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English translation
15. It was narrated from 'Urwah bin Zubair that 'Abdullâh bin Zubair told him that a man from the Ansâr had a dispute with Zubair in the presence of the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ concerning a stream in the Harrah[1] which they used to irrigate the date-palm trees. The Ansâri said: "Let the water flow," but (Zubair) refused. So they referred the dispute to the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ, who said: "Irrigate (your land), O Zubair, then let the water flow to your neighbor." The Ansâri became angry and said: "O Messenger of Allâh, is it because he is your cousin?" The face of the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ changed color (because of anger) and he said: "O Zubair, irrigate (your land) then block the water until it flows back to the walls around the date-palm trees." Zubair said: "By Allâh, I think that this Verse was revealed concerning this matter: 'But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad) judge in all disputes
between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.”[1] (Sahih)
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Footnotes
1
[1] Fields of volcanic rock in and around Al-Madinah.
Commentary
People with their farms nearest to a river or a rivulet and the first recipients of its water for their farms, have more right over the water. Only after they have done with it, comes the right of others in line.
It is the moral duty of a believer to be mindful of the needs of his neighbors.
While dispensing justice, the judge must see to it that the judgment takes care of the interest of both the parties. The Qur'an says: "...And reconciliation is better...." (4:128)
To deliver full rights to the deserving party, and no benefits to the opposing party, is perfectly in order. The Prophet ﷺ, in his first ruling, had kept the interest of both the parties in mind. Later on he ruled for full right in favor of Zubair ﷺ.
The Arabic word Jadr refers to a low, wall-like boundary used to retain water inside the cultivation area. Scholars have defined the encircling wall to be as high as the ankles of men working in the field.
Feeling pain in the heart or the appearance of the signs of displeasure on the face is a part of human nature. Our decisions, however, should not be colored by our anger. The Prophet ﷺ has expressly instructed as follows: "The judge must not give his verdict between two parties in a state of anger." (Bukhârī: 7158 & Muslim: 1717).The Prophet ﷺ enjoyed a special gift of infallibility from Allâh, and as such he spoke nothing but truth even when angry. No one after him is immune from error.
Mistrust of others is a bad human trait born of satanic whispering. It was this trait that led the person mentioned in the Hadith to impute kinship bias against the Prophet ﷺ.
