[See al-Isti’ab fi Ma’rifah al-Sahabah (1/20)]
۞ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ عَـٰهَدَ ٱللَّهَ لَئِنْ ءَاتَىٰنَا مِن فَضْلِهِۦ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَلَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ ٧٥
— M. Pickthall
{Surah At Taubah -75}
The Summary of the Story of Tha’labah bin Hatib al-Ansariرضياللهعنه
Tha’labah bin Hatib al-Ansariرضياللهعنه went to Rasulullahﷺ, he said: O! Rasulullahﷺ, please pray so that Allahﷻ would bless me with wealth, then Rasulullahﷺ answered: “Curse on you O Tha’labah, the little lead to gratitude to Allahﷻ is better than a lot of which you are incapable of.” After some time, Tha’labah bin Hatib al-Ansariرضياللهعنه came back to Rasulullahﷺ and put out the same request, Rasulullahﷺ then supplicated to Allahﷻ to grant him wealth. Afterward, the following verse of the Quran was revealed:
خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِم بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ إِنَّ صَلَاتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَّهُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
“Take, [O! Muhammad], from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them to increase, and invoke [ Allah's blessings] upon them. Indeed, your invocations are reassurance for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.”
Surah al-Taubah (103)
Then, Rasulullahﷺ instructed a man from the Ansar and another from Bani Sulaim, and Rasulullahﷺ gave them a note regarding zakat to them both. Furthermore, Rasulullahﷺ asked both of them to ask Tha’labah bin Hatib al-Ansariرضياللهعنه for some of his property to be donated. Both men promptly went to fulfill the commandment of Rasulullahﷺ and when they met Tha’labah bin Hatib al-Ansariرضياللهعنه they read the note written by Rasulullahﷺ. After hearing the note, Tha’labah bin Hatib al-Ansariرضياللهعنه refuses to hand over some of his wealth for zakat and says that it is jizyah. Both men went back to Rasulullahﷺand told Rasulullahﷺ the incident. Allahﷻ then revealed the verse:
وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ عَاهَدَ اللَّـهَ لَئِنْ آتَانَا مِن فَضْلِهِ لَنَصَّدَّقَنَّ وَلَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
And among them are those who made a covenant with Allah, [saying]:
"If He should give us from His bounty, we will surely spend in charity, and we will surely be among the righteous."
Surah al-Taubah (75)
When the verse was revealed, one of the men went to meet Tha’labah bin Hatib al-Ansariرضياللهعنه and told him: Allahﷻ has revealed a verse regarding your refusal to pay zakat and curse you for it Tha’labah. When hearing this, Tha’labah bin Hatib al-Ansariرضياللهعنه went to meet Rasulullahﷺ to pay his zakat but Rasulullahﷺ refused to accept it for Allahﷻ prevented me from accepting anything from you. After Rasulullahﷺ demised, Tha’labah bin Hatib al-Ansariرضياللهعنه went to Saiyidina Abu Bakarرضياللهعنه, who was the Caliph at the time and Saiyidina Abu Bakarرضياللهعنه, refused him. Afterward, during the rule of Caliph Umar bin al-Khattab رضياللهعنه, Saiyidina Umar رضياللهعنه too refused any wealth from Tha’labah bin Hatib al-Ansariرضياللهعنه and the same happened during the rule of Saiyidina Uthman Al Affan رضياللهعنه. Tha’labah bin Hatib al-Ansariرضياللهعنه ultimately died during the time of the rule of Uthman bin Affan رضياللهعنه in the state where he had yet to pay his zakat despite his trying several times.
See Tafsir al-Thabari (no. 16987) al-Mu’jam al-Kabir Thabarani, (no. 7873) and Asbab al-Nuzul by al-Wahidi pg. 252.
Scholars' Opinions Regarding this Story
This story is unauthentic according to what has been stated by scholars, among them:
- Imam al-Qurthubi said: “Tha’labah is one of the persons who were in the battle of Badar and he is also a person whose faith has been acknowledged as stated in hadith. Thus, what is narrated here is unauthentic.”
- Imam Ibn Hazim said: “Tha’labah is one of the people who fought in the battle of Badar and this is generally known, hence this narration is bathil.”
- Imam al-Iraqi said: “Thabarani Takhrij this hadith by using a weak sanad.”
- Imam al-Qurthubi said: “What has been narrated related to Tha’labah is untrue.”
- Imam al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said: “I don’t think this story is true.”
Disposition
After considering the opinions presented by scholars regarding this narration or story, we choose to state that this story is not true (unauthentic) and should not be spread in society except when explaining that it is an unauthentic (not true) story. This is in line with the opinions of renowned scholars. Among the reasons we state that this story is not true are:
- Tha’labah bin Hatib al-Ansariرضياللهعنه is one of the companions of Rasulullahﷺ. We as Muslims should hold onto the belief that the Companions are ‘adalah (fair), which means they would not lie or do anything that contradicts the pillars of Islam such as refusing to pay zakat.
- Tha’labah bin Hatib al-Ansariرضياللهعنه is one of the people who fought in the battle of Badar. As we know, those who participate in the battle of Badar have their own advantages. Among them is Allahﷻ has acknowledged their faith and forgives their past and future sins. This is per the hadith of Rasulullahﷺ:
اعْمَلُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ فَقَدْ وَجَبَتْ لَكُمُ الْجَنَّةُ
"Do whatever you like. The Garden is guaranteed for you."
Sahih al-Bukhari (3684)
In the Book of Battle, Chapter the Prioritization of Those Who Participate in the Battle of Badar.
- After considering the reason the verse is revealed, we found that the rajih (strong) opinion states the reason is it is revealed to the hypocrites who are misery and ungiving when it comes to handing over some of their wealth as stated by al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar in Tahzib al-Tahzib.
Conclusion
Let us all fulfill one of the pillars of Islam which is paying the zakat. The reason is our wealth is not ours in absolution, but in truth, Allahﷻs and a part of it are actually the rights of our less fortunate brothers. Lastly, may Allahﷻ make us from among those who always purify their wealth and property by paying our zakat, and may Allahﷻ accept our good deeds. Amin.
Wallahua’lam.
