A study of the narrations in Jabir's hadith, some of which mention Jabir's initial refusal to sell, and others which mention his gifting of the camel to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon the one sent as a mercy to the worlds, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow him with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows: This is a study of the narrations in Jabir's hadith, some of which mention Jabir's initial refusal to sell, some mention his consent, and some mention his gifting of the camel to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). First: Mentioning the narrations on this matter. Al-Bukhari narrated:

Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah: I was accompanying the Prophet (ﷺ) on a journey and was riding a slow camel that was lagging behind the others. The Prophet (ﷺ) passed by me and asked, "Who is this?" I replied, "Jabir bin `Abdullah." He asked, "What is the matter, (why are you late)?" I replied, "I am riding a slow camel." He asked, "Do you have a stick?" I replied in the affirmative. He said, "Give it to me." When I gave it to him, he beat the camel and rebuked it. Then that camel surpassed the others thenceforth. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Sell it to me." I replied, "It is (a gift) for you, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)." He said, "Sell it to me. I have bought it for four Dinars (gold pieces) and you can keep on riding it till Medina." When we approached Medina, I started going (towards my house). The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Where are you going?" I Sa`d, "I have married a widow." He said, "Why have you not married a virgin to fondle with each other?" I said, "My father died and left daughters, so I decided to marry a widow (an experienced woman) (to look after them)." He said, "Well done." When we reached Medina, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "O Bilal, pay him (the price of the camel) and give him extra money." Bilal gave me four Dinars and one Qirat extra. (A sub-narrator said): Jabir added, "The extra Qirat of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) never parted from me." The Qirat was always in Jabir bin `Abdullah's purse.

قال: بعنيه فقلت: بل هو لك يا رسول الله، قال: بل بعنيه قد أخذته بأربعة دنانير

Sahih al-Bukhari 2309

, Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated:

Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah: I participated in a Ghazwa along with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) The Prophet (ﷺ) met me (on the way) while I was riding a camel of ours used for irrigation and it had got so tired that it could hardly walk. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked me, "What is wrong with the camel?" I replied, "It has got tired." So. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came from behind it and rebuked it and prayed for it so it started surpassing the other camels and going ahead of them. Then he asked me, "How do you find your camel (now)?" I replied, "I find it quite well, now as it has received your blessings." He said, "Will you sell it to me?" I felt shy (to refuse his offer) though it was the only camel for irrigation we had. So, I said, "Yes." He said, "Sell it to me then." I sold it to him on the condition that I should keep on riding it till I reached Medina. Then I said, "O Allah's Apostle! I am a bridegroom," and requested him to allow me to go home. He allowed me, and I set out for Medina before the people till I reached Medina, where I met my uncle, who asked me about the camel and I informed him all about it and he blamed me for that. When I took the permission of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) he asked me whether I had married a virgin or a matron and I replied that I had married a matron. He said, "Why hadn't you married a virgin who would have played with you, and you would have played with her?" I replied, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! My father died (or was martyred) and I have some young sisters, so I felt it not proper that I should marry a young girl like them who would neither teach them manners nor serve them. So, I have married a matron so that she may serve them and teach them manners." When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) arrived in Medina, I took the camel to him the next morning and he gave me its price and gave me the camel itself as well.

قال: أفتبيعنيه قال: فاستحييت ولم يكن لنا ناضح غيره، قال: فقلت نعم فبعته إياه

Sahih al-Bukhari 2967

, and both of them narrated:

He again said, "Sell it to me for one Uqiyya (of gold)." I sold it

ثم قال: بعنيه بأوقية قلت لا ثم قال بعنيه بأوقية فبعته

Sahih al-Bukhari 2718

, Muslim narrated:

Then he said to me: "Sell me your camel." I said: "No, rather it is for you." He said: "No, rather sell it to me." I said: "No, rather it is for you, O Messenger of Allah." He said: "No, rather sell it to me."

ثم قال لي: بعني جملك هذا، قلت: لا بل هو لك، قال: لا بل بعنيه، فقلت: لا بل هو لك يا رسول الله، قال: لا بل بعنيه

, and he narrated:

He said: "Will you sell it to me for such and such, and may Allah forgive you?" I said: "It is for you, O Prophet of Allah." He said that three times.

قال: أتبيعنيه كذا وكذا والله يغفر لك، قلت: هو لك يا نبي الله قال ذلك ثلاثا

As-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Nasa'i 39:192

, and both of them narrated:

He said: "Will you sell the camel?" I said: "Yes." When we arrived in Medina...

فقال: أتبيع الجمل؟ فقلت: نعم، فلما قدمنا المدينة ...

, Al-Nasa'i narrated:

I was in great need of it myself

وكانت لي إليه حاجة شديدة

Sunan an-Nasa'i 4638Sahih (Darussalam)

, and Ahmad narrated from the report of Wahb ibn Kaysan from Jabir:

Will you sell me your camel, O Jabir? I said: Rather, I give it to you.

أتبيعني جملك هذا يا جابر؟ قلت: بل أهبه لك

. Second: The statements of the scholars on this matter. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath, after he had cited some of the narrations of the hadith, that all of this is a refutation of Ibn al-Tayy's statement that the phrase " No " is not preserved for this story. He also said, in the section of its benefits, that it is permissible for an elder to say "No" in a permissible matter. Al-Qastallani said in his commentary, after mentioning Ibn al-Tayy's statement that " No " is not preserved, that it seems he considered Jabir to be elevated above saying "No" in response to the question of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). However, his saying " No " is established, but the negation is directed at leaving off the sale. Ahmad narrated from the report of Ibn Wahb ibn Kaysan: "Will you sell me your camel, O Jabir?" I said, "Rather, I give it to you." Al-'Ayni said: His saying "No" is established, but its meaning is "I do not sell it, rather I give it to you," and the negation is directed at leaving off the sale, not at the speech of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The evidence for this is the report of Wahb ibn Kaysan in Ahmad mentioned above. If you say: It came in Ahmad's narration that "I disliked to sell it," I say: His dislike was for the form of the sale to occur between him and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), because his intention was the form of a gift. So the dislike does not return to the question of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but when he asked him the second time, he responded with the sale in compliance with his speech. Al-Sindi said in his marginal notes on Sunan al-Nasa'i: His saying " So I said, No " was either because of his need for it in travel, and that prevented him from selling, or because he intended that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would take it without compensation, so he refused to sell for that reason. Shaykh 'Abd Allah al-Basam said in Tawdih al-Ahkam min Bulugh al-Maram: Refraining from the sale due to an increase in the price or a lack of desire to sell is not considered disobedience to his command (peace and blessings be upon him), because such matters are not in the form of worship or compulsion, but rather they are permissible contracts that return to customs, so there is the option of both parties in them. Also, in the other narration, he said, "I do not sell it, rather I give it to you." This is what I was able to gather on this matter, and Allah knows best. "

The Shaykh : The apparent reconciliation to me is that when he said, "Will you sell it to me?" he said, "Rather, I give it to you." He said, "Rather, sell it to me," and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) disliked taking it as a gift, just as he disliked taking the two camels on which he migrated as a gift. He said, "Rather, for a price." So when he saw that he wanted to buy it and that the matter was a matter of exchange, he said, "Sell it to me for a uqiyah." He said, "No." This achieves the reconciliation, if Allah wills, and removes the difficulty. When the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) asked for it, Jabir intended to give it as a gift, so he said, "No, rather sell it to me." At that point, exchange and bargaining entered in, and there is no harm in that, because when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Sell it to me," he did not intend to compel him; rather, it was a request for a transaction, and a person is free in it. Yes, that is correct.