Muʿādh's Debts

In another narration, by ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Ṣanʿānī: kāna Muʿādhu bnu Jabalin shābban jamīlan samḥan min khayri shabābi qawmih, lā yusʾalu shayʾan illā aʿṭāh, ḥattā kāna ʿalayhi daynun aghlaqa mālah, fa-kallama Rasūla Allāhi fī an yukallima ghuramāʾah, fa-faʿala, fa-lam yaḍaʿū lahu shayʾā; fa-law turika li-aḥadin bi-kalāmi aḥadin la-turika li-Muʿādhin bi-kalāmi Rasūli Allāh. Muʿādh ibn Jabal was a handsome and generous young man, one of the finest young men of his people. Muʿādh, by the way, was young, and was a very active student of knowledge, and very close to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him); and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) gave him special attention, because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to love him and used to see in him the signs of a scholar. So in this hadith it says that Muʿādh ibn Jabal was a handsome and generous young man, one of the finest of his people: anything he was ever asked for, he would give, so that eventually he had a debt that swallowed all of his wealth. He told this to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and asked him to speak to his creditors, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did so. However, the creditors did not let Muʿādh off anything, even though the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had interceded on his behalf. So then his wealth was all divided up: he was declared bankrupt, so all of his wealth was divided among the creditors. Fa-qāma Muʿādhun wa lā māla lah — by the time Muʿādh left, he had nothing.

Qāla: fa-lammā ḥajja Rasūlu Allāhi baʿatha Muʿādhan ilā al-Yaman. Qāla: fa-kāna awwala man tajara fī hādhā al-māli Muʿādh. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made Ḥajj, he sent Muʿādh to Yemen, and he allowed him to invest the money that was under his authority, the money of the treasury: he was allowed to invest it, and he was the first to do so. Qāla: fa-qadima ʿalā Abī Bakrin al-Ṣiddīqi min al-Yaman wa qad tuwuffiya Rasūlu Allāh; fa-jāʾa ʿUmaru fa-qāla: hal laka an tuṭīʿanī fa-tadfaʿa hādhā al-māla ilā Abī Bakr, fa-in aʿṭākahu fa-qbalh? Qāla: fa-qāla Muʿādh: lan adfaʿahu ilayh, wa innamā baʿathanī Rasūlu Allāhi li-yajburanī. By the time Muʿādh ibn Jabal came back, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had already passed away, and it was the time of the khilāfah of Abū Bakr; and his investment of the money had been successful. And ʿUmar told Muʿādh: give this money back to Abū Bakr; if he gives you any of it, then fine; otherwise you should give it up. Muʿādh said: I am not going to give it up, because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent me intending that I should recover some money — because of the story just told: he had lost all of his money.

So ʿUmar went to Abū Bakr and told him: arsil ilā hādhā al-rajuli fa-khudh minhu wa daʿhu — send for this man, and take some of his wealth, and leave him some. Abū Bakr said: mā kuntu li-afʿal; innamā baʿathahu Rasūlu Allāhi li-yajburah — Abū Bakr refused, and said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had sent him because he wanted him to benefit himself, to recover financially after he had gone bankrupt. In the morning Muʿādh ibn Jabal went to ʿUmar and said: mā arānī illā fāʿila alladhī qult — I think I am going to do what you told me. Innī raʾaytunī al-bāriḥata fī al-nawm — I saw myself last night in my sleep — ujarru ilā al-nār — being dragged to the Hellfire, and you were the one holding me back. So he went to Abū Bakr and gave him everything, and then Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) gave it back to him and said: it is ḥalāl for you. So now it was given to him with the approval of the caliph.