Narrated He told that one of the arguments put forward by 'Umar was that he said God’s Messenger received three things exclusively to himself:
the B. an-Nadir, Khaibar and Fadak.1 The B. an-Nadir property was kept wholly for his own purposes,2 Fadak for travellers, and Khaibar was divided by God’s Messenger into three sections, two for the Muslims and one as a contribution for his family. If anything remained after making the contribution to his family, he divided it among the poor Emigrants.
1. Fadak was near Khaibar. It capitulated without fighting.
2. This would include, besides personal needs, the cost of entertaining guests, providing weapons and animals, etc.
He told that ‘Umar b. al-Khattab recited, “Alms are for the poor and needy…Knowing, Wise," (Al-Qur’an; 9:60) and said that this verse applies to such. He then recited, “Know that a fifth of whatever booty you acquire goes to God and the Messenger . . . the traveller," (Al-Qur’an; 8:41) and said that this verse applies to such. He then recited, “What God has bestowed on His Messenger from the people of the towns ... to the poor" (Al-Qur’an; 59:7 f. The last word mentioned is the first word of verse 8. It may mean that he recited the whole of verse 8). He then recited, “And those who came after them," (Al-Qur’an; 59:10) saying that this includes all the Muslims, and adding that if he lived the herdsman in the sarw* of Himyar would certainly get his share which he had not earned by the sweat of his brow.
* The word means a hill slope above a valley, not right upon the mountain. When associated with Himyar it is said to mean their settlement, cf. Yaqut, Mu'jam, iii, 82. The Himyarites were a famous South Arabian people.
Narrated Al-Mughira b. Shu’ba told that when ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz was made Caliph he gathered the family, of Marwan and said:
Fadak belonged, to God’s Messenger, and he made contributions from it, showing repeated kindness to the poor members of the B. Hashim from it and supplying: from it the cost of marriages for those of them who were unmarried. Fatima asked him to give it to her, but he refused. That is how matters stood during the lifetime of God’s Messenger till he went his way (i.e. he died). When Abu Bakr was made ruler he administered it as God's Messenger had done in his lifetime till he went his way. Then when ‘Umar b. al- Khattab was made ruler he administered it as they had done till he went his way. Then Marwan took it for himself and it afterwards came to ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, but I consider that I have no right to something which God’s Messenger refused to Fatima, and I call you to witness that I have restored it to its former condition; meaning in the time of God’s Messenger, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar.
Narrated Malik b. Aus b. al-Hadathan told that one day ‘Umar b. al-Khattab mentioned the fai’ saying:
I have no more right to this fai’ than you, and none of us has more right to it than another, except that we occupy our positions fixed by the Book of God who is great and glorious and the division made by His Messenger, people being arranged according to their precedence in accepting Islam, the hardships they have endured, their having children, and their need.
