Hadith: I am more entitled to that (action) than you. Pardon My slave

عن حذيفة -رضي الله عنه - قال: أُتَي الله تعالى بِعبْد من عِباده آتاه الله مالاً، فقال له: ماذا عَمِلْت في الدنيا؟ -قال: «ولَا يَكْتُمُونَ اللهَ حَدِيثًا»- قال: يا رَبِّ آتَيْتَنِي مَالَك، فكُنت أُبَايعُ الناس، وكان من خُلُقِي الجَوَاز، فكُنت أَتَيَسَّرُ على المُوسِرِ، وأنْظِر المُعْسِر. فقال الله تعالى : «أنا أحَقُّ بِذَا مِنك تَجَاوزُوا عن عَبْدِي» فقال عُقْبَة بن عَامر، وأبو مسعود الأنصاري رضي الله عنهما : هكذا سَمِعْنَاه من فِيِّ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم .
[صحيح] - [متفق عليه، وهذا لفظ مسلم]

Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A slave of Allah whom Allah granted wealth will be brought before Him, and He will ask him: 'What did you do in the worldly life?' (Hudhayfah said: {And they will be able to hide nothing from Allah.} [Sūrat An-Nisā': 42]) He will say: 'O Lord! You gave me wealth and I used to enter into transactions with people. It was my nature to be lenient (to my debtors). I used to show leniency towards the solvent and give respite to the insolvent.' Allah, the Exalted, said: 'I am more entitled to that (action) than you. Pardon My slave.'" ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir and Abu Mas‘ūd al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with both of them) said: "This is how we heard it from the lips of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)."
[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Muslim]

Explanation

Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that a man whom Allah granted wealth will be brought on the Day of Judgment, and his Lord will ask him about his wealth and what he did with it. Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: {And they will be able to hide nothing from Allah} [Sūrat An-Nisā': 42], as Allah, the Exalted, says: {On the Day when their tongues, their hands, and their legs or feet will bear witness against them as to what they used to do} [Sūrat An-Nūr: 24]. He will reply: "O Lord, You gave me wealth and I used to enter into transactions with people", i.e. I dealt with people through selling and lending, and I was characterized by leniency. Then he explained it by saying: "I used to show leniency towards the solvent", i.e. I was easy with them and would accept whatever they brought even if it was slightly less than what they owed. "And give respite to the insolvent", i.e. I was patient with those who were unable to pay on time, not demanding repayment and extending the loan period. Allah, the Exalted, will say: "I am more entitled to that than you", i.e. since you were lenient with My slaves and adopted My traits, then I am more entitled to give you respite and pardon you. "Pardon my slave", i.e. Allah will pardon him and forgive his sins because of his tolerance, leniency, and kindness towards His slaves. Indeed, {Is there any reward for good other than good?} [Sūrat Ar-Rahmān: 60] ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir and Abu Mas‘ūd al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with both of them) said: "This is how we heard it from the lips of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)" i.e. they both heard this report from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) himself just as Hudhayfah said it, without any words added or left out.