Mishkat al-Masabih
Mishkat al-Masabih 3383
وَعَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَيُّ الْعَمَلِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ: «إِيمَانٌ بِاللَّهِ وَجِهَادٌ فِي سَبِيلِهِ» قَالَ: قُلْتُ: فَأَيُّ الرِّقَابِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ: «أَغْلَاهَا ثَمَنًا وَأَنْفَسُهَا عِنْدَ أَهْلِهَا» . قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ لَمْ أَفْعَلْ؟ قَالَ: «تُعِينُ صَانِعًا أَوْ تَصْنَعُ لِأَخْرَقَ» . قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ لَمْ أَفْعَلْ؟ قَالَ: «تَدَعُ النَّاسَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ فَإِنَّهَا صَدَقَةٌ تَصَدَّقُ بهَا على نَفسك»
Abu Dharr reported: I asked the Prophet, ‘Which deed is best?’ He said, ‘Faith in God and striving in His path.’ I asked, ‘Which person is best to emancipate?’ He said, ‘The one who costs the most and is most valued by their people.’ I asked, ‘What if I cannot do that?’ He said, ‘Help a worker, or do work for someone who is inept.’ I asked, ‘What if I cannot do that?’ He said, ‘Refrain from harming people; that is charity which you give to yourself.’
Translation notes
The English witness adds explanatory footnotes about the best person to emancipate and the ambiguity of the conditional question; these notes are not in the Arabic text. The phrase about refraining from evil has more than one possible reading; the translation follows the witness wording.