do not forget the kindness he has shown you on other occasions. Weigh one against the other: if kindness outweighs wrong, let kindness prevail. If wrongdoing outweighs kindness, then consider whether he is worthy of pardon; if so, forgive him—whoever forgives and reconciles, his reward rests with Allah. If he is not worthy of pardon, then take what is rightfully yours; you are not blameworthy for claiming your due, yet always look to what is truly beneficial.

In short, a person should deal justly with everyone with whom he has a connection—wife, friend, business partner in buying, selling, or anything else. Should he dislike a trait in someone, or be wronged in a transaction, he must also look at that person’s other good qualities and weigh the two sides. This is the justice Allah and His Messenger have enjoined, as Allah the Exalted says: “Indeed, Allah commands justice, excellence, and giving to relatives; and He forbids obscenity, wrongdoing, and oppression. He admonishes you so that you may take heed” ⦗An-Nahl 16:90⦘.

4/276 — ʿAmr ibn al-Ahwas al-Jushamī (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Prophet ﷺ, during the Farewell Pilgrimage, say—after praising Allah, extolling Him, and giving admonition: “Pay heed! Treat women well, for they are captives in your hands; you hold nothing of them beyond that. If they commit a clear act of indecency, then avoid them in their beds and strike them with a blow that is not severe. If they obey you, do not seek a means against them. Know that you have rights over your wives, and your wives have rights over you. Your right over them is that they do not allow onto your beds anyone you dislike, nor admit into your houses those you dislike. And their right over you is that you treat them kindly…"