The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The best forms of charity are providing the shade of a tent for the cause of Allah, or lending a servant for the cause of Allah, or offering a stud camel for breeding in the cause of Allah."
قال رسول الله ﷺ: أفضل الصدقات ظل فسطاط في سبيل الله، أو منيحة خادم في سبيل الله، أو طروقه فحل في سبيل الله.
Tirmidhi (1627) narrated it from Ziyad bin Ayub, who said, Yazid bin Harun related to us, Walid bin Jameel informed us, from Qasim Abu Abdul-Rahman, from Abu Umama, and he mentioned it. Its chain is hasan on account of Qasim Abu Abdul-Rahman, who is bin Abdul-Rahman Dimashqi, about whom there is disagreement, though his hadith is hasan. Walid bin Jameel is the Filastini. Ibn Madini said, "His hadiths resemble the hadiths of Qasim Abu Abdul-Rahman," and he approved of him. Tirmidhi said, "A hasan sahih gharib hadith," and his statement will come in full later. Ibn Qattan Fasi graded it hasan in Bayan Wahm (5/162, 743).It was also narrated from Qasim Abu Abdul-Rahman, from Adi bin Hatim, and Tirmidhi narrated it (1626), and Hakim graded it sahih (2/90–91) by way of Muawiya bin Salih, from Kathir bin Harith, from Qasim, from him. But the correct view is that it is mursal, and it has been said that Qasim did not hear from any of the companions except Abu Umama. See Tuhfat Tahsil (p. 260).Tirmidhi said following it, "This hadith has been narrated from Muawiya bin Salih in mursal form, and Zayd was contradicted in part of its chain. Walid bin Jameel narrated this hadith from Qasim Abu Abdul-Rahman, from Abu Umama, from the Prophet ﷺ." He then related it and said, "This hadith," meaning the hadith of Abu Umama, "is a hasan gharib hadith, and it is more sahih in my view than the hadith of Muawiya bin Salih."He also said in Ilal (2/700), after relating the report of Muawiya bin Salih, "I asked Muhammad about this hadith, and he said, 'Abdullah bin Salih narrated it from Muawiya bin Salih, from Kathir bin Harith, from Qasim bin Abdul-Rahman, that Adi bin Hatim asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in mursal form. And Walid bin Jameel Filastini narrated it from Qasim Abu Abdul-Rahman, from Abu Umama.' Muhammad said, 'I do not know of anyone who narrated from Walid bin Jameel except Yazid bin Harun and Hashim bin Qasim, and Walid bin Jameel is fair in his hadith transmission.'" End of quote.As for his saying, "the shade of a tent," with the fa pronounced with damma and also permissibly with kasra, it means that a tent is given in the path of Allah, under whose shade the fighters can take shelter, or that a tent is pitched and the fighters are gathered in its shade.As for his saying, "or the loan of a servant in the path of Allah," it means granting a servant to the fighter to serve him.As for his saying, "or a mount fit for breeding," with the ta pronounced with fatha, this refers to a she-camel suitable for mating with a stallion, meaning that the fighter is given a she-camel of this description to ride.