626 – Khalaf ibn Hishām narrated to us; Ḥammād ibn Zayd narrated to us, from Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Qāsim, who said:

Al-Qāsim had an orphan under his guardianship who was feeble-minded, so the orphan’s wealth remained in al-Qāsim’s hands until the lad reached old age. Al-Qāsim arranged his marriage, and one day the man came to him saying, “If you do not buy me a camel, then his wife is thrice divorced.” Al-Qāsim therefore bought him a camel.

Not long after, he returned and said, “If you do not give me such-and-such, then his wife is divorced.” Al-Qāsim complied. Then he came yet again and declared, “His wife is thrice divorced if you do not hand over my property to me!”

Al-Qāsim said to his companions, “What do you think? I fear that, should I turn his wealth over to him, he will squander it and his wife will end up divorced anyway. By Allah, for me to withhold his money while his wife is divorced is better than to let him destroy his wealth and have his wife divorced as well.” And so he withheld the wealth.