Extravagance from the Poor...

Extravagance from the Poor: عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ أَخِيهِ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ زُرْعَةَ عَنْ سَمَاعَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَكُونُ لَهُ الدَّرَاهِمُ يَعْمَلُ بِهَا وَ قَدْ وَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ فِيهَا الزَّكَاةُ وَ يَكُونُ فَضْلُهُ الَّذِي يَكْسِبُ بِمَالِهِ كَفَافَ عِيَالِهِ لِطَعَامِهِمْ وَ كِسْوَتِهِمْ لَا يَسَعُهُ لِأُدُمِهِمْ وَ إِنَّمَا هُوَ مَا يَقُوتُهُمْ فِي الطَّعَامِ وَ الْكِسْوَةِ A number of our companions, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad, from Al-Husayn Bin Saeed, from his brother Al Hassan, from Zur’at, from Sama’at, (It has been narrated) from Abu Abdullah -asws , said, ‘I asked him -asws about the man who happens to have Dirhams for him, working with it, and the Zakāt is Obligated upon him with regards to it, and there happens to be his excess (profits) which he achieved with his wealth sufficing his dependants for their foods, and their clothing, not being able to afford for their sauces, and rather it is what he provides for them regarding the food and the clothing’.

قَالَ فَلْيَنْظُرْ إِلَى زَكَاةِ مَالِهِ ذَلِكَ فَلْيُخْرِجْ مِنْهَا شَيْئاً قَلَّ أَوْ كَثُرَ فَيُعْطِيهِ بَعْضَ مَنْ تَحِلُّ لَهُ الزَّكَاةُ وَ لْيَعُدْ بِمَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ عَلَى عِيَالِهِ وَ لْيَشْتَرِ بِذَلِكَ آدَامَهُمْ وَ مَا يُصْلِحُهُمْ مِنْ طَعَامِهِمْ مِنْ غَيْرِ إِسْرَافٍ وَ لَا يَأْكُلْ هُوَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ رُبَّ فَقِيرٍ أَسْرَفُ مِنْ غَنِيٍّ He -asws said: ‘So let him look into the Zakāt of that wealth of his, and let him extract something from it, little or more, so he should give it to someone for whom the Zakāt is Permissible, and let him assist with whatever remains from the Zakāt , upon his dependants, and let him buy with that, their sauces and whatever is correct for them from their food, from without any extravagance, and he himself should not consume from it, for sometimes the poor can be more extravagant than the rich’.

فَقُلْتُ كَيْفَ يَكُونُ الْفَقِيرُ أَسْرَفَ مِنَ الْغَنِيِّ فَقَالَ إِنَّ الْغَنِيَّ يُنْفِقُ مِمَّا أُوتِيَ وَ الْفَقِيرَ يُنْفِقُ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَا أُوتِيَ . So, I said, ‘How can the poor happen to be more extravagant than the rich?’ So he -asws said: ‘The rich spend from what is given (earned), and the poor spend from without having earned’.