"A man from the Quraish broke a tooth of a man from the Ansar. So he appealed to Mu'awiyah against him. He said to Mu'awiyah: 'O Commander of the Believers! This person broke one of my teeth.' Mu'awiyah said: 'We will try to get satisfaction for you.' And the other person insisted that Mu'awiyah get him to agree [but he was not satisfied]. So Mu'awiyah said him: 'It is up to your companion.' Abu Ad-Darda' was sitting with him, so Abu Ad-Darda said: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying [he said: 'My ears heard and my heart remembered]: "There is no man who is struck in his body and he forgives for it, except that Allah raises him a level and removes a sin from him.'" The Ansari said: 'Did you hear that from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?' He said: "My ears heard it and my heart remembered it.' He said: 'Then I will leave it to him.' Mu'awiyah said: 'Surely you should not suffer.' So he ordered that he be given some wealth."
The Book on Blood Money
Jami' at-Tirmidhi - Hadith 1393
Narration Context
This incident occurred during the caliphate of Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him). A Qurayshi man broke the tooth of an Ansari man, leading to a legal dispute brought before the Caliph seeking justice and compensation for the injury sustained.
Legal Procedure
Mu'awiyah initially followed standard judicial procedure by attempting to facilitate reconciliation and compensation between the two parties. The Ansari had the right to demand qisas (retribution) or accept diyah (blood money) for the broken tooth, as teeth are among the body parts for which specific compensation is prescribed in Islamic law.
Abu Ad-Darda's Intervention
The esteemed Companion Abu Ad-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) witnessed the proceedings and intervened with Prophetic guidance. His emphatic declaration "My ears heard and my heart remembered" emphasizes the authenticity and precision of his transmission, a method used by meticulous scholars to verify hadith accuracy.
Spiritual Wisdom
The Prophet's teaching highlights the immense spiritual reward for forgiving physical injuries. Allah elevates the forgiver in rank and erases their sins - a divine exchange far surpassing worldly compensation. This demonstrates Islam's balance between establishing justice and encouraging moral excellence through forgiveness.
Practical Resolution
Upon hearing the Prophetic tradition, the Ansari immediately forgave the offender, embodying the spirit of the teaching. However, Mu'awiyah demonstrated wise leadership by still granting him wealth, recognizing that forgiveness shouldn't result in material loss. This reflects the Islamic principle that forgiveness is virtuous but compensation remains a right.