21 – ʿĀṣim narrated, from Abū Burdah, that the Prophet ﷺ visited a group of the Anṣār in their homes. They slaughtered a sheep for him and prepared a dish from it. He took a piece of the meat and chewed it, working it in his mouth for a while but unable to swallow it. He then asked, “What is the matter with this meat?” They said, “It belonged to So-and-so; we slaughtered it while waiting for him to come, and when he arrives we will satisfy him with its price.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Feed it to the captives.”

In another narration: ʿĀṣim ibn Kulayb narrated, from his father, that a man from the Companions of Muhammad ﷺ prepared a meal and invited him. The Prophet ﷺ set out to attend, and we went with him. When the food was set down, the Prophet ﷺ picked up a morsel of that meat, chewed it in his mouth for a long time, yet found himself unable to swallow it. He spat it out and refrained from eating. When we saw this from the Prophet ﷺ, we likewise abstained. The Prophet ﷺ then called the host and said, “Inform me about this meat—where did it come from?” He replied, “O Messenger of Allah, it was a sheep that belonged to one of our companions. He was not present, so we could not buy it from him; we hurried, slaughtered it, and cooked it for you until he should come, and then we would give him its price.” The Prophet ﷺ thereupon ordered that the food be removed and commanded that it be given to the captives.

ʿAbd al-Wāḥid said: I asked Abū Ḥanīfah, “From where did you take the ruling that if a man deals with another’s wealth without his permission, he should give the profit away in charity?” He replied, “I derived it from the hadith of ʿĀṣim.”