Hadith Text
وَعَنْ أَبِي يَزِيدَ مَعْنِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ بْنِ الأَخْنَسِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ، وَهُوَ وَأَبُوهُ وَجَدُّهُ صَحَابِيُّونَ، قَالَ: كَانَ أَبِي يَزِيدُ أَخْرَجَ دَنَانِيرَ يَتَصَدَّقُ بِهَا فَوَضَعَهَا عِنْدَ رَجُلٍ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ، فَجِئْتُ فَأَخَذْتُهَا، فَأَتَيْتُهُ بِهَا، فَقَالَ: وَاللَّهِ مَا إِيَّاكَ أَرَدْتُ، فَخَاصَمْتُهُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ: «لَكَ مَا نَوَيْتَ يَا يَزِيدُ، وَلَكَ مَا أَخَذْتَ يَا مَعْنُ». رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ.
Full Translation
On the authority of Abu Yazid Ma’n ibn Yazid ibn al-Akhnas (may Allah be pleased with them) — and he, his father, and his grandfather were all companions —
He said: My father Yazid had taken out gold dinars intending to give them as charity, and he placed them with a man in the masjid. I came and took them. I then brought them to him and he said: “By Allah, it was not you I intended.” So I took the dispute to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
He said: “You have what you intended, O Yazid — and you have what you took, O Ma’n.”
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
Meanings of Key Words
- Dananeer (دَنَانِيرَ) — gold dinars; significant wealth, not a trivial amount — this was real, valuable charity
- Yatasaddaqu (يَتَصَدَّقُ) — giving as charity; the intention was already formed and the money had already left his hand
- Wada’aha ‘inda rajulin (وَضَعَهَا عِنْدَ رَجُلٍ) — he placed it with a man; he entrusted it to someone in the masjid to distribute, meaning the act of giving had already begun
- Ma iyyaka aradtu (مَا إِيَّاكَ أَرَدْتُ) — it was not you I intended; the father’s objection — his intended recipient was someone else, a stranger in need
- Khasamtuhu (خَاصَمْتُهُ) — I disputed with him, I took him to court; they brought a real disagreement to the Prophet ﷺ for judgement
- Laka ma nawayta (لَكَ مَا نَوَيْتَ) — you have what you intended; the reward is sealed by the intention, not the outcome
- Laka ma akhathta (لَكَ مَا أَخَذْتَ) — you have what you took; the son keeps the money — the transaction stands
Hadith Lessons
This hadith is a real family dispute — a father, a son, gold coins, a masjid, and a judgement from the Prophet ﷺ. And in his six-word ruling, the Prophet ﷺ resolves not just this one argument, but one of the deepest questions about how intention and outcome interact.
The Father’s Charity Was Already Complete
Yazid intended charity, placed the money with someone to distribute, and the money reached a recipient. The fact that the recipient turned out to be his own son — someone he did not intend — does not cancel what he did. The intention was sincere. The act was real. The money left his hand for the sake of Allah.
The Prophet ﷺ confirms this with perfect clarity: “You have what you intended, O Yazid.” His reward is locked — not by where the money landed, but by where his heart was pointed when it left his hand. The outcome was unexpected. The intention was pure. And with Allah, the intention is what counts.
This carries a profound reassurance for anyone who has ever given generously and watched the outcome go sideways — the charity that was misused, the help that went to the wrong person, the good deed whose results were not what you hoped. If the intention was sincere and the act was real, the reward is already written. What happens after your hand opens is between Allah and the recipient — your account was settled the moment you gave.
The Son Keeps the Money — And That Is Also Fine
The ruling for Ma’n is equally clean: “You have what you took, O Ma’n.” He took the money from the masjid not knowing it was charity — he thought it was his father’s personal funds, perhaps left for him. There was no deception, no wrongdoing. He took it in good faith.
The Prophet ﷺ does not ask him to return it. He does not create a problem where there is none. The money reached him legitimately — and it stays with him.
What is beautiful here is the symmetry of the ruling. Both father and son leave the Prophet’s ﷺ presence having lost nothing. The father has his full reward. The son has his money. A situation that looked like a conflict — where one person’s gain might cancel another’s — turns out to have no victim. Allah’s system is not a zero-sum transaction.
A Grandfather, a Father, a Son — All Companions
Imam al-Nawawi notes something rare at the opening of this hadith: Ma’n, his father Yazid, and his grandfather al-Akhnas were all companions of the Prophet ﷺ. Three generations who saw the Prophet ﷺ, sat with him, and narrated from him.
This detail is not decoration. It reminds the reader that the companions were real families — with real disputes, real misunderstandings, real moments of taking something that belonged to someone else by accident. They were not angels. They were people. And they brought their ordinary human conflicts directly to the Prophet ﷺ for resolution — which is itself a lesson in where to take your disputes and how to seek truth even when family is involved.
Three Questions to Close With
- When I give charity or do good — and the outcome is not what I expected — do I trust that my reward was already written at the moment of sincere intention?
- Is there a good deed in my past whose “failure” I am still grieving, when in truth my account with Allah may already be full from it?
- When disputes arise in my family — even over money — is my first instinct to seek what is right and true, or to simply win?