Hadith: The extent to which they betrayed you, disobeyed you, and lied to you will be measured against how much you punish them

عن عائشة أنَّ رَجُلًا قَعَد بين يَدَي النَّبيّ صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم فقال: يا رسولَ الله، إنَّ لي مملوكَيْن يَكْذِبونَنِي ويخُونونَني ويَعْصُونني، وأَشْتُمُهُم وأضْرِبهم فَكَيْف أنا مِنْهُم؟ قال: يُحسَب ما خانوكَ وعَصَوْك وكَذَّبُوكَ وعِقابُك إيّاهُم، فإن كان عِقابُك إيّاهُمْ بِقَدْر ذُنوبهِم كان كَفافًا، لا لَكَ ولا عَلَيْكَ، وإن كان عِقابُكَ إيّاهُم دون ذُنوبهِم كان فَضْلًا لَك، وإن كان عِقابُك إيّاهُم فوق ذُنوبهم اقْتُصَّ لهم مِنْك الفَضْلُ. قال: فتَنَحَّى الرَّجُلُ فجَعَل يَبْكِي ويَهْتِف، فقال رسول الله صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم: أما تقرأ كتابَ الله {وَنَضَعُ المَوَازينَ القِسْطَ ليومِ القِيامةِ فلا تُظلَمُ نفسٌ شيئًا وإنْ كان مثقالَ حبَّةٍ منْ خَردلٍ أَتينا بها} الآية. فقال الرَّجل: والله يا رسول الله ما أجِد لي ولهم شيئًا خيرًا مِن مُفارَقَتِهِم، أُشْهِدُك أنهُم أحرارٌ كلُّهم.
[صحيح] - [رواه الترمذي]

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: A man came and sat in front of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have two slaves who lie to me, deceive me, and disobey me, and I scold them and hit them. So what is my case concerning them?" He said: "The extent to which they betrayed you, disobeyed you, and lied to you will be measured against how much you punish them. If your punishing them is equal to their sins, the two will be the same, nothing for you and nothing against you. If your punishing them is above their sins, some of your rewards will be taken from you and given to them." The man left, and began weeping and crying aloud. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You should read what Allah says in His Book: {We will place the scales of justice on the Day of Resurrection, and no soul will be wronged in the least. Even if a deed is the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. Sufficient are We as Reckoners.} [Surat al-Anbiyā': 47]" Thereupon, the man said: "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I see nothing better for myself and them than parting with them. Bear witness that they are all free."
Sahih/Authentic. - [At-Tirmidhi]

Explanation

A man came to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and complained about the bad behaviors of his slaves, mentioning that they lie to him, deceive him, and disobey his orders; whereas he curses them and disciplines them by beating. So, he asked the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) about his condition on the Day of Judgment in relation to them. In response, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: The extent to which they betrayed you, disobeyed you, and lied to you will be measured against how much you punished them. If their sins and your punishment are equal in amount, nothing is due to you or upon you. But if your punishment is greater than their sins, you will be held accountable, and the excess amount will be taken from your good deeds and will be given to them. The man went aside and started to weep and cry. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: Do you not read this in the Book of Allah: {We will place the scales of justice on the Day of Resurrection, and no soul will be wronged in the least.} No one will be wronged whatsoever on the Day of Judgment, and the scales will weigh people's deeds justly. So, the man said: By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I find nothing better for me and them than leaving and parting with them. Bear witness that they are all free for the sake of Allah. This is because it would be truly hard to strike this balance and be constantly careful about such accountability. Responding to oppression falls under different categories: If retaliation is equal to the oppression, or less than that, it is valid. However, if it goes too far and exceeds the amount of oppression, it is prohibited and punishable.