Tirmidhi Book 47, Hadith 2987

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَخْبَرَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُوسَى، عَنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ، عَنِ السُّدِّيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي مَالِكٍ، عَنْ الْبَرَاءِ، وَلا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنْفِقُونَ سورة البقرة آية 267، ‏‏‏‏‏‏قَالَ:‏‏‏‏ نَزَلَتْ فِينَا مَعْشَرَ الْأَنْصَارِ كُنَّا أَصْحَابَ نَخْلٍ فَكَانَ الرَّجُلُ يَأْتِي مِنْ نَخْلِهِ عَلَى قَدْرِ كَثْرَتِهِ وَقِلَّتِهِ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَكَانَ الرَّجُلُ يَأْتِي بِالْقِنْوِ وَالْقِنْوَيْنِ فَيُعَلِّقُهُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَكَانَ أَهْلُ الصُّفَّة لَيْسَ لَهُمْ طَعَامٌ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏فَكَانَ أَحَدُهُمْ إِذَا جَاعَ أَتَى الْقِنْوَ فَضَرَبَهُ بِعَصَاهُ فَيَسْقُطُ مِنَ الْبُسْرِ وَالتَّمْرِ فَيَأْكُلُ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَكَانَ نَاسٌ مِمَّنْ لَا يَرْغَبُ فِي الْخَيْرِ يَأْتِي الرَّجُلُ بِالْقِنْوِ فِيهِ الشِّيصُ وَالْحَشَفُ وَبِالْقِنْوِ قَدِ انْكَسَرَ فَيُعَلِّقُهُ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ تَعَالَى:‏‏‏‏ يَأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْفِقُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَمِمَّا أَخْرَجْنَا لَكُمْ مِنَ الأَرْضِ وَلا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنْفِقُونَ وَلَسْتُمْ بِآخِذِيهِ إِلا أَنْ تُغْمِضُوا فِيهِ سورة البقرة آية 267، ‏‏‏‏‏‏قَالَ:‏‏‏‏ لَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ أُهْدِيَ إِلَيْهِ مِثْلُ مَا أَعْطَاهُ لَمْ يَأْخُذْهُ إِلَّا عَلَى إِغْمَاضٍ أَوْ حَيَاءٍ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏قَالَ:‏‏‏‏ فَكُنَّا بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ يَأْتِي أَحَدُنَا بِصَالِحِ مَا عِنْدَهُ ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى:‏‏‏‏ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ صَحِيحٌ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَأَبُو مَالِكٍ هُوَ الْغِفَارِيُّ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَيُقَالُ اسْمُهُ غَزْوَانُ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَقَدْ رَوَى سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏عَنْ السُّدِّيِّ شَيْئًا مِنْ هَذَا.

Narrated Abu Malik: from Al-Bara (regarding): And do not aim at that which is bad to spend from it (2:267) - he said: It was revealed about us, the people of the Ansar who were date-palm owners. A man would bring the amount of dates that he would from his date-palms, either a lot or a little. A man would bring a cluster or two and hang it in the Masjid. The people of As-Suffah did not have food, so one of them would go up to the cluster and hit it with his stick, and unripe and ripe dates would fall, and he would eat. Some people did not hope for good, so a man would bring a cluster with pitless and hard dates, and a cluster with damaged dates, and hang it. So Allah, Blessed and Most High, revealed: O you who believe! Spend of the good things which you have earned, and of that which We have produced from the earth for you, and do not aim at that which is bad to spend from it (2:267). They said: 'If one of you were given similar to what he gave, he would take it except bashfully with your eyes closed.' So after that, one of us would bring the best that we had.