164 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; he said: Bishr ibn Muʿādh al-ʿAqadī narrated to me; he said: al-Mughīrah ibn Muṭarrif narrated to us; he said: al-Ḥārith al-Numayrī, from Abū Hārūn al-ʿAbdī, from Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī, reported:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by Ubayy ibn Kaʿb while he was detaining a man who owed him money. He ﷺ asked, “Who is this, O Ubayy?” Ubayy replied, “A debtor of mine, so I am holding on to him.” He ﷺ said, “Treat him kindly,” and then went on his way.

When the Prophet ﷺ came back he asked, “What became of your debtor?” Ubayy answered, “O Messenger of Allah, what else could happen after you told me to deal kindly with him? I have waived one-third for Allah, one-third for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and one-third to help him join me in affirming the oneness of Allah.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ smiled until his molars showed, and said, “This is what we have been commanded to do, O Ubayy,” repeating it three times.