عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلّى الله عليه قَالَ: قَالَ رَجُلٌ لأَتَصَدَّقَنَّ بِصَدَقَةٍ. فَخَرَجَ بِصَدَقَتِهِ فَوَضَعَهَا فِي يَدِ سَارِقٍ فَأَصْبَحُوا يَتَحَدَّثُونَ تُصُدِّقَ عَلَى سَارِقٍ. فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ لأَتَصَدَّقَنَّ بِصَدَقَةٍ. فَخَرَجَ بِصَدَقَتِهِ فَوَضَعَهَا فِي يَدَىْ زَانِيَةٍ، فَأَصْبَحُوا يَتَحَدَّثُونَ تُصُدِّقَ اللَّيْلَةَ عَلَى زَانِيَةٍ. فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ عَلَى زَانِيَةٍ، لأَتَصَدَّقَنَّ بِصَدَقَةٍ. فَخَرَجَ بِصَدَقَتِهِ فَوَضَعَهَا فِي يَدَىْ غَنِيٍّ فَأَصْبَحُوا يَتَحَدَّثُونَ تُصُدِّقَ عَلَى غَنِيٍّ فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ، عَلَى سَارِقٍ وَعَلَى زَانِيَةٍ وَعَلَى غَنِيٍّ. فَأُتِيَ فَقِيلَ لَهُ أَمَّا صَدَقَتُكَ عَلَى سَارِقٍ فَلَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يَسْتَعِفَّ عَنْ سَرِقَتِهِ، وَأَمَّا الزَّانِيَةُ فَلَعَلَّهَا أَنْ تَسْتَعِفَّ عَنْ زِنَاهَا، وَأَمَّا الْغَنِيُّ فَلَعَلَّهُ يَعْتَبِرُ فَيُنْفِقُ مِمَّا أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ ”.
Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (sa) said:
“A man declared, ‘I shall certainly give something in charity.’ So he went out with his charity and unwittingly placed it in the hand of a thief. The following morning, people began saying, ‘Charity was given to a thief!’ He said, ‘O Allah, all praise belongs to You. I shall certainly give charity again.’
“So he went out with his charity and placed it in the hand of a prostitute. The following morning, people began saying, ‘Last night, charity was given to a prostitute!’ He said, ‘O Allah, all praise belongs to You, even though it was given to a prostitute. I shall certainly give charity again.’
“So he went out with his charity and placed it in the hand of a wealthy man. The following morning, people began saying, ‘Charity was given to a wealthy man!’ He said, ‘O Allah, all praise belongs to You, even though it was given to a thief, a prostitute and a wealthy man.’
“He was then told, ‘As for your charity to the thief, perhaps it will cause him to refrain from stealing. As for the prostitute, perhaps it will cause her to refrain from illicit sexual conduct. And as for the wealthy man, perhaps he will take heed and spend from that which Allah has bestowed upon him.’”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab az-zakat, Bab idha tasaddaqa ‘ala ghaniyyin wa huwa la ya‘lamu, Hadith 1421)