in any of the collections of transmitted reports, nor has any recognized ḥadith master, to the best of my knowledge, ever mentioned it. It therefore seems that the author copied it—as well as the material immediately before it—from certain fiqh works or other writings that do not sift what is authentically transmitted from what is not. Allah knows best.

His words under the heading “The owner’s liability is discharged by handing the zakat to the ruler …”:
1 – On the authority of Anas: “A man from Banū Tamīm came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, ‘Is it enough for me, O Messenger of Allah, if I pay the zakat to your envoy …?’ ” Recorded by Aḥmad.

I say: This is merely the continuation of the report cited at the very beginning of the Book of Zakat. We explained there that it is weak because its chain is broken, and that the author was misled by someone’s remark, “Its narrators are those of the Ṣaḥīḥ.”

His words under the heading “The prohibition for the zakat-payer to buy his own charity,” after citing those who allow such a purchase: “Ibn Ḥazm deemed this view weightier and adduced as proof the ḥadith of Abū Saʿīd in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Charity is not lawful for a wealthy person except in five cases: for a fighter in the path of Allah, a collector of it, a debtor, or a man who buys it with his own money ….’ ”

I say: What first occurs to me regarding this ḥadith is that it speaks of a charity which a man gives to a poor person and which is then bought from that poor person by someone other than the donor. Even if we concede that it also includes the donor himself, it is restricted by ʿUmar’s ḥadith, “Do not buy it,” so it is not permissible for him. This reconciliation is reinforced by the continuation of ʿUmar’s report, “Do not go back to your charity,” whereas Abū Saʿīd’s ḥadith, on the interpretation I have adopted, contains no element of returning to one’s own charity. Reflect on this.

His words under the heading “Transferring zakat”: “From Abū Juḥayfa who said: The collector sent by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to us, took the charity from our wealthy and distributed it among our poor, and I—being an orphan boy—was given a young she-camel. Recorded by al-Tirmidhī, who graded it good.”

I say: In its chain, as recorded by al-Tirmidhī (no. 652), there is Ashʿath narrating from ʿAwn ibn Abī Juḥayfa