32/3. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3696 — Taking a Gift Back
Mentioning The Different Reports From 'Abdullah Bin 'Abbas About It
Taking a Gift Back: A Short Hadith With a Strong Warning
Sunan an-Nasai : 3696
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3696
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " الْعَائِدُ فِي هِبَتِهِ كَالْعَائِدِ فِي قَيْئِهِ " .
Ibn 'Abbas Narrated from:
The Prophet said: "The one who takes back his gift is like the one who goes back to his vomit."
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3696In-book reference : Book 32, Hadith 9English translation : Vol. 4, Book 32, Hadith 3726
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3696
This concise Hadith warns against taking a gift back. Ibn 'Abbas narrated that the Prophet compared the person who returns to his gift with someone who returns to his own vomit. No extra story, condition, or exception appears in this wording. The force of the narration comes from its brief and unpleasant comparison. It teaches that reclaiming a gift is not a normal or honorable way to treat an act of giving. For anyone asking whether a giver should casually take back a present, this Hadith provides a clear moral warning. A person should decide carefully before giving, make the gift with a settled heart, and avoid using it later as leverage over the recipient or as something to demand back.
What we learn from this hadith
- Taking back a gift is described through a strongly negative image.
- The Hadith presents giving as an act that should not be casually reversed.
- A giver should make a settled decision before handing over the gift.
- A gift should not later become leverage against the recipient.
