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العربية
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Kindness to Workers

Read published English translations and explanations on this topic. These are related source narrations; their wording and selection may differ from the Arabic site’s short selections. Every card identifies its own source.

Narrated by Bukhari & MuslimAuthentic hadith

You are a person who has remnants of the ignorant pre-Islamic manners. Your slaves are your brothers and servants whom Allah has placed under your authority. He who has his brother under his authority should feed him from whatever he eats, dress him with whatever he wears, and not assign burdensome and difficult tasks to them that are beyond their capacity. If you do this then help them

Narrator in the source: المعرور بن سويد

Al-Ma‘rūr ibn Suwayd reported: I saw Abu Tharr (may Allah be pleased with him) wearing a nice clothes, and his slave was wearing a similarly nice clothes also. I asked him about this and he said that he had exchanged harsh words with a person during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and insulted him by making an offensive reference to his mother. That person came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and made mention of that (abuse) to him. Then the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You are a person who has remnants of the ignorant pre-Islamic manners. Your slaves are your brothers and servants whom Allah has placed under your authority. He who has his brother under his authority should feed him from whatever he eats, dress him with whatever he wears, and not assign burdensome and difficult tasks to them that are beyond their capacity. If you do this then help them."
Grade in the source
Authentic hadith
Reported by
Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim
Original Arabic wording
عن المعرور بن سويد، قال: رأيت أبا ذر رضي الله عنه وعليه حلة وعلى غلامه مثلها، فسألته عن ذلك، فذكر أنه قد سابَّ رجلا ًعلى عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فَعَيَّره بأمه، فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : «إنك امْرُؤٌ فيك جاهلية هم إِخْوَانُكُمْ وخَوَلُكُمْ جعلهم الله تحت أيديكم، فمن كان أخوه تحت يده، فليُطعمه مما يأكل، وليُلْبِسْهُ مما يلبس، ولا تُكَلِّفُوهُمْ مَا يَغْلِبُهُمْ، فَإِنْ كَلَّفْتُمُوهُمْ فَأَعِينُوهُمْ ».
Understand this hadith

This Hadīth indicates an encouragement to deal with servants and slaves in a good manner especially in terms of their clothing and food. It also advises Muslims to not overburden them with difficult tasks that go beyond their capacity unless you were to help them accomplish these tasks. The Hadīth also indicates a severe threat for those who demean, humiliate and insult servants and slaves in any way because they are our brothers in Islam.

References (original Arabic)

صحيح البخاري، عناية محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة، الطبعة الأولى، 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم, ترقيم محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي, دار إحياء التراث العربي, بيروت. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين لمجموعة من الباحثين, مؤسسة الرسالة, الطبعة الرابعة عشر, 1407ه . دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين لمحمد بن علان الصديقي, دار الكتاب العربي-بيروت كنوز رياض الصالحين بإشراف حمد العمار, دار كنوز إشبيليا, الطبعة الأولى, 1430ه . بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي, دار ابن الجوزي. شرح رياض الصالحين لابن عثيمين , دار مدار الوطن للنشر، الرياض, الطبعة : 1426 هـ. تطريز رياض الصالحين لفيصل بن عبد العزيز المبارك النجدي, تحقيق: عبد العزيز آل حمد, دار العاصمة , الطبعة: الأولى، 1423 هـ

Narrated by Al-BukhāriAuthentic

Allah Almighty said: There are three I will be hostile to them on the Day of Judgment

Narrator in the source: Abu Hurayrah reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah say:

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Allah Almighty said: There are three I will be hostile to them on the Day of Judgment: a man who gave a promise in My Name and then broke it; a man who sold a free person as a slave and devoured his price; and a man who hired a worker and took the full work from him, but did not pay him his wages."
Grade in the source
Authentic
Reported by
Narrated by Al-Bukhāri
Original Arabic wording
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ثَلاَثَةٌ أَنَا خَصْمُهُمْ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ: رَجُلٌ أَعْطَى بِي ثُمَّ غَدَرَ، وَرَجُلٌ بَاعَ حُرًّا فَأَكَلَ ثَمَنَهُ، وَرَجُلٌ اسْتَأْجَرَ أَجِيرًا فَاسْتَوْفَى مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يُعْطِهِ أَجْرَهُ».
Understand this hadith

The Prophet (ﷺ) informed that Allah Almighty said: There are three types of people I will be hostile to them on the Day of Judgment—and whomever I was hostile to, I will overpower and defeat him: First: one who gives his oath, swears by Allah, and makes a covenant, then breaks it and betrays. Second: one who sells a free man as if he were a slave, consumes his price, and disposes of his value. Third: one who hires a worker for a task, takes full work from him, but does not pay him his due wages.

Lessons from the hadith
  • This Hadīth is part of what the Prophet (ﷺ) narrated from his Lord, and it is called a Qudsi or divine Hadīth. Its wording and meaning are from Allah; however, it does not possess the unique characteristics of the Qur'an, which include reciting it as a form of worship, requiring ritual purity, presenting it as a challenge, its miraculousness, and others.
  • As-Sindi said: It has been said that mentioning these three is not for restriction, for Allah Almighty is the opponent of all wrongdoers—rather, it is to emphasize the severity of these three cases.
  • Ibn al-Jawzi said: The free man is a servant of Allah; so whoever wrongs him, his adversary is his Master—Allah Himself.
  • Al-Khattābi said: The enslavement of a free man occurs in two ways—first, that one frees him and then conceals or denies it; and second, that one forces him to serve after being freed. The first is more severe. I said: The Hadīth in question is even more severe, for it involves not only concealing or denying the man's freedom, but also acting upon that denial by selling him and consuming the price—hence the punishment is greater.
References (original Arabic)

صحيح البخاري (3/ 90) (2270). فتح ذي الجلال والإكرام بشرح بلوغ المرام (4/ 252). إرشاد الساري لشرح صحيح البخاري (4/ 108). مرشد ذوي الحجا والحاجة إلى سنن ابن ماجه والقول المكتفى على سنن المصطفى (14/ 211).

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