Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 2286
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا زَيْدُ بْنُ الْحُبَابِ، حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ، حَدَّثَنِي سَعِيدُ بْنُ هَانِئٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْعِرْبَاضَ بْنَ سَارِيَةَ، يَقُولُ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَقَالَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ اقْضِنِي بَكْرِي . فَأَعْطَاهُ بَعِيرًا مُسِنًّا فَقَالَ الأَعْرَابِيُّ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَذَا أَسَنُّ مِنْ بَعِيرِي . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " خَيْرُ النَّاسِ خَيْرُهُمْ قَضَاءً " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Al-ʿIrbad ibn Sariyah said: I was with the Prophet when a Bedouin said, ‘Repay me for my young camel.’ He gave him a mature camel. The Bedouin said, ‘Messenger of Allah, this one is older than my camel.’ The Messenger of Allah replied, ‘The best of people are those best in repayment.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source contrasts the young camel owed with the mature camel given in repayment.