Islamic etiquette

On the authority of Jabir ibn Abdullah – may Allah be pleased with him – that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “If a man tells a hadith and then turns away, it is a trust.”

Narrated by Abu Dawud (4868)

Explanation of the hadith:

That is, if a man tells a man a hadith, and what is meant by hadith is news or something that is a secret that he divulged to him, then it is a trust. And his saying: (then turns away), that is: that speaker, and this is a sign that takes the place of his saying: Do not divulge this secret, or keep this speech secret, for this is an action that takes the place of speech; because the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that it is a trust, so his turning away means: that he fears that someone will hear it, or that he does not want anyone to hear it other than the one he is telling, so this is a sign that he does not want to divulge it, and based on this, whatever is of this type is a trust for the one who narrated this hadith; Because his doing this action is evidence of his desire not to disclose it, and it is known that the thing described as a trust means that he preserves it, and the person who was told about it does not transmit it to others.

Book of Explanation of Sunan Abi Dawood for the Worshippers