Anas said that Abu Talha was the one among the Ansar who possessed most palm trees, the property he prized most being Bairaha’ which was opposite the mosque and was often entered by God’s messenger who drank some of the sweet water it contained.
When this verse came down, “You will never attain righteousness till you give freely of what you love,”* Abu Talha got up and going to God's messenger said, “Messenger of God, God says, ‘You will never attain righteousness till you give freely of what you love,' and my property which I prize most is Bairaha’, so I give it as sadaqa to God most high from whom I hope for reward for the act of righteousness and the treasure relating to it;** so apply it, messenger of God, to whatever purpose God shows you.”
He replied, “Bravo! That is profitable property. I have heard what you said, and I think you should apply it to your nearest relatives.”
Abu Talha told God’s messenger he would do so, and divided it among his nearest relatives and his cousins on his father’s side.
(Bukhari and Muslim.)
* Quran 3:92
** The Arabic is dhukhraha, which conveys the idea of this good deed being stored up with God who will give a reward for it in the next world
‘A’isha reported God’s messenger as saying,
“When a woman gives some of the food in her house, not wasting it, she will have her reward for what she has given and her husband will have his for what he earned. The same applies to a storekeeper. In no respect does the one diminish the reward of the other.”
