Whoever is pleased to be saved by Allah from the agonies of the Day of Judgment, let him give the insolvent respite or grant him remission
Narrator in the source: Abu Qatādah reported: The Messenger of Allah
Abu Qatādah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he went looking for his debtor, who hid from him. Then, on finding him, he said: I am insolvent. He said: By Allah? He said: By Allah! He said: Verily, I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Whoever is pleased to be saved by Allah from the agonies of the Day of Judgment, let him give the insolvent respite or grant him remission."- Grade in the source
- Authentic
- Reported by
- Narrated by Muslim
- Source entry
- HadeethEnc · 4195 ↗
Original Arabic wording
عَنْ أَبَي قَتَادَةَ رضي الله عنه أنَّهُ طَلَبَ غَرِيمًا لَهُ، فَتَوَارَى عَنْهُ ثُمَّ وَجَدَهُ، فَقَالَ: إِنِّي مُعْسِرٌ، فَقَالَ: آللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: آللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يُنْجِيَهُ اللهُ مِنْ كُرَبِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلْيُنَفِّسْ عَنْ مُعْسِرٍ أَوْ يَضَعْ عَنْهُ».Understand this hadith
Abu Qatādah al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him) was searching for his debtor, who was hiding from him. When he found him, the debtor said: I am insolvent, and I have no money to repay your debt. Abu Qatādah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him to swear by Allah that he had no money, and the man swore by Allah that he was telling the truth. Thereupon, Abu Qatādah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that he heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whoever is pleased and delighted to be saved by Allah from the agonies, tribulations, and horrors of the Day of Judgment, let him give an insolvent person respite by postponing or delaying the demand of payment or by reducing the debt or canceling it.
Lessons from the hadith
- It is recommended to give the insolvent respite until it is easy for him to repay the debt or grant him full or partial remission.
- Whoever relieves a believer of a distress of this life, Allah will relieve him of a distress on the Day of Judgment, as indeed, one reaps what he sows.
- Rule: Obligatory acts are better than supererogatory ones. However, sometimes the supererogatory is better than the obligatory. Granting the insolvent remission is a supererogatory act, whereas granting him respite and waiting without demanding repayment is obligatory. Here, in this case, the supererogatory act is better than the obligatory act.
- The Hadīth is about the insolvent, who has a valid excuse, but as for the procrastinating debtor who has money, it was reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Procrastination in payment of a debt by a rich person is injustice."
References (original Arabic)
صحيح مسلم (3/ 1196) (1563). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 457). الكاشف عن حقائق السنن(شرح المشكاة)، للطيبي (7/ 2172). كنوز رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (16/ 392). مرقاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح، للقاري (5/ 1954). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (2/ 945).