to give in charity what they had taken. He only did that because their wealth becomes mixed with what they take from the unlawful, such as injustice and other [wrongful acts], so it becomes doubtful. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The lawful is clear, and the unlawful is clear, and between them are doubtful matters which many people do not know. Whoever avoids the doubtful matters [has sought to clear himself in his religion and his honor, and whoever falls into the doubtful matters] is like a shepherd grazing around a sanctuary, he is soon to fall into it." (4) And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt." (5) Ahmad argued that a group of the Sahaba (Companions) abstained from the Sultan's wealth; among them were Hudhayfah, Abu Ubaydah, Mu'adh, Abu Hurayrah, and Ibn Umar. Abu Abd Allah did not view that as forbidden; for when he was asked, it was said to him: "Is the Sultan's wealth forbidden?" He said, "No, but it is more beloved to me that one should abstain from it." In another narration, he said: "There is no one among the Muslims who does not have a right in these dirhams, so how could I say they are illicit (suht)?" The Hasan, al-Husayn, and Abd Allah ibn Ja'far, and many of the Sahaba used to accept the gifts of Mu'awiyah. It is narrated from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "There is no harm in the gifts of the Sultan; what he gives you from the lawful is more than what he gives you from the unlawful." (6) He also said: "Do not ask the Sultan for anything, but if he gives you something, then take it; for what is in the treasury of the lawful is more than what is in it of the unlawful." (6) Umar ibn Shabbah (8) al-Numayri (9) narrated (7) in "Kitab al-Qada" (Book of Judgments) that al-Hasan, Ibn Sirin, and al-Sha'bi entered upon Umar ibn Hubayrah, and he ordered one thousand dirhams [one thousand dirhams] (10) for each of them, and ordered two thousand dirhams for al-Hasan, and al-Hasan accepted his gift, while Ibn Sirin refused to accept it. He said to Ibn Sirin: "Why do you not accept?" He replied: "Until it is made general for the people." Al-Hasan said: "By Allah, if a thief guardian were to come to you and take my cloak and your cloak, then it occurred to him to return my cloak to me, would I say: 'I will not accept my cloak until you return Ibn Sirin's cloak to him?' I would have liked you to be more learned than you are, O Ibn Sirin." And that is because the Sultan's gifts have an aspect of permissibility and lawfulness, as he has many sources of revenue from fay' (spoils/booty), charity, and others.

Section: Ahmad said (11): "The Sultan's gifts are more beloved to me than charity." He means that charity is the filth of people, which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his family were shielded from due to its baseness, yet they were not shielded from the Sultan's gifts. Ahmad was asked about someone who traded with the Sultan and made a profit of a thousand, and another to whom the Sultan gave a gift of a thousand—which of them is more beloved to you? He said: "The gift." This is because the one who makes a profit of a thousand on him [the Sultan] usually does not profit except through some kind of deception or severe underpricing (ghabn), whereas the gift is a grant from the Imam by his consent (13), containing no deception or underpricing. Ahmad said: "If there is a man between you and the Sultan," meaning it is more beloved to me than taking it directly from him. This is because the more intermediaries there are, the closer it becomes to the lawful, as with distance it changes, and therein occur factors that make it permissible. And Allah, Glory be to Him, knows best.