1/53. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 120c — A Supporting Chain on Past Deeds
Will a person be punished for his actions during the Jahlilliyyah?
Hadith Chain on Past Sins and Good Islam
Sahih Muslim : 120c
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 120c
حَدَّثَنَا مِنْجَابُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ التَّمِيمِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُسْهِرٍ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ مِثْلَهُ .
This hadith has been transmitted by Minjab b. al-Harith Tamimi with the same chain of transmitters.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 120cIn-book reference : Book 1, Hadith 227USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 1, Hadith 219
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 120c
This narration is brief and says the same Hadith was transmitted with the same chain. Because the translation gives only that summary, the explanation should stay close to the known report before it. The teaching is about people asking whether they would be held responsible for what they did before Islam. The answer in the connected narration is that the one who does good in Islam is not held for those past deeds, while the one who does evil is taken for earlier and later deeds. This is a useful hadith for people searching about past sins before Islam, but it must be read with the condition mentioned in the report: doing good in Islam matters.
What we learn from this hadith
- Short supporting chains still preserve important meanings.
- The connected report links past forgiveness with good conduct in Islam.
- A person should not despair over the past after entering Islam sincerely.
- Continuing in evil after Islam is a serious warning.
