صحيح مسلم، الحديث 20

This hadith records a conversation between the two greatest companions of the Prophet ﷺ at one of the most dangerous moments in early Islamic history. The Prophet ﷺ had just passed away, Abu Bakr had been chosen as his successor (khalifah), and large parts of Arabia broke away. Some tribes abandoned Islam altogether and followed men who falsely claimed prophethood. Others said they would keep praying but would no longer pay zakat, the obligatory annual charity, to the central authority in Madinah. Abu Bakr resolved to confront both groups, and 'Umar ibn al-Khattab questioned him.

'Umar's objection was based on a hadith he had heard: that the Prophet ﷺ had been commanded to fight "the people" until they declare that there is no god but Allah, and that whoever declares it has protected his life and property, "except by its right," and "his reckoning is with Allah." To understand this, it helps to know how scholars read it. They explain that "the people" here refers to the hostile idol-worshipping forces of Arabia who were at war with the Muslims, not to every human being; the Qur'an itself says there is no compulsion in religion (2:256), and Jews and Christians lived under agreements with the Muslim state.

The phrase "his reckoning is with Allah" means that people are judged by what they outwardly declare, and only Allah judges what is in their hearts.

Abu Bakr answered 'Umar using the very words of the hadith he had quoted: "except by its right." Zakat, he said, is the right owed upon wealth, just as prayer is the right owed by the body. Someone who separates the two, accepting one and refusing the other, has not given what the declaration of faith requires. He then swore that if they withheld even an "'iqal," the simple cord used to hobble a camel, which they used to give in the Prophet's time, he would fight them over it. His point was not the value of a piece of rope, but that the obligations established by the Prophet ﷺ could not be dismantled piece by piece after his death.

The hadith ends with 'Umar's remarkable admission: he came to see that Allah had opened Abu Bakr's heart to this decision, and he recognised it was right. 'Umar was not simply deferring to authority; he was convinced by the argument. This is a model of how disagreement among sincere people should end: evidence presented, evidence weighed, and the truth accepted. It is also important to note that this was a decision of the legitimate head of state in a time of armed rebellion. As the chapter heading in Sahih Muslim itself indicates, such matters belong to the ruling authority, not to individuals acting on their own.

The Prophet ﷺ passed away in Madinah in the year 11 AH (632 CE). Within weeks, a crisis known as the "Riddah" (apostasy) wars broke out. Claimants to prophethood such as Musaylimah in al-Yamamah and Tulayhah among the tribe of Asad gathered followers, while several tribes near Madinah refused to send zakat, arguing that the duty had been owed only to the Prophet ﷺ personally. Some of these tribes even threatened Madinah itself while much of the Muslim army was away.

Many companions, including 'Umar, at first preferred a gentler approach toward those who still prayed. Abu Bakr insisted that the obligations of Islam could not be broken apart. His firmness held the community together, and many of the tribes that had refused zakat soon returned and resumed paying it. Historians regard this episode as one of the defining achievements of Abu Bakr's short caliphate of just over two years.

An-Nawawi, in Sharh Sahih Muslim, comments on this hadith at length and relays the analysis of the earlier scholar al-Khattabi. They explain that the people Abu Bakr fought were of different kinds: those who left Islam and followed false prophets, those who abandoned the religion entirely, and those who continued to pray but refused zakat. The last group were called "apostates" in a general sense because their revolt happened at the same time, but al-Khattabi considered that, strictly speaking, they were rebels against the state rather than disbelievers, since many of them had not denied that zakat was obligatory.

An-Nawawi also notes that other authentic wordings of the Prophet's statement, such as the narration of Ibn 'Umar in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, explicitly mention establishing prayer and paying zakat, and that 'Umar and Abu Bakr seem not to have had that fuller wording in mind at the time, which is why Abu Bakr argued by reasoning from "except by its right."

Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, in Jami' al-'Ulum wal-Hikam (his commentary on an-Nawawi's Forty Hadith, where this statement is the eighth hadith), discusses the different wordings of the report and the meaning of "except by its right." He explains that outwardly accepting Islam protects a person's life and property, while the "right" of that declaration includes fulfilling its obligations, and that the matter of a whole group refusing a public obligation is a question for the ruling authority.

Ibn Hajar, in Fath al-Bari, discusses the same event as narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari, where Abu Bakr's oath mentions an "'anaq" (a young female goat) instead of an "'iqal" (a hobbling cord). Commentators note both wordings and agree on the point: Abu Bakr meant even the smallest portion of what had been due in the Prophet's time.

• If you have savings or assets, check today whether zakat is due on them, and set a fixed date each year to calculate and pay it.
• Pay your zakat through a trustworthy, organised channel so that it reaches those entitled to it, rather than delaying or forgetting.
• Reflect on any area where you keep the "comfortable" parts of the faith and quietly drop the costly ones, and choose one to restore.
• Judge people by what they show you, and leave their hearts to Allah, as the phrase "his reckoning is with Allah" teaches.
• The next time you disagree with someone you respect, present your evidence calmly, listen to theirs, and be ready to change your mind as 'Umar did.

The words "his reckoning is with Allah" reflect something central to the Prophet's ﷺ character: he dealt with people by what they outwardly showed and refused to search their hearts. When Usamah ibn Zayd killed a man in battle who had declared "there is no god but Allah," claiming he only said it out of fear, the Prophet ﷺ rebuked him strongly and asked, "Did you split open his heart?" as recorded in Sahih Muslim. He protected the dignity of anyone who professed faith, and left their inner sincerity to Allah alone.

Abu Hurayrah was from the Daws tribe of Yemen. He accepted Islam through his fellow tribesman at-Tufayl ibn 'Amr and came to Madinah around the time of Khaybar in 7 AH. Although he spent only about three or four years with the Prophet ﷺ, he stayed constantly at his side, living among the poor companions of the Suffah, the shaded area of the mosque. He devoted himself to memorising what the Prophet ﷺ said. Sahih al-Bukhari records that he once complained of forgetting, and the Prophet ﷺ told him to spread out his cloak, then gathered it to him, after which he said he never forgot what he heard.

He became the companion who narrated the most hadith, with a total of more than five thousand reports. His nickname "Abu Hurayrah" means "father of the little cat," because of a kitten he used to care for. He served for a time as a governor and spent his later years teaching in Madinah, where he died around 57 to 59 AH.

Scholars have discussed two genuine questions about this hadith. The first is how to classify those who withheld zakat: some called them apostates because they were grouped with those who left Islam at the same time, while al-Khattabi and others argued they were rebels against the state who had not actually rejected Islam, since many did not deny that zakat was obligatory. The second concerns the scope of "the people" in the Prophet's statement.

Many scholars explain that it referred to the hostile polytheists of Arabia in the Prophet's own time, and they read it alongside the Qur'an's clear teaching that there is no compulsion in religion. Some also point out that the Arabic word used means to engage in combat with those who fight, which is different from permission to kill. These discussions show that the hadith cannot be understood fairly when lifted out of its historical and legal context.

Imagine a family meeting where a respected elder announces a decision about how the family's money will be used. You feel strongly that it goes against something the Prophet ﷺ taught, but you also love and respect this person, and others in the room are staying silent.

'Umar spoke up to Abu Bakr with his evidence, and then, when he heard a stronger argument, he changed his position. How would you raise your concern respectfully, and are you honestly prepared to be convinced if the other side turns out to be right?