The extent to which they betrayed you, disobeyed you, and lied to you will be measured against how much you punish them

Explanation

A man came to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and complained about the bad behaviors of his slaves, mentioning that they lie to him, deceive him, and disobey his orders; whereas he curses them and disciplines them by beating. So, he asked the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) about his condition on the Day of Judgment in relation to them. In response, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: The extent to which they betrayed you, disobeyed you, and lied to you will be measured against how much you punished them. If their sins and your punishment are equal in amount, nothing is due to you or upon you. But if your punishment is greater than their sins, you will be held accountable, and the excess amount will be taken from your good deeds and will be given to them. The man went aside and started to weep and cry. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: Do you not read this in the Book of Allah: {We will place the scales of justice on the Day of Resurrection, and no soul will be wronged in the least.} No one will be wronged whatsoever on the Day of Judgment, and the scales will weigh people's deeds justly. So, the man said: By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I find nothing better for me and them than leaving and parting with them. Bear witness that they are all free for the sake of Allah. This is because it would be truly hard to strike this balance and be constantly careful about such accountability. Responding to oppression falls under different categories: If retaliation is equal to the oppression, or less than that, it is valid. However, if it goes too far and exceeds the amount of oppression, it is prohibited and punishable.

Benefits

• The Hadīth points out Allah's justice in measuring people's deeds on the Day of Judgment.
• It indicates the man's sincerity in freeing his slaves out of fear from Allah's punishment.
• Responding to oppression falls under different categories: If retaliation is equal to the oppression, or less than that, it is valid. However, if it goes too far and exceeds the amount of oppression, it is prohibited and punishable.

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