People you can never repay
There are some favours in life that money cannot measure and words cannot repay – moments when someone steps in and lifts a weight off your shoulders.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and one of the great scholars of the Companions, reflected on this in several narrations. He described the people whose kindness was so valuable that he could never give back their due, except to leave the reward with Allah.
What Ibn Abbas said
In one narration, he said:
«ثلاثة لا أكافئهم: رجل وسع لي في مجلس، فلو أعطيته ما في الأرض لم أكافئه، ورجل اغبرت قدماه في المشي إلي، فلو أني أعطيت دمي لم أكافئه، ورجل نزل بي بمسألة لم يجد لها موضعا غيري، فلو أني أعطيته ما في الأرض لم أكافئه حتى يكون الله عز وجل يكافئه عني»
“There are three people I can never repay:
A man who gave me space in a gathering. I cannot repay him even if I gave him everything I own.
A man whose feet became dusty from repeatedly coming to me. I cannot repay him even if I were to drip blood for him.
And a man who came to me with his need, having found no one else to turn to. I cannot repay him until the Lord of the Worlds Himself rewards him on my behalf.”(al-Bayhaqi in Shuʿab al-Iman).
ʿAmr ibn Dinar narrated from Tawus that Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) also said:
“There are three whom I can never repay, no matter how much I try:
a man who gave him water when he was thirsty, a man who protected his honour in his absence, and the one who spent the night restless, searching for someone to turn to, until he placed his hope in Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him).
Why such favours cannot be repaid
On the surface, these actions seem simple, but each one brought relief. They removed thirst, they gave dignity in a crowded gathering, they elevated his status by giving him the opportunity to help another.
When someone has dignified or brought you relief, you cannot repay the magnitude of what they gave you with material goods or polite words.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) knew that the scale of these actions was not measured in human currency. Their true value lies with Allah, who alone can reward them fully.
Relief and reward in Islam
The Qur’an teaches:
هَلْ جَزَاءُ الْإِحْسَانِ إِلَّا الْإِحْسَانُ
“Is there any reward for goodness other than goodness?” (55:60)
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
من نفس عن مؤمن كربة من كرب الدنيا نفس الله عنه كربة من كرب يوم القيامة
“Whoever relieves a believer of a hardship of this world, Allah will relieve him of a hardship of the Day of Resurrection.” (Muslim)
To relieve another person’s distress carries huge weight in Allah’s eyes.
The lesson
The words of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) remind us that we should never look down on the smallest acts of kindness.
Though, of course, we should thank them, we do so knowing that their repayment is with Allah and we can make duʿa that He grants them a reward far greater than what we could ever offer.
In poetry
ʿAmr ibn Dinar wrote about this, saying:
When the sudden night-anxieties lie with a man,
And he exhausts his thoughts through the dark, heavy night,
And he comes to me at dawn with a need,
Finding no one else, nor a supporter against fortune’s blows,
I relieve his worry with my wealth while he stands,
And the heavy, invading griefs depart,
And he has a favour over me by supposing,
That I am as good as he imagined – and I am grateful.
(al-Baladhuri in Ansab al-Ashraf)