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Is saving money for a specific purpose, then spending it on a sudden and unexpected matter, considered withholding from spending as mentioned in the Hadith: "O Allah, grant a substitute to every dispenser, and grant destruction to every withholder"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The hadith includes the one who is stingy with what is obligatory upon him, such as zakat or maintenance, or the extremely stingy person whose soul does not incline to give anything, and this may lead to stinginess with what is obligatory. Al-Qurtubi mentioned that the hadith encompasses both obligatory and supererogatory acts, but Ibn al-Mulaqqin is of the opinion that it is specific to obligatory acts, unless a person is overcome by extreme stinginess with supererogatory acts, in which case the hadith would include him. Hoarding money for need does not fall under the hadith, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to save provisions for a year. What has befallen you may be a trial from Allah, and what is obligatory is patience, and spending is among the greatest ways to preserve wealth.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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