مَطْلُ الْغَنِيِّ ظُلْمٌ
Procrastination (delay) in paying debts by a wealthy man is injustice.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2287 · Source checked
English translation on Sunnah.com
Source
Sahih al-Bukhari 2287
Book 38, Hadith 1
English translation on Sunnah.com
The linked entry does not identify an individual translator. Credit is given to the displayed Sunnah.com translation; no individual attribution is inferred.
This is an excerpt. Read the complete narration at the linked source.
Source text checked 2026-09-17. Included in a Sahih collection; no separate grading claim added.
What It Means: Reading in Context
This excerpt identifies delay by a debtor who has the means to pay as injustice. The remainder of the narration addresses transferring a debt to a solvent debtor. Its description of an able payer should not be used to condemn someone who genuinely lacks the means to repay. This entry comes from Sahih al-Bukhari 2287. The displayed text is an excerpt, not the complete narration. Follow the source link to read the narrator, full wording and in-book reference together. A hadith number identifies the source used here; numbering systems can differ between editions. Being able to inspect a source is important when a short statement is shared outside its original setting. The accompanying reflection is an editorial prompt for everyday conduct. It is not part of the hadith and does not replace explanation from qualified scholarship. Avoid extending a short reminder into a religious ruling that the entry itself does not establish.
REFLECTION · EDITORIAL
When a payment is due and you can afford it, make it promptly. Respect the other person’s time and needs.
This reflection is not Qur’an, hadith or an authoritative tafsir.