Hadith authenticity on feeding poor people

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

We could not find the hadith “Whoever feeds a poor person, Allah will grant him a place under his throne”. 

However, there are also many Ahadith on feeding people. 

See the following Hadith:

أن رجلا سأل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: أي الإسلام خير قال: تطعم الطعام وتقرأ السلام على من عرفت ومن لم تعرف (بخاري28, نسائي5000) 

Translation: A person asked Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam): which deeds are the best in Islam? He (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said “Feed the poor and greet those whom you know and those you do not know”.

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ "اعْبُدُوا الرَّحْمَنَ وَأَطْعِمُوا الطَّعَامَ وَأَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ تَدْخُلُوا الجَنَّةَ بِسَلَامٍ" هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ (ترمذي 1855) 

Translation: Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: Worship the Rahman (Allah), feed the poor and needy, and increase in salam. You will enter Jannah safely.

There is a Hadith that a person’s Sadaqah (charity) will be his shade on the day of Qiyamah. Feeding is also a form of charity. 

See the following Hadith:

أنه سمع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول إن ظل المؤمن يوم القيامة صدقته (مسند احمد 18043)[1] 

Translation: Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: The shade of a believer on the day of judgment will be his Sadaqah (charity).

Yes, there is a general Hadith about being under the throne of Allah for general charity. Feeding with Ikhlas could fall under this category. 

See the following Hadith:

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: "سَبْعَةٌ يُظِلُّهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي ظِلِّهِ يَوْمَ لاَ ظِلَّ إِلاَّ ظِلُّهُ إِمَامٌ عَدْلٌ، وَشَابٌّ نَشَأَ فِي عِبَادَةِ اللَّهِ، وَرَجُلٌ قَلْبُهُ مُعَلَّقٌ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ، وَرَجُلاَنِ تَحَابَّا فِي اللَّهِ اجْتَمَعَا عَلَيْهِ وَتَفَرَّقَا عَلَيْهِ، وَرَجُلٌ دَعَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ ذَاتُ مَنْصِبٍ وَجَمَالٍ فَقَالَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ، وَرَجُلٌ تَصَدَّقَ بِصَدَقَةٍ فَأَخْفَاهَا حَتَّى لاَ تَعْلَمَ شِمَالُهُ مَا تُنْفِقُ يَمِينُهُ، وَرَجُلٌ ذَكَرَ اللَّهَ خَالِيًا فَفَاضَتْ عَيْنَاهُ". (بخاري 1423 مسلم 1031)

Translation: Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “Seven people will be shaded by Allah under His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His. A just ruler, a young man who has been brought up in the worship of Allah, a man whose heart is attached to the mosque, two people who love each other only for the sake of Allah. They meet and part for the sake of Allah, a man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for illegal sexual intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allah, a person who practices charity so secretly that his left-hand does not know what his right hand has given, and a person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes get flooded with tears.”

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Shakib Alam

Student - Darul Iftaa

Pennsylvania, USA

Checked and Approved by,

Mufti Ebrahim Desai.