Reports on debt

Sayyiduna Uqbah bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Once you have attained a state of security, do not afterwards put yourselves in fear." The people asked: "O Messenger of Allah, what is that?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Debt."

It is also narrated from him that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his Companions: "Do not put yourselves in fear" (the narrator is in doubt; perhaps the words are:) "Do not put your souls in fear!" It was said: "O Messenger of Allah! How could we put our souls in fear?" He said: "Through debt." Imam Ahmad recorded it with two chains, the narrators of one of which are thiqat (trustworthy).
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and Imam Abu Ya'la also recorded it.

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A man passed away. We washed him, shrouded him and applied perfume to him, then brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) so that he would offer his funeral prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took a step, then asked: "Is there a debt upon him?" I said: "Two dinars." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned away. Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) took the payment of the two upon himself. Then we came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The payment of the two dinars is upon me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah has had the creditor's right fulfilled, and the deceased is now free of it?" He replied: "Yes!" So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offered the man's funeral prayer. A day after that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What has become of the matter of the two dinars?" I said: "He only passed away yesterday!" The narrator says: The next day he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "I have paid them both." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Now his skin has become cool for him." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Imam Abu Dawud recorded it in abridged form.
Imam Ahmad and Imam al-Bazzar recorded it, and its chain is hasan (good).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A funeral was brought, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up to offer its funeral prayer. The people said: "There is a debt upon him." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Take your companion away and offer his funeral prayer yourselves." A man said: "His debt is upon me; please offer his funeral prayer." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood and offered his funeral prayer.
Imam al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih. Hadiths of this kind have already passed in the chapter on funerals.

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "What is your view: if I take part in jihad with my life and my wealth, and I am killed while being patient, hoping for the reward, facing the enemy without turning my back, will I enter Paradise?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes!" The man repeated this two or three times, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes! Provided there is no debt upon you for which you have no means of repayment."
Imam Ahmad and Imam al-Bazzar recorded it; the chain of Imam Ahmad is hasan (good).

Sayyiduna Muhammad bin Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! If I am killed while fighting in the path of Allah, what will I have?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Paradise." When the man turned to leave, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "However, the matter of debt is different; Jibril has just now told me this in a whisper."
Imam Ahmad recorded it; its chain contains a narrator, Abu Kathir, who is mastur (of unknown condition), and the remaining narrators of this report have been declared trustworthy.

Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Jahsh narrates from his father: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! What if I am killed in the path of Allah?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Paradise (will be yours)." When the man turned away, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "However, the matter of debt is different; Jibril has just now told me this in a whisper." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: There is a hadith from him which Imam al-Nasa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) recorded, and it is other than this one.
Imam Ahmad recorded it; its chain contains a narrator, Abu Kathir, who is mastur (of unknown condition), and the remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "If a man were killed in the path of Allah, then brought back to life, then killed in the path of Allah, then brought back to life, he would not enter Paradise until his debt is paid off on his behalf, for there will be no gold or silver there; there will only be good deeds and bad deeds."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains a narrator, Rawh bin Salah, whom Ibn Hibban and Imam al-Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) declared trustworthy, while Ibn Adi declared him da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up and delivered a sermon. He mentioned faith in Allah Almighty and jihad in the path of Allah as being among the most excellent deeds in the sight of Allah. The narrator says: A man stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah! What is your view: if I am killed in the path of Allah while being patient and hoping for the reward, facing the enemy and not having turned my back, will Allah Almighty wipe out my sins?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes!" Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What did you say?" He repeated his words just as he had said them before, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes!" Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked again: "What did you say?" He repeated his words once more and said: "O Messenger of Allah! What is your view: if I am killed in the path of Allah while being patient, hoping for the reward, facing the enemy and not turning my back, will Allah Almighty wipe out my sins?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes! However, the matter of debt is different; Jibril has just now told me about it in a whisper."
Imam Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offered the morning prayer, then said: "Is there anyone here from the tribe of Hudhayl? Your companion has been held back at the gate of Paradise." The narrator says: I think the words in the report are: "(He has been held back) because of the debt upon him."
Imam al-Bazzar recorded it, and Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir as a somewhat longer report; its chain contains a narrator, Hibban bin Ali, whom some declared trustworthy and others declared da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! A man fights in the path of Allah, hoping for the reward, until he is killed; will he go to Paradise?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes!" When the man turned and went back, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called him back and said: "Jibril came to me and told me that the condition is that there be no debt upon him."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Layth bin Abi Sulaym, who is thiqah (trustworthy) but a mudallis (one who conceals defects in his chain).

Sayyiduna Sahl bin Hunayf (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "As soon as the martyr's blood begins to flow, his sins are forgiven, except that the matter of debt is different."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Heedlessness is in three situations: heedlessness of the remembrance of Allah; the time after a man has offered the morning prayer until the sun rises; and a man's heedlessness of his own self until debt rides upon him (that is, until debt becomes binding upon him)."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Hudayj bin Sawma, who is mastur (of unknown condition), and the remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offered a prayer, and when he had finished it, he said: "Is there anyone here from Banu so-and-so?" No one answered him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Is there anyone here from Banu so-and-so?" Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) repeated his words a third time, and a man said: "It is I, O Messenger of Allah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Why did you not stand up earlier?" He said: "O Messenger of Allah! I feared that some new command might have come." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No! Your companion, so-and-so, has been held back at the gate of Paradise because of the debt binding upon him." That man said: "O Messenger of Allah! His debt is upon me."
Imam al-Bazzar recorded it; its chain contains a narrator, Abd al-Rahman bin Maghra', whom Abu Khalid al-Ahmar and Ibn Hibban declared trustworthy, while others declared him da'if (weak).

Sa'd bin al-Atwal narrates that his father passed away, leaving behind three hundred dirhams, dependants and a debt. (He said:) I intended to spend (that money) on his dependants, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Your father is being held back because of his debt, so pay it off on his behalf!" I said: "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah! I have paid off the whole debt, except for the matter of one woman who has claimed two dinars, but she has no proof." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Give them to her, for she is telling the truth." The narrator says: So I paid the woman. (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Imam Ibn Majah recorded this whole incident as being about his brother, while here it is mentioned as being about his father.

A report like this is narrated from one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). This whole report and the one before it were recorded by Imam Ahmad and Imam Abu Ya'la; its chain contains a narrator, Abd al-Malik Abu Ja'far, whom Ibn Hibban mentioned in Kitab al-Thiqat, and I have not found anyone who gave his biography.

Sayyiduna Samurah bin Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offered a prayer, and when he had finished it, he asked: "Is there anyone here from Banu so-and-so?" No one answered him. Then he asked: "Is there anyone here from Banu so-and-so?" No one answered him. Then he asked: "Is there anyone here from Banu so-and-so?" A man said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah! So-and-so is here." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A companion of yours has been held back at the gate of Paradise because of the debt binding upon him." A man said: "O Messenger of Allah! His debt is upon me."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; the chain of this report contains a narrator, Aslam bin Sahl al-Wasiti. Imam al-Dhahabi says: Imam al-Daraqutni (may Allah have mercy on him) called him "layyin" (soft), and this is a mild expression for declaring someone weak. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna al-Bara' bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The one in debt will be held captive by his debt, and he will complain to Allah Almighty of his loneliness."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains a narrator, Mubarak bin Fadalah, whom Affan and Ibn Hibban declared trustworthy, while a group declared him da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no worry except the worry of debt, and there is no pain except the pain of the eye."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains a narrator, Sahl bin Qarin, who is da'if (weak).