Narrated Abyad ibn Hammal:

Abyad spoke to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about sadaqah when he came along with a deputation to him.

He replied: O brother of Saba', sadaqah is unavoidable. He said: We cultivated cotton, Messenger of Allah. The people of Saba' scattered, and there remained only a few at Ma'arib.

He therefore concluded a treaty of peace with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to give seventy suits of cloth, equivalent to the price of the Yemeni garments known as al-mu'afir, to be paid every year on behalf of those people of Saba' who remained at Ma'arib.

They continued to pay them till the Messenger of Allah ﷺ died.

The governors after the death of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ broke the treaty concluded by Abyad by Hammal with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to give seventy suits of garments.

AbuBakr then revived it as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had done till AbuBakr died. When AbuBakr died, it was discontinued and the sadaqah was levied.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْقُرَشِيُّ، وَهَارُونُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ الزُّبَيْرِ، حَدَّثَهُمْ حَدَّثَنَا فَرَجُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عَمِّي، ثَابِتُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، سَعِيدٍ - يَعْنِي ابْنَ أَبْيَضَ - عَنْ جَدِّهِ، أَبْيَضَ بْنِ حَمَّالٍ أَنَّهُ كَلَّمَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي الصَّدَقَةِ حِينَ وَفَدَ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ " يَا أَخَا سَبَإٍ لاَ بُدَّ مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ " . فَقَالَ إِنَّمَا زَرْعُنَا الْقُطْنُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَقَدْ تَبَدَّدَتْ سَبَأٌ وَلَمْ يَبْقَ مِنْهُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ بِمَأْرِبٍ . فَصَالَحَ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلَى سَبْعِينَ حُلَّةِ بَزٍّ مِنْ قِيمَةِ وَفَاءِ بَزِّ الْمَعَافِرِ كُلَّ سَنَةٍ عَمَّنْ بَقِيَ مِنْ سَبَإٍ بِمَأْرِبَ فَلَمْ يَزَالُوا يُؤَدُّونَهَا حَتَّى قُبِضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَإِنَّ الْعُمَّالَ انْتَقَضُوا عَلَيْهِمْ بَعْدَ قَبْضِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِيمَا صَالَحَ أَبْيَضُ بْنُ حَمَّالٍ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي الْحُلَلِ السَّبْعِينَ فَرَدَّ ذَلِكَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ عَلَى مَا وَضَعَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَتَّى مَاتَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَلَمَّا مَاتَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رضى الله عنه انْتَقَضَ ذَلِكَ وَصَارَتْ عَلَى الصَّدَقَةِ .