Ishaaq bin Ebrahim (rahimahullah) narrates the following incident:
On one occasion, Juwain, the neighbor of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah), sent a platter of walnuts, raisins and figs to Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) as a gift. The value of this gift was not more than three dirhams (silver coins).
On receiving the gift, Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) handed me one dinar (gold coin) and instructed, “Go and buy sugar for ten dirhams, and dates for seven dirhams. Take it to the house of Juwain in the evening and present it to him as a gift from my side.”
Accordingly, I fulfilled the instruction of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) and delivered the gift in the evening.
(Manaaqib Imaam Ahmed libnil Jowzi pg. 327-328)
Note:
It was the mubaarak sunnah of Hazrat Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) that whenever he received a gift from any person, he would reciprocate by also giving the person a gift. It is also reported in the Hadith that Hazrat Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) would give the person a gift that was better than the gift he received from him.
Hence, in this incident, we see that Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) was emulating the blessed sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). The gift he received from his neighbor was worth three dirhams, yet to emulate the sunnah, he reciprocated by giving him a gift, in exchange, that was worth seventeen dirhams.
