Sahih al-Bukhari — Hadith 1410
Narrated by Abu Hurairah
مَنْ تَصَدَّقَ بِعَدْلِ تَمْرَةٍ مِنْ كَسْبٍ طَيِّبٍ ـ وَلاَ يَقْبَلُ اللَّهُ إِلاَّ الطَّيِّبَ ـ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَتَقَبَّلُهَا بِيَمِينِهِ ثُمَّ يُرَبِّيهَا لِصَاحِبِهَا كَمَا يُرَبِّي أَحَدُكُمْ فَلُوَّهُ حَتَّى تَكُونَ مِثْلَ الْجَبَلِ
Translation
The Prophet said: 'If one gives in charity what equals one date-fruit from honestly earned money — and Allah accepts only the honestly earned money — Allah takes it in His right hand and then enlarges its reward for that person who has given it, as anyone of you brings up his baby horse, so much so that it becomes as big as a mountain.'
Commentary
This hadith transforms the understanding of charity with three powerful ideas. First, the amount does not matter — even a single date-fruit is accepted. Second, the source matters enormously — only honestly earned wealth is accepted ('Allah accepts only the honestly earned'). Third, God personally nurtures each charitable act, growing it from something tiny to something mountainous. The image of God 'bringing up' a donation like a foal growing into a great horse anthropomorphizes divine generosity in a way that makes charity deeply personal and intimate.