Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 2415
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ السَّرْحِ الْمِصْرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي يُونُسُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يَقُولُ إِذَا تُوُفِّيَ الْمُؤْمِنُ فِي عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَعَلَيْهِ الدَّيْنُ فَيَسْأَلُ " هَلْ تَرَكَ لِدَيْنِهِ مِنْ قَضَاءٍ " . فَإِنْ قَالُوا نَعَمْ . صَلَّى عَلَيْهِ وَإِنْ قَالُوا لاَ . قَالَ " صَلُّوا عَلَى صَاحِبِكُمْ " . فَلَمَّا فَتَحَ اللَّهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ الْفُتُوحَ قَالَ " أَنَا أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ فَمَنْ تُوُفِّيَ وَعَلَيْهِ دَيْنٌ فَعَلَىَّ قَضَاؤُهُ وَمَنْ تَرَكَ مَالاً فَهُوَ لِوَرَثَتِهِ " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Amr ibn al-Sarh al-Misri narrated to us: Abdullah ibn Wahb narrated to us: Yunus informed me, from Ibn Shihab, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, that when a believer died during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ leaving a debt, he would ask, “Did he leave anything with which his debt could be paid?” If they said yes, he would lead the funeral prayer for him; if they said no, he would say, “Pray over your companion.” When Allah granted His Messenger conquests, he said, “I have a stronger claim over the believers than they have over themselves. Whoever dies owing a debt, its repayment is my responsibility; whoever leaves property, it belongs to his heirs.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The whole report, including the earlier practice and the later statement after the conquests, is translated. The debt question concerns whether the deceased left assets to discharge it.