798 – Ibn ʿUmar reported: “ʿUmar acquired a tract of land at Khaybar and went to the Prophet ﷺ to ask his guidance about it. He said, ‘Messenger of Allah, I have obtained land at Khaybar; I have never owned any property that I value more than this. What do you command me to do with it?’ He replied, ‘If you wish, keep the principal intact and devote its yield to charity.’ ʿUmar therefore gave it in charity on condition that its principal would neither be sold, inherited, nor given away. He allocated its proceeds to the poor, to relatives, for the emancipation of slaves, for the cause of Allah, to the stranded traveler, and to the guest. No blame falls on the custodian if he partakes of it in a reasonable manner or feeds a friend, provided he is not accumulating wealth.”

Agreed upon; this wording is Muslim’s.

In another version recorded by al-Bukhari: “He gave the principal in charity; it is neither to be sold nor given away, but its produce is to be spent (for good).” (1)

Vocabulary
• “a tract of land at Khaybar”: the estate was called Thamgh (thāʾ opened, mīm silent, ending with ghayn).
• “to ask his guidance” (yastaʾmiru-hu): i.e., he sought the Prophet’s advice about it.
• “I value more” (anfasu ʿindī): from the verb nafusa (with ḍamma on the fāʾ), meaning the most precious and admirable property I possess.