64/38. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 4202 — Hidden Endings and Suicide
Ghazwa of Khaibar
Hadith About Suicide and Hidden Endings
Sahih Bukhari : 4202
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 4202
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ، عَنْ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ السَّاعِدِيِّ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْتَقَى هُوَ وَالْمُشْرِكُونَ فَاقْتَتَلُوا، فَلَمَّا مَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِلَى عَسْكَرِهِ، وَمَالَ الآخَرُونَ إِلَى عَسْكَرِهِمْ، وَفِي أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَجُلٌ لاَ يَدَعُ لَهُمْ شَاذَّةً وَلاَ فَاذَّةً إِلاَّ اتَّبَعَهَا، يَضْرِبُهَا بِسَيْفِهِ، فَقِيلَ مَا أَجْزَأَ مِنَّا الْيَوْمَ أَحَدٌ كَمَا أَجْزَأَ فُلاَنٌ. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَمَا إِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ ". فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ أَنَا صَاحِبُهُ. قَالَ فَخَرَجَ مَعَهُ كُلَّمَا وَقَفَ وَقَفَ مَعَهُ، وَإِذَا أَسْرَعَ أَسْرَعَ مَعَهُ ـ قَالَ ـ فَجُرِحَ الرَّجُلُ جُرْحًا شَدِيدًا، فَاسْتَعْجَلَ الْمَوْتَ، فَوَضَعَ سَيْفَهُ بِالأَرْضِ وَذُبَابَهُ بَيْنَ ثَدْيَيْهِ، ثُمَّ تَحَامَلَ عَلَى سَيْفِهِ، فَقَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ، فَخَرَجَ الرَّجُلُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ قَالَ " وَمَا ذَاكَ ". قَالَ الرَّجُلُ الَّذِي ذَكَرْتَ آنِفًا أَنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ، فَأَعْظَمَ النَّاسُ ذَلِكَ، فَقُلْتُ أَنَا لَكُمْ بِهِ. فَخَرَجْتُ فِي طَلَبِهِ، ثُمَّ جُرِحَ جُرْحًا شَدِيدًا، فَاسْتَعْجَلَ الْمَوْتَ، فَوَضَعَ نَصْلَ سَيْفِهِ فِي الأَرْضِ وَذُبَابَهُ بَيْنَ ثَدْيَيْهِ، ثُمَّ تَحَامَلَ عَلَيْهِ، فَقَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ " إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ، فِيمَا يَبْدُو لِلنَّاسِ، وَهْوَ مِنَ أَهْلِ النَّارِ، وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ أَهْلِ النَّارِ، فِيمَا يَبْدُو لِلنَّاسِ، وَهْوَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ ".
Sahl bin Sa`d As-Sa`idi Narrated from:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (and his army) encountered the pagans and the two armies.,, fought and then Allah's Apostle returned to his army camps and the others (i.e. the enemy) returned to their army camps. Amongst the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) there was a man who could not help pursuing any single isolated pagan to strike him with his sword.Somebody said, "None has benefited the Muslims today more than so-and-so." On that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "He is from the people of the Hell-Fire certainly." A man amongst the people (i.e. Muslims) said, "I will accompany him (to know the fact)." So he went along with him, and whenever he stopped he stopped with him, and whenever he hastened, he hastened with him.The (brave) man then got wounded severely, and seeking to die at once, he planted his sword into the ground and put its point against his chest in between his breasts, and then threw himself on it and committed suicide. On that the person (who was accompanying the deceased all the time) came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said, "I testify that you are the Messenger of Allah." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Why is that (what makes you say so)?"He said "It is concerning the man whom you have already mentioned as one of the dwellers of the Hell-Fire. The people were surprised by your statement, and I said to them, "I will try to find out the truth about him for you." So I went out after him and he was then inflicted with a severe wound and because of that, he hurried to bring death upon himself by planting the handle of his sword into the ground and directing its tip towards his chest between his breasts, and then he threw himself over it and committed suicide."Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) then said, "A man may do what seem to the people as the deeds of the dwellers of Paradise but he is from the dwellers of the Hell-Fire and another may do what seem to the people as the deeds of the dwellers of the Hell- Fire, but he is from the dwellers of Paradise."
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4202In-book reference : Book 64, Hadith 242USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 5, Book 59, Hadith 514
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 4202
This hadith is about outward deeds, hidden endings, and the danger of judging a person only by what people see. A man fought with great courage, and people praised his effort. Yet the Prophet said he was from the people of the Fire. A companion followed him and later saw that, after being badly wounded, the man hurried death upon himself and killed himself with his sword. The Prophet then explained that a person may do deeds that look like the deeds of Paradise to people, while his end is with the Fire, and another may appear otherwise while being from the people of Paradise. The hadith about suicide here is direct and serious, so the lesson should be taken with care.
What we learn from this hadith
- People may praise what they see, but they do not know the full end of a person.
- The man in the report killed himself after being badly wounded.
- The Prophet corrected the companions' view of outward appearances.
- The hadith teaches caution before judging a person's final state by visible deeds alone.
