37/1. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3982 — Shahadah Protects Life and Wealth
The Prohibition of Bloodshed
Shahadah Hadith: Protection of Life and Wealth
Sunan an-Nasai : 3982
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3982
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ سَالِمٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَوْسًا، يَقُولُ أَتَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي وَفْدِ ثَقِيفٍ فَكُنْتُ مَعَهُ فِي قُبَّةٍ فَنَامَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي الْقُبَّةِ غَيْرِي وَغَيْرُهُ فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ فَسَارَّهُ فَقَالَ " اذْهَبْ فَاقْتُلْهُ " . فَقَالَ " أَلَيْسَ يَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ " . قَالَ يَشْهَدُ . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " ذَرْهُ " . ثُمَّ قَالَ " أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أُقَاتِلَ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَقُولُوا لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ فَإِذَا قَالُوهَا حَرُمَتْ دِمَاؤُهُمْ وَأَمْوَالُهُمْ إِلاَّ بِحَقِّهَا " . قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ فَقُلْتُ لِشُعْبَةَ أَلَيْسَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ " أَلَيْسَ يَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ " . قَالَ أَظُنُّهَا مَعَهَا وَلاَ أَدْرِي .
An-Nu'man bin Salim Narrated from:
I heard Aws say: 'I came to the Messenger of Allah [SAW] among the delegation of Thaqif and I was with him in a tent. Everyone in the tent had gone to sleep except him and I. A man came and whispered to him, and he said: Go and kill him. Then he said: Does he not bear witness to La ilaha illallah (there is none worthy of worship except Allah) and that I am the Messenger of Allah? He said: He does bear witness to that.The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: Leave him alone. Then he said: I have been commanded to fight the people until they say La ilaha illallah. If they say it, then their blood and their wealth become forbidden to me, except for a right that is due.(One of the narrators) Muhammad said: I said to Shu'bah: 'Doesn't the Hadith contain: Does he not testify to La ilaha illallah (there is none worthy of worship except Allah) and that I am the Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'I think it is both, but I do not know.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3982In-book reference : Book 37, Hadith 17English translation : Vol. 5, Book 37, Hadith 3987
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3982
This shahadah hadith gives a clear scene. Aws came with the delegation of Thaqif and stayed with the Messenger of Allah in a tent. A man privately brought information, and the Prophet first told him to go and kill someone. He then asked whether that person testified that none is worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. When told that he did, the Prophet said, “Leave him alone.” The narration then states that once people say La ilaha illallah, their blood and wealth become forbidden, except for a right that is due. The report therefore places strong weight on the outward declaration of faith and the protection that follows it. It also records the narrator’s uncertainty about whether both parts of the testimony appeared in one wording. According to Islamic scholars, such commands belong to lawful authority and cannot be turned into private action.
What we learn from this hadith
- A person who professed the testimony of faith was left unharmed.
- The narration connects shahadah with protection of life and wealth.
- The phrase “except for a right that is due” places a stated limit on that protection.
- The narrator honestly reported uncertainty about part of the exact wording.
