Mishkat al-Masabih

a life for a life; a married man who commits fornication; and one who turns aside from his religion and abandons the community.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Umar reported God’s Messenger as saying, “A believer will continue to find ample scope in his religion as long as he does not kill anyone unlawfully.” Bukhari transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. Mas'ud reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Shedding of blood will be the first matter about which judgment will be given on the day of resurrection.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Al-Miqdad b. al-Aswad told that he said, “Tell me, Messenger of God, supposing I meet an infidel and we fight together and he strikes one of my hands with his sword and cuts it off, then flies for refuge from me to a tree and says he has submitted himself to God (or, in another version, says when I intend to kill him that there is no god but God), shall I kill him after he has said it?” He replied, “Do not kill him.” He protested, “But, Messenger of God, he cut off one of my hands.” God’s Messenger then replied, “Do not kill him, for if you do so, he will be in the position in which you were before you killed him, and you will be in the position in which he was before he made his testimony.”* (Bukhari and Muslim.) *i.e. he will now be one for whose killing retaliation may be demanded, and you will be one whose blood may lawfully be shed.

God’s Messenger sent us to some people of Juhaina, and I attacked one of them and was about to spear him when he said, “There is no god but God.” I then speared him and killed him, after which I went and told the Prophet. He said, “Did you kill him when he had testified that there is no god but God?” I replied, “Messenger of God, he did that only as a means to escape death.” He asked, “Why did you not split his heart?”* (Bukhari and Muslim.) *He is here rebuked for attributing motives to the man when he could not know his inner motive. Splitting the heart is a figure of speech for examining the inner motives. In the version of Jundub b. ‘Abdallah al-Bajali God’s Messenger is reported as saying several times, “How will you deal with ‘There is no god but God’ when it comes on the day of resurrection?” Muslim transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone kills a man who has made a covenant* he will not experience the fragrance of paradise, yet its odour can be experienced at a distance of forty years’ journey.” Bukhari transmitted it. * Mu'ahid. This is used of a member of protected communities, but is also used of anyone who belongs to a non-Muslim community with whom a treaty of peace has been made.

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “He who throws himself from a mountain and kills himself will be thrown down in the fire of jahannam and remain in it for ever and ever; he who sips poison and kills himself will have his poison in his hand and sip it for ever and ever in the fire of jahannam; and he who kills himself with a piece of iron will have his piece of iron in his hand and will be stabbed with it in his belly in the fire of jahannam for ever and ever.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God's Messenger as saying, “He who strangles himself will do so in hell, and he who thrusts a spear into himself will do so in hell.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Jundub b. ‘Abdallah reported God’s Messenger as saying that among those who lived before their time there was a man who had a wound and had so little patience to bear it that he took a knife with which he cut off his hand, but the blood did not cease to flow till he died. God most high said, “My servant has tried to outstrip me in taking his life, so I have excluded him from paradise.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Jabir said that when the Prophet emigrated to Medina at-Tufail b. ‘Amr ad-Dausi did so also accompanied by one of his people who became ill and had so little patience to bear it that he took some arrow heads of his with which he cut his knuckles, and his hands flowed with blood till he died. Then at-Tufail b. ‘Amr saw him in a dream with a fine appearance and saw him covering his hands, so he said to him, “What did your Lord do to you?" He replied, “He forgave me because of my emigration to His prophet.” He asked, “How is it that I see you covering your hands? He replied that it had been said to him, “We will not put right what you have spoilt." At-Tufail told this to the Prophet and he said, “O God, forgive his hands also." Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Shuraih al-Ka'bi reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Then you, Khuza’a, have killed this man of Hudhail, but I swear by God that I will pay his blood wit. If anyone kills a man hereafter his people will have a choice, to kill him if they wish, or to accept blood wit if they wish." Tirmidhi and Shafi‘i transmitted it. It occurs in Sharh as-sunna with his isnad, but it states clearly that it does not occur in the two Sahihs on the authority of Abu Shuraih, saying that they rendered it from Abu Huraira’s version, meaning something similar.* *In Masabih as-sunna the tradition is given among the sound ones without any reference to its source. Here Sharh as-sunna is quoted to the effect that the above tradition is not given by Bukhari or Muslim, but that they give something similar on Abu Huraira’s authority. Section 1 is normally confined to traditions from Bukhari or Muslim, or from both, so it is strange to find that a tradition from another source is here preferred to theirs.

Anas said that a Jew crushed a girl’s head between two stones and she was asked who had done this to her, whether it was so and so, or so and so, until the Jew was named, whereupon she gave a sign with her head. The Jew was fetched, and when he admitted it God’s Messenger gave command that his head should be crushed with stones. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He said that ar-Rubaiyi‘, paternal aunt of Anas b. Malik, broke the front tooth of a girl of the Ansar, and when they went to the Prophet he ordered retaliation to be taken. Then Anas b. an-Nadr, paternal uncle of Anas b. Malik, said, “No, by God, her front tooth will not be broken, Messenger of God." He replied, “Anas, God’s decree is retaliation." But the people were agreeable to accepting a fine, so God’s Messenger said, “Among God’s servants there are those who, if one adjured God, would consent to it." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Juhaifa said he asked ‘Ali whether he had any instruction not contained in the Qur’an and he replied, “By Him who split the seed and created the soul, I have nothing but what is in the Qur’an, except understanding which a man is given regarding His Book and what is in the document.” He asked him what the document contained, and he replied, “Blood wit, the setting free of a prisoner, and that a Muslim should not be killed for an infidel.” Bukhari transmitted it.

'Abdallah b. ‘Amr reported the Prophet as saying, “The passing away of the world would mean less to God than the murder of a Muslim man.” Tirmidhi and Nasa’i transmitted it. Some traced it only to the Companion, and that is the soundest view. Ibn Majah transmitted it on the authority of al-Bara’ b. 'Azib.

Abu Sa'id and Abu Huraira reported God's Messenger as saying, “If the inhabitants of heaven and earth were to share in the blood of a believer, God would overturn them in hell.” Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition.

Ibn ‘Abbas reported the Prophet as saying, “On the day of resurrection the slain will bring the slayer with his forelock and his head in his hand, his own jugular vein meanwhile dripping with blood, and he will say, ‘My Lord, he killed me’ till he brings him near the Throne.” Tirmidhi, Nasa’i and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

I adjure you by God. Are you aware that God’s Messenger said, “It is not lawful to kill a man who is a Muslim except for one of three reasons: fornication after marriage, or unbelief after accepting Islam, or wrongfully killing someone, for which he may be killed”? I swear by God that I have not committed fornication before or after the coming of Islam, or apostatised since I swore allegiance to God's Messenger, or killed anyone whom God has declared inviolate; so for what reason do you want to kill me? Tirmidhi, Nasa'i and Ibn Majah transmitted it, and Darimi gives the wording of the tradition.

Abu ad-Darda’ reported God’s Messenger as saying, “A believer will continue to go on quickly and well* so long as he does not kill anyone unlawfully, but when he does so he will grow weary.” Abu Dawud transmitted it. *i.e. quick to obey God’s commands and observing well what is due to God and man.

He reported God’s Messenger as saying, “God may forgive every sin, except in the case of one who dies a polytheist, or one who purposely kills a believer.” Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Nasa’i transmitted it on the authority of Mu'awiya.