37/2. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3989 — A Believer's Life Outweighs the World
The Gravity of the Sin of Shedding Blood
Sanctity of a Believer's Life in Islam
Sunan an-Nasai : 3989
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3989
أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ هِشَامٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مَخْلَدُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ يَعْلَى بْنِ عَطَاءٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، قَالَ قَتْلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ أَعْظَمُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ زَوَالِ الدُّنْيَا .
'Abdullah bin 'Amr Narrated from:
Killing a believer is more grievous before Allah than the extinction of the whole world.
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3989In-book reference : Book 37, Hadith 24English translation : Vol. 5, Book 37, Hadith 3994
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3989
This narration repeats the statement of Abdullah bin Amr that killing a believer is more grievous before Allah than the extinction of the whole world. Repetition in hadith collections can preserve a teaching through another chain of narrators. Here, the central teaching remains unchanged: a believer’s life has a weight that cannot be measured by ordinary worldly standards. The report does not describe a separate event, a new condition, or an extra ruling. Its force comes from the comparison itself. The whole world may appear greater than any single person, yet the statement warns that killing a believer is more serious before Allah. For readers searching for a hadith about the sanctity of life, this narration gives a direct answer. It teaches care with words, decisions, and actions that may lead to bloodshed. It also warns against treating human life as a price that can be paid for material interests.
What we learn from this hadith
- The report repeats the grave warning against killing a believer.
- A second chain preserves the same central statement.
- The value of life is placed above material measures.
- The narration warns against sacrificing people for worldly interests.
