Allah, the Exalted, said:
رياض الصالحينAbū Zakariyyā Muḥyī al-Dīn Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī٣٦ - باب النفقة على العيال
٣٦ - باب النفقة على العيال
Mothers may nurse [i.e., breastfeed] their children two complete years for whoever wishes to complete the nursing [period]. Upon the father is their [i.e., the mothers'] provision and their clothing according to what is acceptable. No person is charged with more than his capacity. No mother should be harmed through her child, and no father through his child. And upon the [father's] heir is [a duty] like that [of the father]. And if they both desire weaning through mutual consent from both of them and consultation, there is no blame upon either of them. And if you wish to have your children nursed by a substitute, there is no blame upon you as long as you give payment according to what is acceptable. And fear Allāh and know that Allāh is Seeing of what you do.
And He, the Exalted, said:
لِيُنفِقْ ذُو سَعَةٍ مِّن سَعَتِهِۦ ۖ وَمَن قُدِرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقُهُۥ فَلْيُنفِقْ مِمَّآ ءَاتَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ ۚ لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا مَآ ءَاتَىٰهَا ۚ سَيَجْعَلُ ٱللَّهُ بَعْدَ عُسْرٍ يُسْرًا
Let a man of wealth spend from his wealth, and he whose provision is restricted - let him spend from what Allāh has given him. Allāh does not charge a soul except [according to] what He has given it. Allāh will bring about, after hardship, ease [i.e., relief].
وَقالَ تَعَالَى:
And He, the Exalted, said:
قُلْ إِنَّ رَبِّى يَبْسُطُ ٱلرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦ وَيَقْدِرُ لَهُۥ ۚ وَمَآ أَنفَقْتُم مِّن شَىْءٍ فَهُوَ يُخْلِفُهُۥ ۖ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ ٱلرَّٰزِقِينَ
Say, "Indeed, my Lord extends provision for whom He wills of His servants and restricts [it] for him. But whatever thing you spend [in His cause] - He will compensate it; and He is the best of providers."
وعن أَبي هريرة - ﵁ - قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُول الله - ﷺ: «دِينَارٌ أنْفَقْتَهُ في سَبيلِ اللهِ، وَدِينار أنْفَقْتَهُ في رَقَبَةٍ، وَدِينارٌ تَصَدَّقْتَ بِهِ عَلَى مِسْكِينٍ، وَدِينَارٌ أنْفَقْتَهُ عَلَى أهْلِكَ، أعْظَمُهَا أجْرًا الَّذِي أنْفَقْتَهُ عَلَى أهْلِكَ». رواه مسلم.
Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A dinar you spend in the way of Allah, a dinar you spend to free a slave, a dinar you give in charity to a needy person, and a dinar you spend on your family — the greatest of them in reward is the one you spend on your family.” Narrated by Muslim.
وعن أَبي عبد الله، ويُقالُ لَهُ: أَبو عبد الرحمان ثَوبَان بن بُجْدُد مَوْلَى رَسُول الله - ﷺ - قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُول الله - ﷺ: «أفْضَلُ دِينَارٍ يُنْفقُهُ الرَّجُلُ: دِينَارٌ يُنْفِقُهُ عَلَى عِيَالِهِ، وَدينَارٌ يُنْفقُهُ عَلَى دَابَّتِهِ في سَبيلِ الله، وَدِينارٌ يُنْفقُهُ عَلَى أصْحَابهِ في سَبيلِ اللهِ». رواه مسلم.
Abū ʿAbd Allāh — also called Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān — Thawbān ibn Bujdud, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The best dinar a man spends is a dinar he spends on his dependants, a dinar he spends on his mount in the way of Allah, and a dinar he spends on his companions in the way of Allah.” Narrated by Muslim.
وعن أمِّ سَلمَة ﵂، قَالَتْ: قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُول الله، هَلْ لِي أجرٌ فِي بَنِي أَبي سَلَمَة أَنْ أُنْفِقَ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَلَسْتُ بِتَارِكتهمْ هكَذَا وَهكَذَا إنَّمَا هُمْ بَنِيّ؟ فَقَالَ: «نَعَمْ، لَكِ أجْرُ مَا أنْفَقْتِ عَلَيْهِمْ». مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيهِ.
Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I said, “O Messenger of Allah, is there reward for me regarding the sons of Abū Salama if I spend on them — for I would not leave them in such-and-such a state, since they are my own sons?” He said: “Yes, you have the reward for what you spend on them.” Agreed upon.
وعن سعد بن أَبي وقاص - ﵁ - في حديثه الطويل الَّذِي قدمناه في أول الكتاب في باب النِّيَةِ: أنَّ رسولَ الله - ﷺ - قَالَ لَهُ: «وإنَّكَ لَنْ تُنْفِقَ نَفَقَةً تَبْتَغِي بِهَا وَجْهَ اللهِ إلاَّ أُجِرْتَ بِهَا حَتَّى مَا تَجْعَلُ في فيِّ امرأتِك». مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيهِ.
Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ (may Allah be pleased with him), in his lengthy hadith which we presented at the beginning of the book in the chapter on intention, reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: “You will never spend any expenditure seeking thereby the Face of Allah without being rewarded for it, even for what you place in your wife’s mouth.” Agreed upon.
وعن أَبي مسعود البدري - ﵁ - عن النَّبيّ - ﷺ - قَالَ: «إِذَا أنْفَقَ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى أَهْلِهِ نَفَقَةً يَحْتَسِبُهَا فَهِيَ لَهُ صَدَقَةٌ». مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيهِ.
Abū Masʿūd al-Badrī (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When a man spends on his family an expenditure, seeking reward for it from Allah, it counts as a charity for him.” Agreed upon.
وعن عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص ﵄، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُول الله - ﷺ: «كَفَى بِالمَرْءِ إثْمًا أَنْ يُضَيِّعَ مَنْ يَقُوتُ» حديث صحيح رواه أَبُو داود وغيره. ورواه مسلم في صحيحه بمعناه، قَالَ: «كَفَى بِالمَرْءِ إثْمًا أَنْ يحْبِسَ عَمَّنْ يَمْلِكُ قُوتَهُ».
ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “It is enough sin for a person that he neglects those whom he is bound to feed.” A sound hadith narrated by Abū Dāwūd and others. Muslim also narrated it in his Ṣaḥīḥ with the same meaning, saying: “It is enough sin for a person that he withholds from those whose sustenance he controls.”
وعن أَبي هريرة - ﵁: أن النَّبيّ - ﷺ - قَالَ: «مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ يُصْبِحُ العِبَادُ فِيهِ إلاَّ مَلَكانِ يَنْزلاَنِ، فَيقُولُ أحَدُهُمَا: اللَّهُمَّ أعْطِ مُنْفقًا خَلَفًا، وَيَقُولُ الآخَرُ: اللَّهُمَّ أعْطِ مُمْسِكًا تلَفًا». مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيهِ.
Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There is no day on which the servants rise in the morning but two angels descend; one of them says: O Allah, grant the one who spends a replacement, and the other says: O Allah, grant the one who withholds destruction.” Agreed upon.
وعنه، عن النَّبيّ - ﷺ - قَالَ: «اليَدُ العُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ اليَدِ السُّفْلَى، وَابْدَأ بِمَنْ تَعُولُ، وَخَيْرُ الصَّدَقَةِ مَا كَانَ عَنْ ظَهْرِ غِنىً، وَمَنْ يَسْتَعْفِفْ يُعِفَّهُ اللهُ، وَمَنْ يَسْتَغْنِ يُغْنِهِ اللهُ». رواه البخاري.
And on his authority, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: “The upper hand is better than the lower hand; begin with those you are responsible for; the best charity is that which is given out of a surplus of sufficiency; whoever seeks to be chaste, Allah will keep him chaste; and whoever seeks to be self-sufficient, Allah will make him self-sufficient.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī.