Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from the father of Hazrat Abu’l-Ahwas that once the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw me in a disheveled state and asked, “Do you have any wealth?” I replied, “Yes!” The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, “What kind of wealth?” I replied, “Allah has granted me all kinds of wealth, such as goats and camels, etc.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Then the effects of Allah’s blessings and honor should be visible on you.” Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Is it not so that when someone in your tribe has a camel born to them, whose ears are whole and sound, you take a razor and cut its ear and say, ‘This is Bahira’; sometimes you flay their skin and say, ‘This is Sarm’; sometimes you declare them forbidden for yourself and your family?” I asked, “To what are you inviting?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “To Allah and to maintaining ties of kinship.” I asked, “If one of my paternal cousins comes to me and I have sworn an oath not to give him anything, but then I give him, what should I do?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Offer expiation for your oath and do what is better.” He then said, “Tell me, if you have two slaves, one of whom obeys you, does not belie you, and does not betray you, and the other betrays you and belies you, (which one would you prefer?)” I replied, “The one who does not betray me, does not belie me, and confirms my word.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “This is also your position in the sight of your Lord.”