764 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Render the trust to the one who has entrusted you, and do not betray the one who betrays you.” It is narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi, who graded it “good,” and by al-Hakim, who declared it authentic. Abu Hatim al-Razi found it objectionable, while a number of other hadith masters also transmitted it. The ruling applies as well to a gratuitous loan ⦗1⦘.

Hadith status:
The hadith is ḥasan (sound).
Ibn Hajar states in al-Talkhīs: “Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, and al-Hakim relate it from Abu Hurayrah; it is uniquely transmitted by Taliq ibn Ghannam from Sharik. Al-Hakim corroborated it with the report of Abu’l-Tiyah from Anas, yet that chain includes Ayyub ibn Suwayd, over whom there is disagreement.”
Al-Shafiʿi said, “This hadith is not firmly established.” Ibn al-Jawzi judged that none of its routes are sound, and Imam Ahmad is reported to have said, “This hadith is baseless; I do not know a single authentic chain for it.”
Shaykh Nasir al-Din al-Albani, however, ruled it authentic, noting that it has been reported from several Companions, including Abu Hurayrah, Anas, and an unnamed man who heard the Prophet ﷺ.
In conclusion, when its various chains are considered together the hadith is reliable. The reservations expressed by some early scholars concern only the particular route that reached them, not the totality of the chains now available to us. Allah knows best.

Vocabulary:
• addi al-amanah (render the trust): give back the trust.