The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, "When my messengers come to you, give them thirty coats of mail and thirty camels."I asked, "Messenger of Allah, is it a loan with guaranteed compensation if lost, or a loan to be returned as is?"He replied, "Rather, it is a loan to be returned."
قال لي رسول الله ﷺ: إذا أتتك رسلي فأعطهم ثلاثين درعا، وثلاثين بعيرا. قال: فقلت: يا رسول الله، أعارية مضمونة، أو عارية مؤداة؟ قال: بل عارية مؤداة.
Reported by Abu Dawud (3566), Ahmad (17950), and Daraqutni (3/39), and Ibn Hibban graded it sahih (4720), all of them from the hadith of Hammam, from Qatada, from Ataa, from Safwan bin Yaala bin Umaya, from his father, and he mentioned it. Its isnad is sahih. Hammam is Ibn Yahya bin Dinar Awdhi.This hadith is evidence that a borrowed item must be returned as long as it still exists in its original form. There is no disagreement among the scholars on this point. The disagreement is only about liability for a borrowed item. Those who relied on these hadiths said there is no liability for a borrowed item, and that it is simply to be returned. This is the view of Abu Hanifa and his companions, and among the companions, Ali and Ibn Masud held this view.Those who held that a borrowed item entails liability interpreted the hadith to mean that a borrowed item is to be returned while it still exists, and its value is due if it is lost or destroyed. They also cited as evidence the hadith of Jabir bin Abdullah that follows, and others. This is the view of the majority, including Malik, Shafii, and Ahmad. Among the companions, Ibn Abbas and Abu Hurairah held this view.For more, see Minna Kubra (5/372-373).