Al-Bukhari recorded it (7/177), as did he in al-Adab al-Mufrad (117), from Zayd ibn Wahb, from Abu Dharr, as a hadith attributed to the Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him. He and others also narrated it with the wording: “I would not like to have that Mount Uhud in my possession.” It will come under no. 2211.
It also has another route with the wording: “I would not be pleased to possess gold equal to Mount Uhud and for a third night to come upon me while I still had a dinar—or, he said, a mithqal—of it, except what I had set aside for a creditor.” It was recorded by al-Darimi (2/315), al-Tayalisi (p. 63, no. 465), Ahmad (5/148–149), and al-Khatib (8/376), from Suwayd ibn al-Harith, from Abu Dharr, as a hadith attributed to the Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him. It has a third route, with another wording, which will come as: “By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, I would not be pleased…”
- “Whoever incurs a debt intending to repay it, Allah, exalted is He, will assist him.”
Al-Nasa’i recorded it (2/233): Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna narrated to us; he said: Wahb ibn Jarir narrated to us; he said: My father narrated to us, from al-A‘mash, from Husayn ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman, from ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Utbah, that Maymunah, the Prophet’s wife, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, incurred a debt. She was told, “O Mother of the Believers, are you taking on a debt when you have no means of repayment?” She replied, “I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, say,” and then mentioned it.
Abu Nu‘aym also recorded it in Akhbar Asbahan (2/238) through the route of ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Bakr al-‘Atali: Jarir ibn Hazim narrated to us similarly. (See the addendum, nos. 26/18 and 26/21.) This is an authentic chain of transmission according to the conditions of al-Bukhari and Muslim, provided that ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Abd Allah heard it from Maymunah; for it is known that he narrated from them through ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas.
Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban (1157), and Abu Nu‘aym also recorded another route from her, but it contains ‘Imran ibn Hudhayfah, who is unknown. See our comments on al-Targhib (2/33). A third route is found in al-Musnad (6/332). Its narrators are trustworthy, except that there is a break in the chain between Salim—who is Ibn Abi al-Ja‘d—and Maymunah. In sum, the hadith is authentic in light of all its routes.