أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ وَ غَيْرُهُ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ حَفْصٍ عَنْ صَبَّاحٍ الْحَذَّاءِ عَنْ قُثَمَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ:
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قُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الزَّكَاةِ كَيْفَ صَارَتْ مِنْ كُلِّ أَلْفٍ خَمْسَةً وَ عِشْرِينَ لَمْ تَكُنْ أَقَلَّ أَوْ أَكْثَرَ مَا وَجْهُهَا فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ خَلَقَ الْخَلْقَ كُلَّهُمْ فَعَلِمَ صَغِيرَهُمْ وَ كَبِيرَهُمْ وَ غَنِيَّهُمْ وَ فَقِيرَهُمْ فَجَعَلَ مِنْ كُلِّ أَلْفِ إِنْسَانٍ خَمْسَةً وَ عِشْرِينَ مِسْكِيناً وَ لَوْ عَلِمَ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ لَا يَسَعُهُمْ لَزَادَهُمْ لِأَنَّهُ خَالِقُهُمْ وَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ.
Read English translationHide English translationMuhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn
3. Ahmad ibn Idris and others have narrated from Muhammad ibn Ahmad from Ibrahim ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Hafs from Sabah al-Hadhdha’ from Quthama who has said the following: “I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, why the amount of zakat on every one thousand is twenty-five and not less or more and what is the reason?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, created all people, small, large, wealthy and poor. He made twenty-five destitute ones in every one thousand. If this much did not suffice, He would have levied more; He is their Creator and He knows more about them than they do.’”
Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.