The Virtue of Benevolent Assistance

5. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad and Ahmad ibn Muhammad all from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from ‘Umar ibn Yazid who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah عليه السلام, has said , ‘Providing Benevolent Assistance is something other than compulsory charity (zakat). You must seek nearness to Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, through virtuous deeds and good relations with relatives.’”