“How easy it is to settle a score before it is settled in the Aakhirah.”

‘Uthmaan bin ‘Affaan entered upon a slave of his who was feeding his she-camel, and he saw something in the feed that he disliked, so he took hold of the slave’s ear and tweaked it. Then he regretted it and said to his slave:

“Settle the score.”

The slave refused, but ‘Uthmaan did not leave him alone until he had taken hold of his ear and begun to tweak it.  ‘Uthmaan said, “Pull hard,” until he thought that the slave had pulled as hard as he had done. Then ‘Uthmaan said:

“How easy it is to settle a score before it is settled in the Aakhirah.”

[Akhbaar al-Madeenah 3/236]