Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
When ‘Abdullah (my father) died, he left behind children and debts. I asked the creditors to reduce the debts, but they refused, so I went to the Prophet ﷺ to intercede with them, yet they refused. The Prophet ﷺ said (to me), "Classify your dates into their different kinds: ‘Idhq ibn Zayd, Lean and ‘Ajwah, each kind alone and call all the creditors and wait till I come to you." I did so and the Prophet ﷺ came and sat beside the dates and started measuring to each his due till he paid them fully, and the dates remained as they were before, as if he had not touched them. (On another occasion) I took part in one of Ghazawaat among with the Prophet ﷺand I was riding one of our camels. The camel got tired and was lagging behind the others. The Prophet ﷺhit it on its back. He ﷺ said, "Sell it to me, and you have the right to ride it till Al-Madeenah.'' When we approached Al-Madeenah, I took the permission from the Prophet ﷺ to go to my house, saying, "O Allah's MessengerﷺI have newly married." The Prophet ﷺasked, "Have you married a virgin or a previously married woman (i.e., a widow or divorcee)?" I said, "I have married a previously married woman; ‘Abdullah (my father) died and left behind young daughters, so I married a previously married woman who may teach them and bring them up to embody good manners." The Prophet ﷺthen said (to me), "Go to your family." When I went there and told my maternal uncle about the selling of the camel, he admonished me for it. On that I told him about its slowness and exhaustion and about what the Prophet ﷺ had done to the camel and his hitting it. When the Prophet ﷺ arrived, I went to him with the camel in the morning and he gave me its price, the camel itself, and my share from the spoils of war as he gave the other people.
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Commentary :
A Muslim is a brother of his fellow Muslim, and it is becoming of a Muslim to strive to fulfill the needs of his Muslim brothers, especially those who explicitly ask for his help. He should (hasten to their help and) stand by them until their need is fulfilled.
In this hadeeth, Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullah Al-Ansaaree(may Allah be pleased with them) narrated that his father, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Haraam (may Allah be pleased with him) passed away owing a debt to someone. He (may Allah be pleased with him) had been martyred during the Battle of Uhud in 3 A.H, leaving behind seven or nine young daughters. Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the creditors to reduce the debts so that he would be able to repay them, but they refused and claimed the repayment of their debts in full. He (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet ﷺ to help him and intercede with the creditors to reduce their debts so that he would be able to repay them, but they refused. Thereupon, the Prophet ﷺ asked Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) to go back to his orchard and arrange his dates in heaps according to their different kinds. The cluster of Ibn Zayd, which were low-quality dates that were named after someone called Ibn Zayd, should be arranged on one side, Lean, another kind, should be arranged on another side, and ‘Ajwah dates, which were the finest kind of dates in Al-Madeenah, should be arranged on a different side, and so on.
Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) did as he ﷺ commanded and then notified him. The Prophet ﷺ came and sat at the head or in the middle of the heaps and ordered Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) to measure the dates for the creditors to repay his late father’s debts. He (may Allah be pleased with him) cut and measured for them till he repaid all the debts, and his dates remained as they were, as if nothing had been taken from them, by the blessing of the Prophet ﷺ.
The hadeeth highlights a miracle performed by the Prophet ﷺ and a sign indicating his prophethood.
It is deduced from the hadeeth that it is permissible to seek debt relief, if the debtor is unable to repay their dates in full, but the creditor has the choice either to accept or refuse such a request.
In this hadeeth, Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) also stated that he was once with the Prophet ﷺ on a journey back to Al-Madeenah after a battle. He (may Allah be pleased with him) was riding a slow camel used for carrying water. According to the version complied in Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim, “The camel got tired and lagged behind,” because of exhaustion. Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) lagged behind and the Prophet ﷺ passed by him and beat the slow camel, urging it to move faster. According to the version recorded in Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim, the camel passed the others thenceforth, leading the way, by the blessing of the Prophet ﷺ.
He ﷺ asked Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) to sell him this camel, and he (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, "It is (a gift) for you, O Allah's Messenger ﷺ.” However, the Prophet ﷺ refused to take it as a gift and insisted on buying it. He ﷺ bought it for four (gold) Dinars with the allowance that Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) may keep on riding it till they reached Al-Madeenah, and then the Prophet ﷺ would take it into his possession.
When they approached Al-Madeenah, Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) sought the permission of the Prophet ﷺ to go (quickly) to (join) his family, because he was newly married. This highlights the virtues of Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him), who partook in Jihaad shortly after his wedding. The Prophet ﷺ asked him whether he had married a virgin or a previously married woman. He ﷺ mentioned the ‘virgin’ first to indicate that it is better for a Muslim to marry a virgin. Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) informed him that he had married a previously married woman, named Suhaylah bint Mas‘ood Al-Awsiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her), because she would be more experienced and able to take care of his sisters,while a virgin would not be able to shoulder such a task. He (may Allah be pleased with him) explained to the Prophet ﷺ that his father left behind seven or nine young daughters and therefore he decided to marry a previously married woman to look after them and raise them properly. In the event of a conflict of interests, priority should be given to what is more important. Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) chose to put his sisters’ interests before his own, and the Prophet ﷺ approved his wise choice and supplicated Allah, Exalted is He, to bless his marriage. According to the version recorded in Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim, he ﷺ said: “Go to your family,” meaning your wife. When Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived in Al-Madeenah, he (may Allah be pleased with him) informed his maternal uncle, and it was said that his name was Tha‘labah ibn Ghanamah ibn ‘Adiyy ibn Sinaan Al-Ansaaree Al-Khazrajiyy or ‘Amr ibn Ghanamah, that he had sold his camel to the Prophet ﷺ. His maternal uncle blamed him for it, perhaps because he (may Allah be pleased with him) needed it or because he (may Allah be pleased with him) had not offered it to the Prophet ﷺ as a gift. Narrated Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him): “I told him about its slowness and exhaustion and about what the Prophet ﷺ had done to the camel and his hitting it.”
When the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Al-Madeenah, Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) went to him with the camel in the morning and he ﷺgave him its price, the camel itself, and his share from the spoils of war as he ﷺ gave the other people. This reflects the generosity and munificence of the Prophet ﷺ with his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).
The hadeeth also underlines the Prophet’s gracious humbleness and kindness with his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), checking on them and serving their best interests.
It is also inferred that a woman should take care of her husband’s family and tend to the needs of his siblings (dependents).
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