Give it to him, for the best among you are those who settle their debts in the best manner

Give it to him, for the best among you are those who settle their debts in the best manner

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) demanding repayment of a loan in such a rude manner that vexed the Companions and they were about to harm him, but the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Leave him, for he who has a right is entitled to demand it. Give him a camel of the same age as his." They said: "O Messenger of Allah, we found none but older than his." He said: "Give it to him, for the best among you are those who settle their debts in the best manner."

[Authentic hadith] [Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim]

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had borrowed a young camel from a man, so the man came to him demanding the repayment of this debt. The man made his demand in a very rude manner that vexed the Companions of the Prophet to the extent that they wanted to hit him because of his rudeness and harshness with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). However, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Let him say whatever he wants and do not harm him in any way, for the one who has a right is entitled to demand his debtor to repay his debt and the like, yet he has to do so within the limits of courtesy. As for cursing, slandering, and insulting, they are not among the manners of the Muslims. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered some of the Companions to give the man a camel of the same age as his. They came back and said: We only found a camel that is older than his (and, thus, of more value). So he said: Give him a camel that is older than his camel, for indeed the best of you in dealing with people and the best in terms of reward are those who fulfill their obligations in the best of ways, whether it is the settlement of a debt or otherwise.

Categories

Loan, Prophet's Gentleness