because he had conquered them through a peace settlement. Thus, these three fortresses—by virtue of fayʾ and the one-fifth share of the spoils—became exclusively the property of Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and he made them a charitable endowment. He distributed the remaining five among those who had taken part in the conquest.
The sixth charitable endowment: half of Fadak. When Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) conquered Khaybar, the people of Fadak feared him and made peace with him, through the mediation of Muḥayyiṣah ibn Masʿūd, on the condition that he would receive half of their land and date palms. He left it in their hands under a sharecropping arrangement, while they retained the other half. Thus, half of it became one of his charitable endowments, cultivated by its inhabitants under an arrangement whereby they received half of its produce, while the other half belonged to them outright. This remained so until ʿUmar expelled them, along with the other dhimmīs whom he expelled from the Hijaz. He assessed the value of Fadak and paid them half of that value, which amounted to sixty thousand dirhams. Those who assessed it were Mālik ibn al-Tayyiḥān, Sahl ibn Abī Ḥathmah, and Zayd ibn Thābit. Thus, half of it became one of the charitable endowments of Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), while the other half was for all Muslims. The proceeds of both halves are now allocated in the same manner.
The seventh charitable endowment: one-third of Wādī al-Qurā. One-third of it belonged to Banū ʿUdhrah, while two-thirds belonged to the Jews. Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) made peace with them for half of their share, so that it became divided into thirds: one-third belonged to Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and was among his charitable endowments; one-third belonged to Banū ʿUdhrah until ʿUmar expelled them from it and assessed the value of their share. Its value amounted to ninety thousand dinars, which ʿUmar paid to them. He then said to Banū ʿUdhrah, “If you wish, you may pay half of what I have given you, and we will give you the other half.” They paid forty-five thousand dinars. Thus, half of the valley belonged to Banū ʿUdhrah, while the other half consisted of one-third belonging to the charitable endowments of Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and one-sixth belonging to all Muslims. The entire half is allocated for the same purposes.
The eighth charitable endowment: a site in a marketplace in Medina called Mahzūr, which Marwān requested from ʿUthmān as a grant. The people consequently criticized him for it. It is possible that this was a concession for use rather than a grant conferring ownership, which would provide a defensible basis for its permissibility.
As for the rest of his property, apart from these eight charitable endowments, al-Wāqidī mentioned that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) inherited from his father, ʿAbd Allāh, Umm Ayman the Abyssinian—whose name was Barakah—five camels, a flock of sheep, his freedman Shuqrān, and Shuqrān’s son Ṣāliḥ, who had participated in the Battle of Badr. From his mother, Āminah bint Wahb, he inherited her house in Mecca, the house in which he was born, in the ravine of Banū ʿAlī. From his wife Khadījah bint Khuwaylid, he inherited her house in Mecca, between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah, behind the market of the perfume sellers, as well as other property. Ḥakīm ibn Ḥizām had purchased Zayd ibn Ḥārithah for Khadījah in the market of ʿUkāẓ for four hundred dirhams. Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) asked Khadījah to give Zayd to him, then emancipated him and married him to Umm Ayman. She bore him Usāmah after the beginning of his prophethood.