32/4. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3704 — A Father's Exception in Reclaiming a Gift
Mentioning The Different Reports From Tawus About The One Who Takes Back His Gift
Hadith About Reclaiming Gifts and the Father's Exception
Sunan an-Nasai : 3704
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3704
أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْحَمِيدِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مَخْلَدٌ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ، عَنْ طَاوُسٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " لاَ يَحِلُّ لأَحَدٍ يَهَبُ هِبَةً ثُمَّ يَعُودُ فِيهَا إِلاَّ الْوَالِدَ " . قَالَ طَاوُسٌ كُنْتُ أَسْمَعُ الصِّبْيَانَ يَقُولُونَ يَا عَائِدًا فِي قَيْئِهِ وَلَمْ أَشْعُرْ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ضَرَبَ ذَلِكَ مَثَلاً حَتَّى بَلَغَنَا أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ " مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَهَبُ الْهِبَةَ ثُمَّ يَعُودُ فِيهَا " . وَذَكَرَ كَلِمَةً مَعْنَاهَا " كَمَثَلِ الْكَلْبِ يَأْكُلُ قَيْئَهُ " .
Tawus Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah said: "It is not permissible for anyone to give a gift then take it back, except a father." Tawus said: "I used to hear the boys say: 'O you who goes back to his vomit!' But I did not realize that the Messenger of Allah had said this as a parable, until we heard that he used to say: 'The likeness of the one who gives a gift then takes it back, is that of the dog which eats its vomit.'"
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3704In-book reference : Book 32, Hadith 17English translation : Vol. 4, Book 32, Hadith 3734
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3704
This narration states that it is not permissible for a person to give a gift and then return to it, except a father. It also reports Tawus explaining how he came to recognize the Prophet's parable about this conduct. The person who gives and then reclaims the gift is compared to a dog eating its vomit. The main teaching is the warning against gift revocation, together with the narrow exception stated in the report. Since this version says only 'except a father,' the explanation should not invent extra details about circumstances, procedures, or limits. It should also preserve Tawus's point: a familiar saying was understood more fully when he learned that the Messenger of Allah had used it as a parable for taking back a gift.
What we learn from this hadith
- The text warns against giving a gift and then reclaiming it.
- A father is named as the exception in this wording.
- The Prophet's parable presents gift revocation in a strongly negative way.
- Tawus learned that the familiar expression came from this Prophetic comparison.
