Day of judgment. I will recognise any one of you meeting Allah and carrying a growling camel, or a cow bellowing or a goat bleating. Then he raised his hands so high that whiteness of his armpits could be seen. Then he said: O my Lord, I have conveyed (Thy Commandments). The narrator says: My eyes saw (the Prophet standing in that pose) and my ears heard (what he said).
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي حُمَيْدٍ السَّاعِدِيِّ، قَالَ اسْتَعْمَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ رَجُلاً مِنَ الأَزْدِ عَلَى صَدَقَاتِ بَنِي سُلَيْمٍ يُدْعَى ابْنَ الأُتْبِيَّةِ فَلَمَّا جَاءَ حَاسَبَهُ قَالَ هَذَا مَالُكُمْ وَهَذَا هَدِيَّةٌ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ‏"‏ فَهَلاَّ جَلَسْتَ فِي بَيْتِ أَبِيكَ وَأُمِّكَ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَكَ هَدِيَّتُكَ إِنْ كُنْتَ صَادِقًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ خَطَبَنَا فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏"‏ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنِّي أَسْتَعْمِلُ الرَّجُلَ مِنْكُمْ عَلَى الْعَمَلِ مِمَّا وَلاَّنِي اللَّهُ فَيَأْتِي فَيَقُولُ هَذَا مَالُكُمْ وَهَذَا هَدِيَّةٌ أُهْدِيَتْ لِي ‏.‏ أَفَلاَ جَلَسَ فِي بَيْتِ أَبِيهِ وَأُمِّهِ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَهُ هَدِيَّتُهُ إِنْ كَانَ صَادِقًا وَاللَّهِ لاَ يَأْخُذُ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ مِنْهَا شَيْئًا بِغَيْرِ حَقِّهِ إِلاَّ لَقِيَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يَحْمِلُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلأَعْرِفَنَّ أَحَدًا مِنْكُمْ لَقِيَ اللَّهَ يَحْمِلُ بَعِيرًا لَهُ رُغَاءٌ أَوْ بَقَرَةً لَهَا خُوَارٌ أَوْ شَاةً تَيْعِرُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى رُئِيَ بَيَاضُ إِبْطَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏"‏ اللَّهُمَّ هَلْ بَلَّغْتُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ بَصُرَ عَيْنِي وَسَمِعَ أُذُنِي

TOPICS
honesty  *  integrity  *  funds  *  accountability

QUICK LESSONS:
Be honest in your dealings with others; Do not take advantage or misuse resources entrusted to you by Allah SWT; Render account for your actions; Remain accountable for your deeds; Respect other people's property; Do not take anything from public funds without any justification

EXPLANATIONS:
This hadith emphasizes the importance of honesty and integrity when dealing with public funds. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ appointed a man from the Azd tribe called Ibn al-Utbiyya to be in charge of collecting Sadaqat from Banu Sulaim. When he returned, he reported that some of it was for the public treasury, while some was a gift for him. The Prophet ﷺ warned him that if he spoke truthfully then he should have stayed at home until his gift came to him instead of taking it from public funds without justification. He then addressed all those present, praising Allah and reminding them that anyone who takes anything from public funds without justification will meet Allah on Judgment Day carrying it on himself. He raised his hands so high that whiteness of his armpits could be seen as an expression of emphasis on this point. This hadith teaches us about accountability for our actions, being honest in our dealings with others, and not taking advantage or misusing resources entrusted to us by Allah SWT.

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