Hadith: 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
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».
[صحيح] - [رواه مسلم] - [صحيح مسلم: 1563]
المزيــد ...
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."
[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Muslim] - [Sahih Muslim - 1563]
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.
Benefits 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."
More ...
- Hadith: Whoever unjustly usurps even one handspan of land, his neck will be encircled with it down the seven earths
- Hadith: Give it to him, for the best among you are those who settle their debts in the best manner
- Hadith: A man from among those who were before you was called to account (by Allah on the Day of Judgment). No good deeds were found in his record except that he, being a rich man, used to enter into transactions with people and used to command his servants to show leniency towards those who were insolvent. Allah, the Exalted, said: We are more entitled to this (leniency) than him. Pardon him.
- Hadith: Time has completed its cycle and has returned to its state when Allah created the heavens and the earth. A year consists of twelve months, of which four are sacred; three of them are consecutive: Dhu al-Qi‘dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram, and Rajab of Mudar