1278 – Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Whoever seeks your protection by Allah, grant him protection; whoever asks you by Allah, give to him; and whoever does you a kindness, repay him. If you find nothing with which to repay him, then pray for him.” Recorded by al-Bayhaqī (1).

Authenticity rating
The ḥadith is ṣaḥīḥ (sound). The author states: It was related by Aḥmad, al-Bukhārī in al-Adab, al-Bayhaqī, and Abū Dāwūd, and was declared sound by Ibn Ḥibbān and al-Ḥākim, with al-Dhahabī concurring. Al-Tirmidhī also transmitted it and said, “ḥasan gharīb.” Al-Ṭabarānī likewise reported it (12/397) with a chain whose narrators are those of the Ṣaḥīḥ except for his own shaykh.

Vocabulary of the ḥadith
• istaʿādhakum bi-Allāh: he sought refuge and protection, appealing to you by Allah and swearing by Him as an appeal for compassion.
• fa-aʿīdhūhu: grant him shelter from whoever has wronged or overstepped against him, out of reverence for the One in whose name he sought refuge.
• man saʾalakum bi-Allāh: whoever asks you—about anything great or small—while appealing to you by Allah; grant him what he requests if you are able.
• maʿrūf: an inclusive term for every act that is commendable in the law and reassuring to the heart—goodness, gentleness, beneficence, and the like.
• fakāfiʾūhu: an imperative meaning repay his kindness with something equal to it or even better.