36/20. Chapter:
Sunan Ibn Majah 4006 — Taking the Hand of the Wrongdoer
Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil
Hadith About Restraining the Wrongdoer and Standing for Truth
Sunan Ibn Majah : 4006
Sunan Ibn MajahHadith Number 4006
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ بَذِيمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " إِنَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ لَمَّا وَقَعَ فِيهِمُ النَّقْصُ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ يَرَى أَخَاهُ عَلَى الذَّنْبِ فَيَنْهَاهُ عَنْهُ فَإِذَا كَانَ الْغَدُ لَمْ يَمْنَعْهُ مَا رَأَى مِنْهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَكِيلَهُ وَشَرِيبَهُ وَخَلِيطَهُ فَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَ بَعْضِهِمْ بِبَعْضٍ وَنَزَلَ فِيهِمُ الْقُرْآنُ فَقَالَ {لُعِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَلَى لِسَانِ دَاوُدَ وَعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ} حَتَّى بَلَغَ {وَلَوْ كَانُوا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالنَّبِيِّ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَا اتَّخَذُوهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ وَلَكِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ } " . قَالَ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ مُتَّكِئًا فَجَلَسَ وَقَالَ " لاَ حَتَّى تَأْخُذُوا عَلَى يَدَىِ الظَّالِمِ فَتَأْطِرُوهُ عَلَى الْحَقِّ أَطْرًا " . حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو دَاوُدَ، - أَمْلاَهُ عَلَىَّ - حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي الْوَضَّاحِ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ بَذِيمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ بِمِثْلِهِ .
Abu 'Ubaidah Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “When the Children of Israel became deficient in religious commitment, a man would see his brother committing sin and would tell him not to do it, but the next day, what he had seen him do did not prevent him from eating or drinking with him, or mixing with him.So Allah made the hearts of those who did not commit sin like the hearts of those who did, and He revealed Qur’an concerning them and said:“Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of David and ‘Eisa, son of Maryam” until he reached: “And had they believed in Allah, and in the Prophet and in what has been revealed to him, never would they have taken them (the disbelievers) as their friends; but many of them are disobedient (to Allah).”[5:78-81]The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sat up and said: "No, not until they take the hand of the wrongdoer (i.e. restrain him] and force him to follow the right way."
Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 4006In-book reference : Book 36, Hadith 81English translation : Vol. 5, Book 36, Hadith 4006
Summary of Sunan Ibn Majah Hadith 4006
This Hadith about restraining the wrongdoer gives a strong picture of moral responsibility. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم described how, among the Children of Israel, a man would see his brother sin, tell him not to do it, but then continue eating, drinking, and mixing with him as if nothing had happened. The narration says Allah made their hearts alike and mentions Qur’anic verses about them. Then the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم sat up and said that people must take the hand of the wrongdoer and force him toward the right way. The lesson is not about harshness without wisdom. It is about not treating clear wrongdoing as normal after giving a few empty words.
What we learn from this hadith
- Advice should not become only words while wrong continues unchanged.
- The text warns against becoming comfortable with sin after seeing it.
- Helping a wrongdoer may require firm action within one’s ability and role.
- A community should not let repeated wrong become normal behavior.
