A man said to Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, “Indeed, someone has backbitten you!” Hasan sent a dish of sweet dates to the backbiter and he said, “I heard that you have given me your good deeds as a gift, so I want to repay you for it, but please excuse me for I am unable to completely repay you.”
Source: Tanbih al-Ghafilin