The Messenger of Allah ﷺ appointed a man from the tribe of Banu Sulaym, called Ibn al-Lutbiyyah, to collect their charity. When he returned and he took his account, he said, “This is your property, and this is a gift.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Why did you not sit in your father’s and mother’s house so that your gift would come to you, if you are truthful?”

Then he addressed us, praising Allah and extolling Him, then he said: “To proceed: I appoint one of you to a task from what Allah has entrusted to me, and he comes and says, ‘This is your property, and this is a gift that was given to me.’ Why did he not sit in his father’s and mother’s house so that his gift would come to him? By Allah, none of you takes anything without right except that he will meet Allah carrying it on the Day of Resurrection. I will surely recognize one of you meeting Allah carrying a camel that is bellowing, or a cow that is mooing, or a sheep that is bleating.”

Then he raised his hand until the whiteness of his armpit was seen, saying: “O Allah, have I conveyed ˹the message˺?” to the sight of my eye and the hearing of my ear.

اسْتَعْمَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ رَجُلًا عَلَى صَدَقَاتِ بَنِي سُلَيْمٍ يُدْعَى ابْنَ اللُّتَبِيَّةِ، فَلَمَّا جَاءَ حَاسَبَهُ قَالَ: هَذَا مَالُكُمْ، وَهَذَا هَدِيَّةٌ. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «فَهَلَّا جَلَسْتَ فِي بَيْتِ أَبِيكَ وَأُمِّكَ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَكَ هَدِيَّتُكَ إِنْ كُنْتَ صَادِقًا».

ثُمَّ خَطَبَنَا، فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: «أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنِّي أَسْتَعْمِلُ الرَّجُلَ مِنْكُمْ عَلَى الْعَمَلِ مِمَّا وَلَّانِي اللَّهُ، فَيَأْتِي فَيَقُولُ: هَذَا مَالُكُمْ، وَهَذَا هَدِيَّةٌ أُهْدِيَتْ لِي، أَفَلَا جَلَسَ فِي بَيْتِ أَبِيهِ وَأُمِّهِ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَهُ هَدِيَّتُهُ؟ وَاللَّهِ لَا يَأْخُذُ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ شَيْئًا بِغَيْرِ حَقِّهِ إِلَّا لَقِيَ اللَّهَ يَحْمِلُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، فَلَأَعْرِفَنَّ أَحَدًا مِنْكُمْ لَقِيَ اللَّهَ يَحْمِلُ بَعِيرًا لَهُ رُغَاءٌ، أَوْ بَقَرَةً لَهَا خُوَارٌ، أَوْ شَاةً تَيْعَرُ».

ثُمَّ رَفَعَ يَدَهُ حَتَّى رُئِيَ بَيَاضُ إِبْطِهِ، يَقُولُ: «اللَّهُمَّ هَلْ بَلَّغْتُ؟»، بَصْرَ عَيْنِي وَسَمْعَ أُذُنِي.

The Prophet ﷺ said, "The neighbor has more right to be taken care of by his neighbor (than anyone else)." Some men said, "If one wants to buy a house for 20,000 Dirhams then there is no harm to play a trick to deprive somebody of preemption by buying it (just on paper) with 20,000 Dirhams but paying to the seller only 9,999 Dirhams in cash and then agree with the seller to pay only one Dinar in cash for the rest of the price (i.e. 10,001 Dirhams). If the preemptor offers 20,000 Dirhams for the house, he can buy it otherwise he has no right to buy it (by this trick he got out of preemption). If the house proves to belong to somebody else other than the seller, the buyer should take back from the seller what he has paid, i.e., 9,999 Dirhams and one Dinar, because if the house proves to belong to somebody else, so the whole bargain (deal) is unlawful. If the buyer finds a defect in the house and it does not belong to somebody other than the seller, the buyer may return it and receive 20,000 Dirhams (instead of 9999 Dirham plus one Dinar) which he actually paid.' Abu ʿAbdullah said, "So that man allows (some people) the playing of tricks amongst the Muslims (although) the Prophet ﷺ said, 'In dealing with Muslims one should not sell them sick (animals) or bad things or stolen things."

قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ الْجَارُ أَحَقُّ بِصَقَبِهِ وَقَالَ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ إِنِ اشْتَرَى دَارًا بِعِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ فَلاَ بَأْسَ أَنْ يَحْتَالَ حَتَّى يَشْتَرِيَ الدَّارَ بِعِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ وَيَنْقُدَهُ تِسْعَةَ آلاَفِ دِرْهَمٍ وَتِسْعَمِائَةَ دِرْهَمٍ وَتِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ وَيَنْقُدَهُ دِينَارًا بِمَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الْعِشْرِينَ الأَلْفَ فَإِنْ طَلَبَ الشَّفِيعُ أَخَذَهَا بِعِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ وَإِلاَّ فَلاَ سَبِيلَ لَهُ عَلَى الدَّارِ فَإِنِ اسْتُحِقَّتِ الدَّارُ رَجَعَ الْمُشْتَرِي عَلَى الْبَائِعِ بِمَا دَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ وَهْوَ تِسْعَةُ آلاَفِ دِرْهَمٍ وَتِسْعُمِائَةٍ وَتِسْعَةٌ وَتِسْعُونَ دِرْهَمًا وَدِينَارٌ لأَنَّ الْبَيْعَ حِينَ اسْتُحِقَّ انْتَقَضَ الصَّرْفُ فِي الدِّينَارِ فَإِنْ وَجَدَ بِهَذِهِ الدَّارِ عَيْبًا وَلَمْ تُسْتَحَقَّ فَإِنَّهُ يَرُدُّهَا عَلَيْهِ بِعِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ قَالَ فَأَجَازَ هَذَا الْخِدَاعَ بَيْنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لاَ دَاءَ وَلاَ خِبْثَةَ وَلاَ غَائِلَةَ

Abu Rafiʿ sold a house to Saʿd bin Malik for four-hundred Mithqal of gold, and said, "If I had not heard the Prophet ﷺ saying, 'The neighbor has more right to be taken care of by his neighbor (than anyone else),' then I would not have sold it to you."

سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَقُولُ الْجَارُ أَحَقُّ بِصَقَبِهِ مَا أَعْطَيْتُكَ