1/41. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 95a — Do Not Kill After the Word of Islam
The prohibition of killing a disbeliever after he says La ilaha illallah
Hadith About Saying Islam in Battle and Sanctity of Life
Sahih Muslim : 95a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 95a
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رُمْحٍ، - وَاللَّفْظُ مُتَقَارِبٌ - أَخْبَرَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ اللَّيْثِيِّ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَدِيِّ بْنِ الْخِيَارِ، عَنِ الْمِقْدَادِ بْنِ الأَسْوَدِ، أَنَّهُ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ، قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ لَقِيتُ رَجُلاً مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ فَقَاتَلَنِي فَضَرَبَ إِحْدَى يَدَىَّ بِالسَّيْفِ فَقَطَعَهَا . ثُمَّ لاَذَ مِنِّي بِشَجَرَةٍ فَقَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِلَّهِ . أَفَأَقْتُلُهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ بَعْدَ أَنْ قَالَهَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لاَ تَقْتُلْهُ " . قَالَ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ قَدْ قَطَعَ يَدِي ثُمَّ قَالَ ذَلِكَ بَعْدَ أَنْ قَطَعَهَا أَفَأَقْتُلُهُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لاَ تَقْتُلْهُ فَإِنْ قَتَلْتَهُ فَإِنَّهُ بِمَنْزِلَتِكَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَقْتُلَهُ وَإِنَّكَ بِمَنْزِلَتِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَقُولَ كَلِمَتَهُ الَّتِي قَالَ " .
Al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad Narrated from:
Messenger of Allah, you just see (here is a point): If I encountered a person amongst the infidels (in the battlefield) and he attacked me and struck me and cut off one of my hands with the sword. Then he (in order to protect himself from me) took shelter of a tree and said: I become Muslim for Allah's sake. Messenger of Allah, can I kill him after he had uttered this?The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Do not kill him. I (the narrator) said: Messenger of Allah, he cut off my hand and uttered this after amputating it; should I then kill him? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Don't kill him, for I you kill him, verily he would be in a position where you had been before killing him and verily you would be in a position where he had been before uttering (kalima).
Reference : Sahih Muslim 95aIn-book reference : Book 1, Hadith 180USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 1, Hadith 173
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 95a
This hadith about saying La ilaha illallah or accepting Islam in battle gives a clear command in a hard case. Miqdad asked about an enemy who attacked him, cut off his hand, then took shelter and said that he became Muslim for Allah's sake. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, do not kill him. When Miqdad repeated the painful detail, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم repeated the ruling and warned him about the serious change in position if he killed him after that statement. The text teaches restraint even when anger and injury are fresh. It does not ask the listener to read hidden motives. It tells him to honor the stated word of Islam.
What we learn from this hadith
- A person's statement of Islam must not be ignored in this battlefield case.
- Personal injury did not make killing him allowed after his statement.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم taught restraint instead of acting on anger.
