The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.
حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ لَمَّا كَانَ يَوْمُ حُنَيْنٍ آثَرَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أُنَاسًا فِي الْقِسْمَةِ، فَأَعْطَى الأَقْرَعَ بْنَ حَابِسٍ مِائَةً مِنَ الإِبِلِ، وَأَعْطَى عُيَيْنَةَ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، وَأَعْطَى أُنَاسًا مِنْ أَشْرَافِ الْعَرَبِ، فَآثَرَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ فِي الْقِسْمَةِ. قَالَ رَجُلٌ وَاللَّهِ إِنَّ هَذِهِ الْقِسْمَةَ مَا عُدِلَ فِيهَا، وَمَا أُرِيدَ بِهَا وَجْهُ اللَّهِ. فَقُلْتُ وَاللَّهِ لأُخْبِرَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم. فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَقَالَ
" فَمَنْ يَعْدِلُ إِذَا لَمْ يَعْدِلِ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ رَحِمَ اللَّهُ مُوسَى قَدْ أُوذِيَ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنْ هَذَا فَصَبَرَ ".
On the day (of the battle) of Hunain, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) favored some people in the distribution of the
booty (to the exclusion of others); he gave Al-Aqra' bin H`Abis one-hundred camels and he gave
'Uyaina the same amount, and also gave to some of the eminent Arabs, giving them preference in this
regard. Then a person came and said, "By Allah, in this distribution justice has not been observed, nor
has Allah's Pleasure been aimed at." I said (to him), "By Allah, I will inform the Prophet (of what you
have said), "I went and informed him, and he said, "If Allah and His Apostle did not act justly, who
else would act justly. May Allah be merciful to Moses, for he was harmed with more than this, yet he
kept patient."
Narrated by Narrated `Abdullah:
Context
During the battle of Hunain, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ distributed the spoils of war, favoring certain individuals, which led to a complaint about fairness. A man accused the Prophet ﷺ of injustice, prompting the Prophet to remind him that if Allah and His Messenger did not act justly, who would? He also referenced the patience of Moses in the face of adversity, emphasizing the importance of enduring hardship with grace.
Modern Application
In contemporary society, fairness and justice remain critical issues. This hadith encourages individuals to reflect on their perceptions of justice and to remain patient in the face of perceived inequities, fostering a spirit of understanding and resilience.
Topics
This hadith is tagged with Justice and Divine Justice because it addresses the theme of fairness in leadership and the divine nature of justice as exemplified by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
And [mention, O Muhammad], when Moses said to his people, "O my people, remember the favor of Allah upon you when He appointed among you prophets and made you possessors and gave you that which He had not given anyone among the worlds.
It is not [attributable] to any prophet that he would act unfaithfully [in regard to war booty]. And whoever betrays, [taking unlawfully], will come with what he took on the Day of Resurrection. Then will every soul be [fully] compensated for what it earned, and they will not be wronged.
And Allah has favored some of you over others in provision. But those who were favored would not hand over their provision to those whom their right hands possess so they would be equal to them therein. Then is it the favor of Allah they reject?
And know that anything you obtain of war booty - then indeed, for Allah is one fifth of it and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and the orphans, the needy, and the [stranded] traveler, if you have believed in Allah and in that which We sent down to Our Servant on the day of criterion - the day when the two armies met. And Allah, over all things, is competent.
And what Allah restored [of property] to His Messenger from them - you did not spur for it [in an expedition] any horses or camels, but Allah gives His messengers power over whom He wills, and Allah is over all things competent.
This hadith is #3021 from Sahih al-Bukhari, in the Book of One-fifth of Booty to the Cause of Allah (Khumus). It is graded Sahih and narrated by Narrated `Abdullah:.