Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
nasai-kubra:6169Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Mahdī > Muʿāwiyah b. Ṣāliḥ > Saʿīd b. Hāniʾ > ʿIrbāḍ b. Sāriyah

"I lent a young camel to the Messenger of Allah, and I came to ask him to repay me. He said: 'Yes, I will only repay you with a superior she-camel.' so he repaid me and repaid me well. Then a Bedouin came to him to ask to repay him a camel of a certain age, and the Messenger of Allah said: 'Give him a camel of certain age.' On that day they gave him a mature camel and he said: 'This is better than my camel.' He (The Prophet) Said:' The best of you is the one who is best in repaying.''' (Using translation from Nasāʾī 4619)  

الكبرى للنسائي:٦١٦٩أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ سَعِيدَ بْنَ هَانِئٍ يَقُولُ

سَمِعْتُ عِرْبَاضَ بْنَ سَارِيَةَ يَقُولُ بِعْتُ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بَكْرًا فَأَتَيْتُهُ أَتَقَاضَاهُ فَقَالَ «أَجَلْ لَا أَقْضِينَّكَهَا إِلَّا لُجَيْنِيَّةً» فَقَضَانِي فَأَحْسَنَ قَضَائِي وَجَاءَهُ أَعْرَابِيٌّ يَتَقَاضَاهُ سِنَّهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «أَعْطُوهُ سِنًّا» فَأَعْطُوهُ يَوْمَئِذٍ جَمَلًا فَقَالَ هَذَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ سِنِّي فَقَالَ «خَيْرُكُمْ خَيْرُكُمْ قَضَاءً»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Nasāʾī, Aḥmad
nasai:4619Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Mahdī > Muʿāwiyah b. Ṣāliḥ > Saʿīd b. Hāniʾ > ʿIrbāḍ b. Sāriyah

"I lent a young camel to the Messenger of Allah, and I came to ask him to repay me. He said: 'Yes, I will only repay you with a superior she-camel.' so he repaid me and repaid me well. Then a Bedouin came to him to ask to repay him a camel of a certain age, and the Messenger of Allah said: 'Give him a camel of certain age.' On that day they gave him a mature camel and he said: 'This is better than my camel.' He (The Prophet) Said:' The best of you is the one who is best in repaying.'''  

النسائي:٤٦١٩أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ سَعِيدَ بْنَ هَانِئٍ يَقُولُ

سَمِعْتُ عِرْبَاضَ بْنَ سَارِيَةَ يَقُولُ بِعْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ بَكْرًا فَأَتَيْتُهُ أَتَقَاضَاهُ فَقَالَ أَجَلْ لاَ أَقْضِيكَهَا إِلاَّ نَجِيبَةً فَقَضَانِي فَأَحْسَنَ قَضَائِي وَجَاءَهُ أَعْرَابِيٌّ يَتَقَاضَاهُ سِنَّهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَعْطُوهُ سِنًّا فَأَعْطَوْهُ يَوْمَئِذٍ جَمَلاً فَقَالَ هَذَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ سِنِّي فَقَالَ خَيْرُكُمْ خَيْرُكُمْ قَضَاءً  

ahmad:17149ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Mahdī > Muʿāwiyah b. Ṣāliḥ > Saʿīd b. Hāniʾ > al-ʿIrbāḍ b. Sāriyah

[Machine] "I sold a camel to the Prophet ﷺ , and then I went to him to collect the payment. I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, pay me for the camel.' He replied, 'Yes, I will pay you, but only with a young camel.' So, he paid me with a young camel, and I was pleased with his settlement. Then, an Arab came to him and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, pay me for my camel.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave him a fully grown camel that was in excellent condition. The man said, 'O Messenger of Allah, this camel is better than mine.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, 'Indeed, the best among people are those who fulfill their obligations.'"  

أحمد:١٧١٤٩حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ هَانِئٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْعِرْبَاضَ بْنَ سَارِيَةَ قَالَ

بِعْتُ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بَكْرًا فَأَتَيْتُهُ أَتَقَاضَاهُ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ اقْضِنِي ثَمَنَ بَكْرِي فَقَالَ أَجَلْ لَا أَقْضِيكَهَا إِلَّا لُجَيْنِيَّةً قَالَ فَقَضَانِي فَأَحْسَنَ قَضَائِي قَالَ وَجَاءَهُ أَعْرَابِيٌّ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ اقْضِنِي بَكْرِي فَأَعْطَاهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَوْمَئِذٍ جَمَلًا قَدْ أَسَنَّ فَقَالَ يَارَسُولَ اللهِ هَذَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ بَكْرِي قَالَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ إِنَّ خَيْرَ الْقَوْمِ خَيْرُهُمْ قَضَاءً