Sahih Muslim
Sahih Muslim 143a
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، وَوَكِيعٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ وَهْبٍ، عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَدِيثَيْنِ قَدْ رَأَيْتُ أَحَدَهُمَا وَأَنَا أَنْتَظِرُ الآخَرَ حَدَّثَنَا " أَنَّ الأَمَانَةَ نَزَلَتْ فِي جِذْرِ قُلُوبِ الرِّجَالِ ثُمَّ نَزَلَ الْقُرْآنُ فَعَلِمُوا مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ وَعَلِمُوا مِنَ السُّنَّةِ " . ثُمَّ حَدَّثَنَا عَنْ رَفْعِ الأَمَانَةِ قَالَ " يَنَامُ الرَّجُلُ النَّوْمَةَ فَتُقْبَضُ الأَمَانَةُ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ فَيَظَلُّ أَثَرُهَا مِثْلَ الْوَكْتِ ثُمَّ يَنَامُ النَّوْمَةَ فَتُقْبَضُ الأَمَانَةُ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ فَيَظَلُّ أَثَرُهَا مِثْلَ الْمَجْلِ كَجَمْرٍ دَحْرَجْتَهُ عَلَى رِجْلِكَ فَنَفِطَ فَتَرَاهُ مُنْتَبِرًا وَلَيْسَ فِيهِ شَىْءٌ - ثُمَّ أَخَذَ حَصًى فَدَحْرَجَهُ عَلَى رِجْلِهِ - فَيُصْبِحُ النَّاسُ يَتَبَايَعُونَ لاَ يَكَادُ أَحَدٌ يُؤَدِّي الأَمَانَةَ حَتَّى يُقَالَ إِنَّ فِي بَنِي فُلاَنٍ رَجُلاً أَمِينًا . حَتَّى يُقَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ مَا أَجْلَدَهُ مَا أَظْرَفَهُ مَا أَعْقَلَهُ وَمَا فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ مِنْ إِيمَانٍ " . وَلَقَدْ أَتَى عَلَىَّ زَمَانٌ وَمَا أُبَالِي أَيَّكُمْ بَايَعْتُ لَئِنْ كَانَ مُسْلِمًا لَيَرُدَّنَّهُ عَلَىَّ دِينُهُ وَلَئِنْ كَانَ نَصْرَانِيًّا أَوْ يَهُودِيًّا لَيَرُدَّنَّهُ عَلَىَّ سَاعِيهِ وَأَمَّا الْيَوْمَ فَمَا كُنْتُ لأُبَايِعَ مِنْكُمْ إِلاَّ فُلاَنًا وَفُلاَنًا .
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shayba narrated to us: Abu Mu'awiya and Waki' narrated to us. H. Abu Kurayb narrated to us: Abu Mu'awiya narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Zayd ibn Wahb, from Hudhayfa, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told us two reports. I have seen one of them come to pass, and I await the other. He told us: Trustworthiness was placed in the depths of people's hearts. Then the Qur'an was revealed, and they learned from the Qur'an and from the Sunnah. Then he told us about trustworthiness being withdrawn. He said: A man sleeps, and trustworthiness is taken from his heart, leaving a faint mark. Then he sleeps again, and trustworthiness is taken from his heart, leaving a blister-like mark, like an ember rolled over your foot until it blisters; you see it swollen, yet empty inside. Then he took a pebble and rolled it over his foot. People will wake to trade with one another, and hardly anyone will fulfill a trust, until it is said: In such-and-such a clan there is a trustworthy man. Then a man will be praised: How capable he is, how charming, how intelligent—yet his heart holds not even a mustard seed's weight of faith. A time came when I did not care which of you I traded with: if he was Muslim, his religion would make him return what was due to me; and if he was Christian or Jew, his authority would make him return it. But today, I would trade with none of you except so-and-so and so-and-so.
Translation notes
The referent of the Arabic term is uncertain here; rendered as authority.
وَلَقَدْ أَتَى عَلَىَّ زَمَانٌ وَمَا أُبَالِي أَيَّكُمْ بَايَعْتُ لَئِنْ كَانَ مُسْلِمًا لَيَرُدَّنَّهُ عَلَىَّ دِينُهُ وَلَئِنْ كَانَ نَصْرَانِيًّا أَوْ يَهُودِيًّا لَيَرُدَّنَّهُ عَلَىَّ سَاعِيهِ وَأَمَّا الْيَوْمَ فَمَا كُنْتُ لأُبَايِعَ مِنْكُمْ إِلاَّ فُلاَنًا وَفُلاَنًا .
The final expression says that the Christian or Jew would return the due through his sā'ihi; the precise referent is not explicit in this passage.
Should sā'ihi be understood as a ruler or official who enforces repayment, or another authority figure?