994 – ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “It is enough of a sin for a man that he neglects those whom he is responsible to feed.” Narrated by al-Nasaʾi. Muslim records it with the wording: “that he withholds sustenance from those whose provision he controls.” (1)
Status of the hadith:
Al-Nasaʾi’s report was also transmitted by Abu Dawud (1692). In its chain appears Wahb ibn Jabir; al-Dhahabi said, “He is scarcely known.”
Vocabulary notes:
– “It is enough for a person” (kafā bi’l-marʾi): kafā is a past-tense verb; the preposition bi is superfluous, and al-marʾi is its object, notionally accusative though governed here by the extra bi.
– “a sin” (ithman): accusative of specification (tamyīz).
– “that he neglects” (an yudayyiʿa): an is a source-producing particle; it and the verb form a verbal noun functioning as the subject of kafā.
– “those he supports” (man yaqūt): qūt (pl. aqwāt) is the food by which a human body is sustained.
Lessons drawn from the hadith:
- The duty of maintenance extends to everyone whom Allah has entrusted to a person and who possesses a living soul and a “moist liver,” whether a wife, children, relatives, slaves, or animals.
- It is forbidden to withhold the provisions needed for their nourishment, for Allah Almighty has tested the caretaker by placing these dependants under his authority and has made their sustenance pass through his hands.