The Imam Enjoining A Pardon In The Case Of Bloodshed

Narrated AbuShurayh al-Khuza'i:

The Prophet ﷺ said: If a relative of anyone is killed, or if he suffers khabl, which means a wound, he may choose one of the three things: he may retaliate, or forgive, or receive compensation. But if he wishes a fourth (i.e. something more), hold his hands. After this whoever exceeds the limits shall be in grave penalty.

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ فُضَيْلٍ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ بْنِ أَبِي الْعَوْجَاءِ، عَنْ أَبِي شُرَيْحٍ الْخُزَاعِيِّ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ " مَنْ أُصِيبَ بِقَتْلٍ أَوْ خَبْلٍ فَإِنَّهُ يَخْتَارُ إِحْدَى ثَلاَثٍ إِمَّا أَنْ يَقْتَصَّ وَإِمَّا أَنْ يَعْفُوَ وَإِمَّا أَنْ يَأْخُذَ الدِّيَةَ فَإِنْ أَرَادَ الرَّابِعَةَ فَخُذُوا عَلَى يَدَيْهِ وَمَنِ اعْتَدَى بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَلَهُ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ " .

Narrated Anas ibn Malik:

I never saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that some dispute which involved retaliation was brought to him but he commanded regarding it for remission.

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ بَكْرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْمُزَنِيُّ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ أَبِي مَيْمُونَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ مَا رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ رُفِعَ إِلَيْهِ شَىْءٌ فِيهِ قِصَاصٌ إِلاَّ أَمَرَ فِيهِ بِالْعَفْوِ .

Narrated AbuHurayrah:

A man was killed in the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ. The matter was brought to the Prophet ﷺ. He entrusted him to the legal guardian of the slain. The slayer said: Messenger of Allah, I swear by Allah, I did not intend to kill him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to the legal guardian: Now if he is true and you kill him, you will enter Hell-fire. So he let him go. His hands were tied with a strap. He came out pulling his strap. Hence he was called Dhu an-Nis'ah (possessor of strap).

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قُتِلَ رَجُلٌ عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَرُفِعَ ذَلِكَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَدَفَعَهُ إِلَى وَلِيِّ الْمَقْتُولِ فَقَالَ الْقَاتِلُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهِ مَا أَرَدْتُ قَتْلَهُ . قَالَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِلْوَلِيِّ " أَمَا إِنَّهُ إِنْ كَانَ صَادِقًا ثُمَّ قَتَلْتَهُ دَخَلْتَ النَّارَ " . قَالَ فَخَلَّى سَبِيلَهُ . قَالَ وَكَانَ مَكْتُوفًا بِنِسْعَةٍ فَخَرَجَ يَجُرُّ نِسْعَتَهُ فَسُمِّيَ ذَا النِّسْعَةِ .

Narrated Wa'il ibn Hujr:

I was with the Prophet ﷺ when a man who was a murderer and had a strap round his neck was brought to him.

He then called the legal guardian of the victim and asked him: Do you forgive him?

He said: No. He asked: Will you accept the blood-money? He said: No. He asked: Will you kill him? He said: Yes. He said: Take him. When he turned his back, he said: Do you forgive him? He said: No. He said: Will you accept the blood-money? He said: No. He said: Will you kill him? He said: Yes. He said: Take him. After repeating all this a fourth time, he said: If you forgive him, he will bear the burden of his own sin and the sin of the victim. He then forgave him. He (the narrator) said: I saw him pulling the strap.

حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ بْنِ مَيْسَرَةَ الْجُشَمِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ عَوْفٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمْزَةُ أَبُو عُمَرَ الْعَائِذِيُّ، حَدَّثَنِي عَلْقَمَةُ بْنُ وَائِلٍ، حَدَّثَنِي وَائِلُ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِذْ جِيءَ بِرَجُلٍ قَاتِلٍ فِي عُنُقِهِ النِّسْعَةُ قَالَ فَدَعَا وَلِيَّ الْمَقْتُولِ فَقَالَ " أَتَعْفُو " . قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ " أَفَتَأْخُذُ الدِّيَةَ " . قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ " أَفَتَقْتُلُ " . قَالَ نَعَمْ . قَالَ " اذْهَبْ بِهِ " . فَلَمَّا وَلَّى قَالَ " أَتَعْفُو " . قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ " أَفَتَأْخُذُ الدِّيَةَ " . قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ " أَفَتَقْتُلُ " . قَالَ نَعَمْ . قَالَ " اذْهَبْ بِهِ " . فَلَمَّا كَانَ فِي الرَّابِعَةِ قَالَ " أَمَا إِنَّكَ إِنْ عَفَوْتَ عَنْهُ يَبُوءُ بِإِثْمِهِ وَإِثْمِ صَاحِبِهِ " . قَالَ فَعَفَا عَنْهُ . قَالَ فَأَنَا رَأَيْتُهُ يَجُرُّ النِّسْعَةَ .

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by 'Alqamah b. Wa'il through a different chain of narrators and to the same effect.

حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ بْنِ مَيْسَرَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي جَامِعُ بْنُ مَطَرٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عَلْقَمَةُ بْنُ وَائِلٍ، بِإِسْنَادِهِ وَمَعْنَاهُ .

Narrated Wa'il (b. Hujr):
A man brought an Abyssinian to the Prophet ﷺ and said: This man has killed my nephew. He asked: How did you kill him? He replied: I struck his head with axe but I did not intend to kill him. He asked: Have you some money so that you pay his blood-wit? He said: No. He said: What is your opinion if I send you so that you ask the people (for money) and thus collect your blood-wit? He said: No. He asked : Will your masters give you his blood-wit (to pay his relatives)? He said: No. He said to the man. Take him. So he brought him out to kill him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: If he kill him, he will be like him. This (statement) reached the man where he was listening to his statement. He said: He is here, order regarding him as you like. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Leave him alone. And he once said: He will bear the burden of the sin of the slain and that of his own and thus he will become one of the Companions of Hell. So he let him go.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَوْفٍ الطَّائِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْقُدُّوسِ بْنُ الْحَجَّاجِ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ عَطَاءٍ الْوَاسِطِيُّ، عَنْ سِمَاكٍ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ بْنِ وَائِلٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِحَبَشِيٍّ فَقَالَ إِنَّ هَذَا قَتَلَ ابْنَ أَخِي . قَالَ " كَيْفَ قَتَلْتَهُ " . قَالَ ضَرَبْتُ رَأْسَهُ بِالْفَأْسِ وَلَمْ أُرِدْ قَتْلَهُ . قَالَ " هَلْ لَكَ مَالٌ تُؤَدِّي دِيَتَهُ " . قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ " أَفَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ أَرْسَلْتُكَ تَسْأَلُ النَّاسَ تَجْمَعُ دِيَتَهُ " . قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ " فَمَوَالِيكَ يُعْطُونَكَ دِيَتَهُ " . قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ " خُذْهُ " . فَخَرَجَ بِهِ لِيَقْتُلَهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " أَمَا إِنَّهُ إِنْ قَتَلَهُ كَانَ مِثْلَهُ " . فَبَلَغَ بِهِ الرَّجُلُ حَيْثُ يَسْمَعُ قَوْلَهُ فَقَالَ هُوَ ذَا فَمُرْ فِيهِ مَا شِئْتَ . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " أَرْسِلْهُ - وَقَالَ مَرَّةً دَعْهُ - يَبُوءُ بِإِثْمِ صَاحِبِهِ وَإِثْمِهِ فَيَكُونَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ " . قَالَ فَأَرْسَلَهُ .

Narrated AbuUmamah ibn Sahl:

We were with Uthman when he was besieged in the house. There was an entrance to the house. He who entered it heard the speech of those who were in the Bilat. Uthman then entered it. He came out to us, looking pale.

He said: They are threatening to kill me now. We said: Allah will be sufficient for you against them, Commander of the Faithful! He asked: Why kill me? I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: It is not lawful to kill a man who is a Muslim except for one of the three reasons: Kufr (disbelief) after accepting Islam, fornication after marriage, or wrongfully killing someone, for which he may be killed.

I swear by Allah, I have not committed fornication before or after the coming of Islam, nor did I ever want another religion for me instead of my religion since Allah gave guidance to me, nor have I killed anyone. So for what reason do you want to kill me?

Abu Dawud said: 'Uthman and Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with them) abandoned drinking wine in pre-Islamic times.

حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ بْنِ سَهْلٍ، قَالَ كُنَّا مَعَ عُثْمَانَ وَهُوَ مَحْصُورٌ فِي الدَّارِ وَكَانَ فِي الدَّارِ مَدْخَلٌ مَنْ دَخَلَهُ سَمِعَ كَلاَمَ مَنْ عَلَى الْبَلاَطِ فَدَخَلَهُ عُثْمَانُ فَخَرَجَ إِلَيْنَا وَهُوَ مُتَغَيِّرٌ لَوْنُهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُمْ لَيَتَوَاعَدُونَنِي بِالْقَتْلِ آنِفًا . قُلْنَا يَكْفِيكَهُمُ اللَّهُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ . قَالَ وَلِمَ يَقْتُلُونَنِي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ " لاَ يَحِلُّ دَمُ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ إِلاَّ بِإِحْدَى ثَلاَثٍ كُفْرٌ بَعْدَ إِسْلاَمٍ أَوْ زِنًا بَعْدَ إِحْصَانٍ أَوْ قَتْلُ نَفْسٍ بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ " . فَوَاللَّهِ مَا زَنَيْتُ فِي جَاهِلِيَّةٍ وَلاَ إِسْلاَمٍ قَطُّ وَلاَ أَحْبَبْتُ أَنَّ لِي بِدِينِي بَدَلاً مُنْذُ هَدَانِي اللَّهُ وَلاَ قَتَلْتُ نَفْسًا فَبِمَ يَقْتُلُونَنِي قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ عُثْمَانُ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ رضى الله عنهما تَرَكَا الْخَمْرَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ .