Why he gave to the person he thought less of
Saʿd pressed him about it three times.
يَا سَعْدُ، إِنِّي لأُعْطِي الرَّجُلَ وَغَيْرُهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِنْهُ، خَشْيَةَ أَنْ يَكُبَّهُ اللَّهُ فِي النَّارِ
Yā Saʿd, innī la-uʿṭi-r-rajula wa ghayruhu aḥabbu ilayya minh, khashyata an yakubbahu-Llāhu fi-n-nār
Saʿd, I give to a man while someone else is dearer to me than him, out of fear that Allah would throw him on his face into the Fire.
Where this comes from
Saʿd kept saying: leave so and so, he is a believer. And he kept getting the same answer, or a Muslim. Then this. The giving was not a reward. It was a rope.
The full narration
Narrated Sa'd: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) distributed (Zakat) amongst (a group of) people while I was sitting there but Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) left a man whom I thought the best of the lot. I asked, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Why have you left that person? By Allah I regard him as a faithful believer." The Prophet (ﷺ) commented: "Or merely a Muslim." I remained quiet for a while, but could not help repeating my question because of what I knew about him. And then asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), "Why have you left so and so? By Allah! He is a faithful believer." The Prophet (ﷺ) again said, "Or merely a Muslim." And I could not help repeating my question because of what I knew about him. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O Sa'd! I give to a person while another is dearer to me, for fear that he might be thrown on his face in the Fire by Allah
Source
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī · 27
- Agreed upon as authentic (al-Bukhārī / Muslim)