| 2 Bukhari hadiths


443 - It was narrated that Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah said: I came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when he was in the mosque – Mis‘ar [one of the narrators] said: I think he said: at mid-morning – and he told me: Pray two rak‘ahs. He owed me something, and he paid it back, giving me more than he owed..

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was the most compassionate of people towards his companions; he would check on them and help them in their religious and worldly affairs.
There is a story behind this text. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) bought a camel from Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah on the way back from the conquest of Makkah, on the basis that he would give him its price when they returned to Madinah. It was also said that he bought it from him on the way back from Tabuk, or that that happened when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was returning from the campaign of Dhat al-Riqa‘.
When Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Madinah, he went to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in his mosque, to greet him. That happened at the time of mid-morning. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) welcomed him warmly and told him to pray two rak‘ahs to “greet the mosque” (tahiyyat al-masjid). Then he paid him what he owed him, which was the price of the camel that he had bought on credit, and he gave him more than he owed him. According to Ibn Majah, Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: He kept giving me more, dinar after dinar, and every time he gave me another dinar, he said, “And may Allah forgive you,” until the number reached twenty dinars. When I came to Madinah, I took my camel by the head and brought it to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and he said: “O Bilal, give him twenty dinars from the war booty.” Then he said: “Go and get your camel, and take it back to your family.” This was by way of honouring Jabir and showing generosity to him, because his father ‘Abdullah ibn Haram (may Allah be pleased with him) had died in the Battle of Uhud, leaving Jabir with sisters to take care of. So the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) wanted to help him to take care of them. Hence he bought the camel from him, so as to avoid embarrassing him, and so that that would be a reason to give him something and show him kindness, without embarrassing him, as is clearly explained in other versions of this hadith. The reports differ concerning the price and the additional amount that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gave him.
This hadith indicates that part of paying off debts properly is to repay what is owed with something of better quality or greater quantity, so that the debtor gives the lender more than he took from him. This comes under the heading of dignity and decency.
It highlights the kindness and generosity of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to his companions.
It also indicates that the one who enters the mosque should pray two rak‘ahs as a greeting to the mosque (tahiyyat al-masjid)..