Chapter on Khums and Spoils of War (Ghanaim)

Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Faddal, from al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Yusuf, from Muhammad ibn Sinan, from Abd al-Samad ibn Bashir, from Hukaym, the mu'adhdhin of Banu Abs, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: I (narrator) said to Imam عليه السلام: "And know that whatever thing you gain, then indeed for Allah سبحانه وتعالى is its fifth, and for the Messenger صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم." (Surah Al-Anfal 8:41) Imam عليه السلام said: "It is, by Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the gain day by day, except that my father عليه السلام, peace be upon him, made our Shia free of liability from that, so that they may become pure."

Ali ibn Mahziyar, from Fadalah and Ibn Abi Umayr, from Jamil, from Muhammad ibn Muslim, from Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: I (narrator) asked Imam عليه السلام about ‘mines of gold, silver, brass (sufr), iron, and lead.’ Imam عليه السلام said: "Upon all of them is the fifth (khums)."

And from him, from Ibn Abi Umayr, from Hammad, from al-Halabi, who said: I (narrator) asked Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, about ‘ambergris and diving for pearls.’ Imam عليه السلام said: "Upon it is the fifth." He (narrator) said: “And I asked Imam عليه السلام about ‘treasure, how much is in it?’” – meaning khums. Imam عليه السلام said: "The fifth." And (Imam عليه السلام was asked) about ‘mines, how much is in them?’ Imam عليه السلام said: "The fifth." And (Imam عليه السلام was asked) about ‘lead, brass (sufr), iron, and whatever is in the mines, how much is in them?’ Imam عليه السلام said: "It is taken from them just as it is taken from the mines of gold and silver."

Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Mahbub, from al-Abbas ibn Ma'ruf, from Hammad ibn Isa, from Hariz, from Zurarah, from Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: I (narrator) asked Imam عليه السلام about ‘mines, what is in them?’ – meaning khums. Imam عليه السلام said: "Everything that is rikaz (precious items buried inside the ground), then in it is the fifth (for khums)." And Imam عليه السلام said: "Whatever you process with your wealth, then in what Allah سبحانه وتعالى brings out from it, from its stones, purified, there is the fifth (for khums)."

And from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn, from Abdullah ibn al-Qasim al-Hadrami, from Abdullah ibn Sinan: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, said: “Upon every person who gains or earns is the fifth (khums) from what he acquires, for Sayyidah Fatimah صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, peace be upon her, and for whoever undertakes her affair after Her صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم from Her صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم progeny, the proofs over the people (Ahlul Bayt عليه السلام). That (khums) is especially for them; they place it wherever they wish, for charity has been forbidden to them (Ahlul Bayt عليه السلام). Even the tailor who sews a shirt for five daniqs (dawaniq), then for us (Ahlul Bayt عليه السلام) from it is one daniq, except for those among our Shia for whom we have made it lawful, so that their birth may be pure through it (receiving khums). Indeed, there is nothing greater with Allah سبحانه وتعالى on the Day of Resurrection than fornication. Indeed, the possessor of the fifth (khums) will stand and say: ‘O Lord عز وجل, ask these people about what was made permissible for them.’”

Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from al-Hasan ibn Mahbub, from Abu Ayyub, from Muhammad ibn Muslim: I (narrator) asked Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, about ‘the salt-marsh (mallahah).’ Imam عليه السلام said: "And what is the salt-marsh?" So he (narrator) said: “It is barren saline land (ard sabikha) and salty, in which water gathers and then becomes salt.” Imam عليه السلام said: "This is a mineral (ma'din); in it is the fifth (khums)." So I (narrator) asked: “And sulphur and oil which are extracted from the earth?” He (narrator) said: “Imam عليه السلام said, ‘This and its likes, in them is the fifth (khums).’"

And from him, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from al-Husayn ibn Sa'id, from Ibn Abi Umayr, from Hafs ibn al-Bakhtari, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: Imam عليه السلام said: "Take the wealth of the ‘hostile opponent’ (nasibi) wherever you find it, and give the fifth (khums) to us (Ahlul Bayt عليه السلام)."

Al-Husayn ibn Sa'id, from Ibn Abi Umayr, from Sayf ibn Amirah, from Abu Bakr al-Hadrami, from al-Mu'alla: Imam عليه السلام said: "Take the wealth of the ‘hostile opponent’ (nasibi) wherever you find it, and send to us (Ahlul Bayt عليه السلام) the fifth (khums)."

Sa'd ibn Abdullah, from Abu Ja'far, from Ali ibn Mahziyar, from Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, who said: Some of our companions wrote to Abu Ja'far the Second عليه السلام, peace be upon him: “Inform us about ‘the fifth (khums), Is it upon everything that a man gains, whether little or much, from all types, and upon craftsmen? And how is that?’” Imam عليه السلام wrote in his handwriting: "The fifth (khums) is after the expenses."

Ali ibn Mahziyar said: Abu Ali ibn Rashid said to me: I (narrator) said to Imam عليه السلام: “You commanded me to undertake your affair and to take your right (khums), so I informed your followers of that. Then some of them said to me, ‘And what thing is his right?’ But I did not know what to answer him. Imam عليه السلام said: "The fifth (khums) is obligatory upon them." So I (narrator) asked: “In what thing?” Imam عليه السلام said: "In their goods and their estates." He (narrator) said: “And is it upon the merchant and the craftsman who works with his hand?” Imam عليه السلام said: "That is when it is possible for them after their expenses."

Ali ibn Mahziyar said: Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Hamdani wrote to him: Ali (ibn Mahziyar) read to me your father's (Imam al-Jawad عليه السلام) letter concerning what He عليه السلام had made obligatory upon the owners of estates: "That He (Imam al-Jawad عليه السلام) made obligatory upon them half of one-sixth after the expenses (maunah), and that there is not upon one whose estate does not cover his expenses half of one-sixth, nor anything other than that." So those before us differed concerning that and said: “The fifth is obligatory upon estates after the expenses, meaning the expenses of the estate and its land-tax, not the expenses of the man and his dependants.” Imam al-Hadi عليه السلام wrote, and Ali ibn Mahziyar read it: "Upon him is the fifth (khums) after his expenses, the expenses of his dependants, and after the tax of the ruler."

Sa'd ibn Abdullah, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from al-Hasan ibn Mahbub, from Abu Ayyub Ibrahim ibn Uthman, from Abu Ubaydah al-Hadhdha, who said: I (narrator) heard Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, saying: "Whichever dhimmi (protected non-Muslim resident) buys land from a Muslim, then upon him is the fifth (khums)."

And from him, from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn ibn Abi al-Khattab, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Nasr, from Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abi Abdullah, from Abu al-Hasan عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: I (narrator) asked Imam عليه السلام about ‘what is brought out from the sea, of pearls, rubies, and emeralds, and about mines of gold and silver. Is their zakat upon them?’ Imam عليه السلام said: "When its value reaches a dinar, then in it is the fifth (khums)."

And from him, from Ali ibn Ismail, from Safwan ibn Yahya, from Abdullah ibn Muskan, from al-Halabi, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him: (Imam عليه السلام was asked) concerning ‘a man from among our companions who is under their banner, and is with them, and obtains spoils.’ Imam عليه السلام said: "He pays its fifth (khums), and it (spoils) becomes lawful for him."

And from him, from Ya'qub ibn Yazid, from Ali ibn Ja'far, from al-Hakam ibn Buhlul, from Abu Hammam, from al-Hasan ibn Ziyad, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: Imam al-Sadiq عليه السلام said: "A man came to the Commander of the Believers عليه السلام, peace be upon him, and said: ‘O Commander of the Believers عليه السلام, I have acquired wealth whose lawful from its unlawful I do not know.’ Imam Ali عليه السلام said: “Take out the fifth (khums) from that wealth, for Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Exalted is He سبحانه وتعالى, has been pleased with the fifth (khums) from wealth, and avoid what its owner used to do."

As for what al-Hasan ibn Mahbub narrated from Abdullah ibn Sinan, who said: I heard Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, saying: "The fifth (khums) is only in spoils specifically."