the obligatory prayers. The other three, however, become obligatory as circumstances arise. Providing hospitality to guests is obligatory according to our school, and al-Shāfiʿī explicitly affirmed this. Maintaining ties of kinship is obligatory by scholarly consensus, as in providing maintenance for relatives, the blood-money payments borne by the group collectively liable for them, and the emancipation of a blood relative within the prohibited degrees of marriage. The disagreement concerns only which relatives one must maintain ties with and the extent of that obligation. Likewise, giving in times of need is obligatory, as in supporting jihad in Allah’s cause, feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked. Ahmad explicitly stated that if someone asking for help were truthful, whoever turned him away would not prosper.

As for obligatory services rendered without compensation, these include teaching knowledge, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and helping the oppressed. They are very numerous. Most such obligations involve the use of one’s bodily faculties. These are covered by the authentic hadiths narrated by Abū Dharr, Abū Mūsā, and others:

“Charity is due for every joint of a son of Adam.”

They also fall within the broad meaning of zakat and spending, as in His words:

“And they spend out of what We have provided for them.”

An interpretation to this effect has been transmitted from the early generations, including al-Hasan al-Basrī and others. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Every good deed is charity.”

It is also narrated that no servant has ever given any charity greater than an exhortation he gives to companions of his, who then depart having benefited from it through Allah. There is abundant evidence for this, but this is not the place to discuss it.

As for benefits derived from property, an example is someone compelled by necessity to use another person’s property, such as a rope and bucket with which to draw water he needs, a garment with which to keep warm against the cold, or something similar. It must be made available to him; but must it be provided free of charge or in return for compensation