for a token sum, so I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He replied, “Do not buy it back, and do not reclaim your charity—even if he were to hand it over to you for a single dirham—for whoever retracts his charity is like one who returns to his vomit.” Agreed upon.

His words, “I once donated a horse for the sake of Allah,” mean that he had given a horse in charity to one of the combatants.

[Explanation]
In this chapter the author—may Allah have mercy on him—cites proofs for the prohibition of taking back a gift. Once you have given something to someone freely, as an act of generosity, it is unlawful for you to repossess it, whether the item is small or great. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) likened the person who does so to a dog: the dog vomits what is in its stomach and then returns to eat it. This harsh comparison was intended to censure and deter such conduct.

It makes no difference whether the recipient is a relative or a stranger. If you were to give your brother a watch, a pen, a car, or even a house, it would not be permissible to take it back—unless you deem yourself a dog, and no one is content with that description.

Likewise, if a son gives something to his father, he may not revoke it. Imagine a wealthy man whose father is poor; if the son grants his father a house, he may not repossess that house, even though the father is his parent.

The reverse, however, is another matter: should a father give something to his son, he may reclaim it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “It is not lawful for a giver to take back what he has given, except a father with respect to what he gives to his child,” for the father is entitled to take from