Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 2249
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ، عَنْ حَمَّادٍ، أَنْبَأَنَا الْحَجَّاجُ، عَنِ الْحَكَمِ، عَنْ مَيْمُونِ بْنِ أَبِي شَبِيبٍ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ وَهَبَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ غُلاَمَيْنِ أَخَوَيْنِ فَبِعْتُ أَحَدَهُمَا فَقَالَ " مَا فَعَلَ الْغُلاَمَانِ " . قُلْتُ بِعْتُ أَحَدَهُمَا قَالَ " رُدَّهُ " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us; Affan narrated to us, from Hammad; al-Hajjaj informed us, from al-Hakam, from Maymun ibn Abi Shabib, from Ali, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave me two enslaved young men who were brothers. I sold one of them, and he said, “What happened to the two young men?” I replied, “I sold one of them.” He said, “Bring him back.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
قُلْتُ بِعْتُ أَحَدَهُمَا قَالَ " رُدَّهُ " .
Ruddahu literally means “return him”; the report does not state how Ali was to restore the sold young man or arrange reunification.
Does “Bring him back” preserve the command without specifying a method of reacquisition?