it, not even for a single instant. And that is only the fire of this world—what then of the Fire of the Hereafter? May Allah protect us and you from it.

219 – Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I am only a human being, and you bring your disputes to me. Perhaps one of you is more eloquent in presenting his case than another, so I judge in his favor according to what I hear. If I thus grant anyone something that rightfully belongs to his brother, I am merely allotting him a piece of the Fire.” Agreed upon.

“More eloquent” (al-aḥan) means better able to argue.

[Explanation]
The author—may Allah have mercy on him—cites this ḥadīth in the chapter forbidding wrongdoing and obligating the restoration of rights to their owners. Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) related that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I am only a human being like you, and you bring your disputes to me. Perhaps one of you is more eloquent in presenting his plea than another, so I judge for him on the basis of what I hear. Whoever I rule in his favor at the expense of his brother’s right is in fact receiving a slice of the Fire.”

This ḥadīth proves that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is a human being like us, not an angel; he experiences the same human conditions that befall people by virtue of their natural makeup, for he