The Meaning of the Hadith: "Delaying the Rich is Injustice"
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
He says: Shaykh, what is the meaning of the hadithJami` at-Tirmidhi 1308Sahih (Darussalam)?
Answer:
Yes. Delaying a wealthy person means stalling him as a debtor; he promises, then breaks his promise, then delays, and then delays again. This is the one who is stalling. It is obligatory for him, when the owner of the right demands his right, to pay it to him without delay, unless he is unable to pay. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said:[Al-Baqarah 2:280] The delay of the wealthy person is injustice. Injustice to whom?
To the creditor. He must pay the debt when the term arrives and when he is able to settle it. He must not stall, and he must not delay him, because this is injustice. It exposes his honor to being attacked, for the owner of the right may complain about him and say, "He delayed my right and consumed my right," or the like. This exposes his honor. And his punishment is imprisonment; the one in authority imprisons him as a punishment for him. This exposes his honor and his punishment. Yes.
He says: Shaykh, what is the meaning of the hadith
Procrastination (in paying a debt) by a rich person is oppression. So if your debt is transferred from your debtor to a rich debtor, you should agree.
مطل الغني ظلم، وإذا أتبع أحدكم على مليء فليتبعAnswer:
Yes. Delaying a wealthy person means stalling him as a debtor; he promises, then breaks his promise, then delays, and then delays again. This is the one who is stalling. It is obligatory for him, when the owner of the right demands his right, to pay it to him without delay, unless he is unable to pay. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said:
And if someone is in hardship, then [let there be] postponement until [a time of] ease.
وَإِن كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ مَيْسَرَةٍTo the creditor. He must pay the debt when the term arrives and when he is able to settle it. He must not stall, and he must not delay him, because this is injustice. It exposes his honor to being attacked, for the owner of the right may complain about him and say, "He delayed my right and consumed my right," or the like. This exposes his honor. And his punishment is imprisonment; the one in authority imprisons him as a punishment for him. This exposes his honor and his punishment. Yes.
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/071 — archive.org (5:35)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.