“I provided a horse to be used in the cause of Allah, but the one who possessed it neglected it. I intended to repurchase it, assuming he would sell it at a low price. I asked the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) about this, and he said: ‘Do not buy it and do not take back your charity, even if he offers it to you for a single dirham; for indeed, the one who takes back his charity is like one who returns to his own vomit.’”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī (no. 1490, the wording is his) and Muslim (no. 1620), from the ḥadīth of ʿUmar—may Allah be pleased with him.
In another wording for al-Bukhārī (no. 2623) and Muslim (no. 1620), it states: ‘like a dog returning to its vomit.’
Brief Explanation of the Hadith
Charity given in the path of Allah is among the greatest gateways of goodness that the Sacred Law has urged and encouraged, promising its giver immense reward and recompense.
In this ḥadīth, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that he gave a horse as charity in the cause of Allah the Exalted, but the one who possessed it “neglected it”—meaning he failed to care for it properly and was remiss in providing its sustenance and maintenance, until it reached a state where it was no longer of use. Consequently, the possessor intended to sell it, and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I intended to re-purchase it...”; he held the assumption that buying it back would not be considered a revocation of his charity. He questioned the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) regarding that, and he forbade him from purchasing it, saying: “Do not buy it, and do not take back your charity.” He thus categorized the purchase as a revocation of charity, because the buyer—if he is the one who gave it in charity—may be shown favor in the price, thereby effectively reclaiming part of his charity. Rather, even if he were to purchase it for more than its actual value, for the decisive consideration is that it has been given purely for the sake of Allah the Exalted; therefore, it is not permissible to take it back in any form whatsoever. He further emphasized the prohibition by saying: “Even if he were to give it to you for a single dirham,” meaning: cut off all desire for it completely, do not be swayed by the cheapness of the price, but rather consider that it is a charity that has already been given for the sake of Allah the Exalted.
Then he—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—likened the one who takes back his charity to one who returns to his vomit. And in the two Ṣaḥīḥs it is stated: “The one who returns to his charity is like a dog that returns to its vomit,” as an emphatic form of rebuke and a means of strong deterrence. Just as it is repugnant for a person to vomit and then return to his vomit and consume it—or as a dog vomits and then returns to its vomit—so too it is reprehensible for a person to give charity or a gift and then take it back, even by way of purchase. This is an analogy of extreme ugliness, employed to denounce this act and to instill strong aversion to it.
The ḥadīth indicates the obligation to safeguard righteous deeds from anything that may invalidate them or diminish their reward. It also shows that whoever gives charity or bestows a gift for the sake of Allah the Exalted must completely sever all expectation of it thereafter. Moreover, it indicates the prohibition of retracting a gift after it has been received, except in the case for which an exception has been reported, namely a parent’s retraction of what he has given to his child.