Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 6450

Al-Muthanna bin Wa'il narrates: I came to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Bishr (may Allah be pleased with him). He passed his hand over my head and placed my hand on his forearm. A man asked him about the fee of a teacher, and he said: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with a bow slung over his shoulder. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) liked it, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "How fine your bow is! Did you buy it?" He submitted: "No! A man whose son I taught the Qur'an gave it to me as a gift." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Would you like Allah Almighty to put a bow made of fire around your neck?" He submitted: "No!" The narrator says: (Either the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) "Return it," (or: they returned it).
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; al-Muthanna and his son are both mentioned by Ibn Abi Hatim, but he did not criticise either of them, and the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).