Fath al-Rabbani

Under this chapter, the following sub-chapters and hadiths have been mentioned.

Ibn Az Nan says: I lent Alqamah two thousand dirhams. When the time for repayment came, I said: Pay my debt. He said: Give me respite until next year, but I refused to give respite, so I took it from him. Then I came to him later, and he said: You have clung to me and you have withheld from me. I said: Yes, and this is your own action. He said: What is my matter? I said: You narrated to me this hadith that is reported from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Indeed, a loan is equivalent to half of charity. He said: Yes, it is so. Then he said: So now take it.

Narrated by Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever wishes that his supplication be accepted and his affliction be removed, then he should make things easy for the debtor in difficulty regarding his debt.

Narrated by Sayyiduna Muslamah bin Makhlad (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever conceals the faults of a Muslim in this world, Allah Almighty will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter. Whoever relieves a person in distress, Allah Almighty will relieve him of one of the calamities of the Day of Judgment. And whoever remains engaged in helping his brother, Allah Almighty will remain engaged in fulfilling his needs.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abi Rabi’ah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) borrowed thirty or forty thousand dirhams from him on the occasion of the Battle of Hunayn. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned from the battle, he repaid the debt to him and, while supplicating, said: May Allah bless you in your family and wealth. The recompense for a loan is that it should be fully repaid and gratitude should be expressed by praising it.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: A man from the Children of Israel asked another for a loan of one thousand dinars. The lender said: Bring a witness, so that I may make him a witness over you. He replied: Allah is sufficient as a witness. The lender said: Then bring a guarantor. He replied: Allah is sufficient as a guarantor. The lender said: You have spoken the truth. So he lent him one thousand dinars for a fixed period. The man set out towards the sea and fulfilled his need. When the appointed time arrived, he searched for a means of transport but could not find one. So he took a piece of wood, hollowed it out, placed one thousand dinars inside, wrote a letter to its owner, sealed the hole (with iron or something similar), then took the piece of wood to the sea and said: O Allah! You know that I borrowed one thousand dinars from such-and-such a man. When he asked me for a witness and a guarantor, I said: Allah is sufficient as a guarantor. He was pleased (with Your guarantee), and now I have searched for a means of transport to deliver his right to him, but I have not found one. Now I entrust this wealth to You. Then he threw the piece of wood into the sea. Meanwhile, the lender set out hoping that perhaps (someone) riding a mount would be bringing his money to repay the debt. Suddenly, (at the seashore) he saw a piece of wood in which his money was. He picked up the wood to use as firewood, and when he broke it open, he found the money and the letter. He took them. Later, the borrower himself arrived (with one thousand dinars) and said: I could not find any means of transport (so now I have come to repay the debt). The lender said: Allah Almighty has delivered to me what you sent in the piece of wood. So he returned successfully.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna ‘Irbad bin Sariyah (may Allah be pleased with him), who says: I sold a camel to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then when I came to him to demand its price, I said: O Messenger of Allah! Please pay me the price of my camel. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Yes, certainly, but I will not give you except a better camel than that. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) paid my debt and paid it well. Meanwhile, a Bedouin came and said: O Messenger of Allah! Pay me the price of my camel. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him a bigger camel. He said: O Messenger of Allah! This camel is better than my camel. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The best person of a people is the one who is best in repayment.

Narrated by Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with both of them), he says: I had a debt upon the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace be upon him) repaid it to me and gave me more as well.

Narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Rafi’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had taken a camel on loan from a man. When camels from charity came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: “Give him his camel.” The companions said: “Now only a four-toothed (six-year-old) camel remains with us, which is better and superior to his camel.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Give him that one, for the best among people is the one who repays debts in the best manner.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man demanded repayment of a camel loan from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and behaved harshly. The noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) intended to take action against him, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Leave him, the one who has a right speaks out. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Buy a camel and give it to him. The Companions said: The only camel available is of a better age than his. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Buy and give him that one, surely the best is the one who repays a loan in a good manner. The Bedouin said: You have given me more than my right, may Allah also give you more. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The best among you is the one who repays a loan in the best manner.

It is not permissible to give a loan with the intention that something better will be received at the time of repayment; however, the debtor may, on his own accord, repay in a better manner. In any case, it is not permissible for the lender to have such greed. (This passage is from the commentary, which is why the numbering has become incorrect; since 6025 is missing, the numbering becomes correct after that.)

Narrated by Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: A man entered Paradise because he used to show gentleness (and generosity) at the time of payment and when demanding repayment.