Etiquette of Asking for Payment
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1- الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ قَالَ دَخَلَ رَجُلٌ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَشَكَا إِلَيْهِ رَجُلا مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ فَلَمْ يَلْبَثْ أَنْ جَاءَ الْمَشْكُوُّ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) مَا لِفُلانٍ يَشْكُوكَ فَقَالَ لَهُ يَشْكُونِي أَنِّي اسْتَقْضَيْتُ مِنْهُ حَقِّي قَالَ فَجَلَسَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) مُغْضَباً ثُمَّ قَالَ كَأَنَّكَ إِذَا اسْتَقْضَيْتَ حَقَّكَ لَمْ تُسِئْ أَرَأَيْتَ مَا حَكَى اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي كِتَابِهِ يَخافُونَ سُوءَ الْحِسابِ أَتَرَى أَنَّهُمْ خَافُوا اللهَ أَنْ يَجُورَ عَلَيْهِمْ لا وَاللهِ مَا خَافُوا إِلا الاسْتِقْضَاءَ فَسَمَّاهُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ سُوءَ الْحِسَابِ فَمَنِ اسْتَقْضَى بِهِ فَقَدْ أَسَاءَ.
1. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu’alla’ ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Ali from Hammad ibn ‘Uthaman who has said the following: “Once, a man came to abu ‘ Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, to complain before him (the Imam) against one of his companions. In a little while the defendant came in and abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, asked, ‘Why does so and so complain against you?’ He replied, ‘It is because I asked him for payment of what he owes to me.’ He (the narrator) has said that abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, then sat straight with anger and said, ‘It seems as if when you demand for payment of what others owe, you do not consider it maltreating him. Consider what Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has said in His book, ‘They fear dreadful accounting.’ (13:21) Do you think they fear that Allah will do injustice to them? No, by Allah, that is not the case. They did not fear anything but demand for payment of what is owed to them and Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has called it (demand for payment) dreadful accounting, thus one who demands payment has maltreated him (debtor).”’
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2- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى رَفَعَهُ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ إِنَّ لِي عَلَى بَعْضِ الْحَسَنِيِّينَ مَالا وَقَدْ أَعْيَانِي أَخْذُهُ وَقَدْ جَرَى بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ كَلامٌ وَلا آمَنُ أَنْ يَجْرِيَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ مَا أَغْتَمُّ لَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) لَيْسَ هَذَا طَرِيقَ التَّقَاضِي وَلَكِنْ إِذَا أَتَيْتَهُ أَطِلِ الْجُلُوسَ وَالْزَمِ السُّكُوتَ قَالَ الرَّجُلُ فَمَا فَعَلْتُ ذَلِكَ إِلا يَسِيراً حَتَّى أَخَذْتُ مَالِي.
2. Muhammad ibn Yahya in a marfu’ manner has narrated the following: “He (the narrator) has said that a man once said to abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, ‘A man of Al- Husayniy people owes me a certain amount. Asking him for payment has become tiring for me. We had an argument about it and I am afraid something may happen between us that will make me sad.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, said, ‘This is not a proper manner of asking for payment. When you go to him next time sit with him for a long time and remain quiet.’ The man has said, ‘I followed the instruction and shortly thereafter I received full payment.’”
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3- عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ شَاذَانَ جَمِيعاً عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ عَنْ خَضِرِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو النَّخَعِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا (عَلَيْهِما السَّلام) فِي الرَّجُلِ يَكُونُ لَهُ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مَالٌ فَيَجْحَدُهُ قَالَ إِنِ اسْتَحْلَفَهُ فَلَيْسَ لَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ مِنْهُ بَعْدَ الْيَمِينِ شَيْئاً وَإِنْ تَرَكَهُ وَلَمْ يَسْتَحْلِفْهُ فَهُوَ عَلَى حَقِّهِ.
3. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father and Muhammad ibn ‘Isma’il has narrated from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan all from ibn abu ‘Umayr from Ibrahim ibn ‘Abd al-Hamid from Khidr ibn ‘Amr al-Nakha’iy who has said the following: “About the case of a man to whom another person owes a certain amount of assets but denies such liability one of the two Imam, (abu Ja’far or abu ‘Abd Allah), ‘Alayhim al-Salam, has said, ‘If he (creditor) makes him (the debtor) to take an oath, thereafter he (the creditor) is not entitled to take anything from him (the debtor), but if he does not make him to take an oath his right remains enforced upon the debtor.’”
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4- عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ هَارُونَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ مَسْعَدَةَ بْنِ صَدَقَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) لا وَجَعَ إِلا وَجَعُ الْعَيْنِ وَلا هَمَّ إِلا هَمُّ الدَّيْنِ.
4. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Harun ibn Muslim from Mas’adah ibn Sadaqah who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘No other ache is a serious ache except an eye ache, and no anxiety is a serious anxiety except the anxiety because of debts.’”
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5- وَبِهَذَا الإسْنَادِ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) الدَّيْنُ رِبْقَةُ اللهِ فِي الأرْضِ فَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللهُ أَنْ يُذِلَّ عَبْداً وَضَعَهُ فِي عُنُقِهِ.
5. Through the same chain of narrators as that of the previous Hadith the following is narrated: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘Debt is the loop of Allah on earth and when He wants to humiliate a person. He places it on his neck.’”
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6- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ بَيَّاعِ السَّابِرِيِّ وَمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْفُضَيْلِ وَحَكَمٍ الْحَنَّاطِ جَمِيعاً عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) يَقُولُ مَنْ حَبَسَ مَالَ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ وَهُوَ قَادِرٌ عَلَى أَنْ يُعْطِيَهُ إِيَّاهُ مَخَافَةَ إِنْ خَرَجَ ذَلِكَ الْحَقُّ مِنْ يَدِهِ أَنْ يَفْتَقِرَ كَانَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَقْدَرَ عَلَى أَنْ يُفْقِرَهُ مِنْهُ عَلَى أَنْ يُفْنِيَ نَفْسَهُ بِحَبْسِهِ ذَلِكَ الْحَقَّ.
6. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Sinan from Hammad ibn abu Talhah Bayya’ al-Sabiriy and Muhammad ibn al-Fudayl and Hakam al-Hannat all from abu Hamzah who has said the following: “I heard abu Ja’far ‘Alayhi al-Salam, saying, ‘One who withholds the assets of a Muslim, despite his ability to give it to him, just because of fear of standing in need, Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has greater power to impoverish him because of wasting his time and soul for holding back such right.’”