Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2122
حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي عُمَرَ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ الْهَمْدَانِيِّ، عَنِ الْحَارِثِ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَضَى بِالدَّيْنِ قَبْلَ الْوَصِيَّةِ وَأَنْتُمْ تَقْرَءُونَ الْوَصِيَّةَ قَبْلَ الدَّيْنِ . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَالْعَمَلُ عَلَى هَذَا عِنْدَ عَامَّةِ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ أَنَّهُ يُبْدَأُ بِالدَّيْنِ قَبْلَ الْوَصِيَّةِ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ibn Abi ‘Umar narrated to us; Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq al-Hamdani, from al-Harith, from ‘Ali: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ruled that a debt be settled before a bequest, although you recite the bequest before the debt. Abu ‘Isa said: Scholars generally act according to this report, beginning with the debt before the bequest.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source contrasts the order in which the verse mentions bequests and debts with the order of settlement, giving precedence to the debt.
قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَالْعَمَلُ عَلَى هَذَا عِنْدَ عَامَّةِ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ أَنَّهُ يُبْدَأُ بِالدَّيْنِ قَبْلَ الْوَصِيَّةِ .
The Arabic adds that scholars generally act according to this report; the English witness omits this closing note.
Should the compiler’s statement of scholarly practice be included? It is translated here.