Safi (the chosen share of the spoils taken by the Prophet before division: the majority view that it was his alone, Abu Thawr's view, and its end)

الصَّفِيّ

In language safi is the pure part of anything, and istasfa means to choose. As a term it is a thing chosen from the booty before division, such as a slave-girl, a slave, a garment or a sword. The majority hold that the safi belonged to the Prophet ﷺ alone; no dissenter is known except Abu Thawr, who held that the imam may take it in the manner the Prophet took it and give it the place of the Prophet's share of the fifth of the fifth. Ibn al-Mundhir says no one preceded Abu Thawr in this view. The Prophet's letter to the Banu Zuhayr ibn Uqaysh, with its mention of the fifth and the Prophet's chosen share, and the report of 'A'isha that Safiyya was from the safi, are cited. Its end after the Prophet is established by the consensus of the nation, since Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman and later rulers did not take it. 1 2

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

Trade and finance

Definition

Safi is the pure part of a thing, and istasfa means to choose; as a term it is an item the leader picks from the booty before division, such as a slave-girl, a slave, a garment or a sword. 1

The majority view

The majority hold that the safi belonged to the Prophet alone; no dissenter is known except Abu Thawr, who held that the imam may take it as the Prophet took it. Ibn al-Mundhir says no one preceded Abu Thawr. The majority cite the Prophet's letter to the Banu Zuhayr ibn Uqaysh and 'A'isha's report that Safiyya was from the safi. 1 2

Its end after the Prophet

Its end after the Prophet is established by the consensus of the nation, since Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman and those after them did not take it or mention it, and the nation does not agree to abandon a practice of the Prophet. 2

People and things also explored

Al-Madina Souq, Aleppo· Bazaar of Tabriz· Khan el-Khalili· Al-Hamidiyah Souq· Souq Waqif· Ajr al-mithl (customary wage)· Akhi Baba (title of the guild shaykh and tanners' head)· Akik (the cornelian stone, used in seal-rings)

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.10406
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.10407
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Safi (the chosen share of the spoils taken by the Prophet before division: the majority view that it was his alone, Abu Thawr's view, and its end)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/chosen-share-safi/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

Improve this page on GitHub · Report an error · JSON

Wing

Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words.
Related

Al-Madina Souq, Aleppo

The world's longest historic covered souq (13 km) in old Aleppo; a large part burned in the 2012 fighting and has been restored.