when he disputes, he transgresses, and when he is entrusted with something, he betrays the trust.” He, peace and blessings be upon him, also said: “Pledge six things to me, and I will guarantee you Paradise: when any of you speaks, let him not lie; when he promises, let him not break his promise; when he is entrusted with something, let him not betray the trust. Lower your gazes, restrain your hands, and guard your chastity.”
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It is not permissible to betray someone who has betrayed you. Scholars have differed concerning a man who entrusts someone with a deposit, which that person denies holding, and is subsequently entrusted by that same person with a deposit or something else. May he deny holding it and appropriate it in compensation for his own deposit, which was denied him?
According to Ibn al-Qāsim’s report from Mālik in al-Mudawwana, Mālik said that he should not deny holding it. Ibn al-Qāsim said: “I believe he said this because of the hadith: ‘Return what has been entrusted to you to the one who entrusted it to you, and do not betray one who betrays you.’” Ashhab reported that Mālik said: “I do not instruct him to do that; I instruct him only to obey Allah. If you wish to do it, you know best.” Ibn Wahb reported from Mālik that he may take it if the other man has no debts; if he has debts, he may take only the amount to which he would be entitled in a proportional distribution among the creditors. Ibn Nāfi‘ further reported from him: “Provided he can avoid swearing falsely”—meaning that his oath, “He has no claim against me,” would be accepted—as stated in Asbagh’s transmitted reports in the Book of Vows.
Ibn Sha‘bān said that his oath, “He has no deposit or anything else with me,” is accepted, unlike claims established as personal liabilities through sales or loans. A deposit entails no personal liability unless there has been negligence. Thus, where no personal liability is entailed, he need swear only the minimum necessary to absolve him in the various cases arising from it.
It is related that Iyās ibn Mu‘āwiya required someone who denied holding a deposit to swear: “He has no deposit or anything else with me.” Ibn Sha‘bān said: “The depositary’s oath should include, in addition to the wording prescribed by Iyās ibn Mu‘āwiya: ‘He has no deposit with me, nor have I incurred any liability towards him’—on account of the deposit he mentions—to guard against the possibility that he had been negligent with it and had thus become liable for it. If he swears, ‘He has no deposit with me,’ he is swearing truthfully, because it