1. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Jamil ibn Darraj from ’Isma‘il al- Ash’ariy from al-Hakam ibn ‘Utaybah who has said the following: “I once asked abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who gives Zakat to a man to perform Hajj. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is Zakat money and he performs Hajj!’ I then said, ‘It is a Muslim man who gives Zakat to a Muslim man.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘If he is needy, Zakat must be given to him for his needs and poverty, and one must not say to him to perform Hajj. It is up to him to use as he likes.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Ahmad ibn Muhammad from has narrated from Ali ibn al-Hakam from ‘Amr from abu Basir who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who saves from Zakat five hundred or six hundred to buy a slave and set him free. He (the Imam) said, ‘So he does injustice to another group of people.’ He (the Imam) remained quiet for a while, then said, ‘However, if the slave is a Muslim in great need, then he can buy and set him free.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn Faddal, from Marwan ibn Muslim from ibn Bukayr from ’Ubayd ibn Zurarah who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who wants to pay Zakat of his asset which is one thousand dirham but cannot find a deserving beneficiary. He then sees a slave for sale, buys him with those thousand dirhams, and sets him free. Was his act permissible? He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, it is permissible and it is not harmful.’ I then said that when the slave is free he works in business and earns a great wealth; then he dies without anyone to inherit legally his legacy. Who will inherit his legacy? He (the Imam) said, ‘The poor believers who are deserving beneficiaries of Zakat inherit him, because he was bought with their asset.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.