104 – The judge Abū al-Qāsim informed us; Abū ʿAlī narrated to us; ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us; Bishr ibn Muʿādh al-ʿAqadī told me; al-Mughīra ibn Muṭarrif narrated to us; al-Ḥārith al-Numayrī narrated to us, from Abū Hārūn al-ʿAbdī, from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, who said:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by Ubayy ibn Kaʿb while he was keeping hold of a man who owed him money. He asked, “Who is this man, Ubayy?”⦗90⦘ He replied, “A debtor of mine; I am detaining him.” The Prophet said, “Then be kind to him.”

The Prophet went on his way, but soon returned and asked, “What became of your debtor?” Ubayy answered, “O Messenger of Allah, what else could he do after you ordered me to treat him well? I have waived a third of the debt for Allah’s sake, a third for His Messenger’s sake, and a third so that he may assist me in affirming the oneness of Allah.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ smiled until his molars were visible and said, “We have been commanded to do just that.”