37/2. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3998 — Do Not Kill for a Ruler's Power
The Gravity of the Sin of Shedding Blood
Political Killing in Islam: A Warning About Power and Bloodshed
Sunan an-Nasai : 3998
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3998
أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ تَمِيمٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ أَبِي عِمْرَانَ الْجَوْنِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ جُنْدَبٌ حَدَّثَنِي فُلاَنٌ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " يَجِيءُ الْمَقْتُولُ بِقَاتِلِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَيَقُولُ سَلْ هَذَا فِيمَ قَتَلَنِي فَيَقُولُ قَتَلْتُهُ عَلَى مُلْكِ فُلاَنٍ " . قَالَ جُنْدَبٌ فَاتَّقِهَا . 85
Abu 'Imran Al-Jawni Narrated from:
Jundab said: 'So and so told me that the Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: The slain will bring his killer on the Day of Resurrection and will say: Ask him why he killed me. He will say: I killed him defending the kingdom of so and so.'" Jundab said: "So be careful.'"
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3998In-book reference : Book 37, Hadith 33English translation : Vol. 5, Book 37, Hadith 4003
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3998
This hadith about political killing gives a sharp warning. Jundab reports that the slain person will bring his killer on the Day of Resurrection and ask that the killer be questioned about why he killed him. The killer answers that he did it to defend the kingdom or rule of a certain person. Jundab then says, “So be careful.” The narration does not name the ruler, describe a particular battle, or give permission to retaliate. Its focus is the danger of taking a life for someone else’s power. Loyalty to a leader, state, faction, or throne does not make the victim’s claim disappear. The final words turn the report into practical advice: stay away from this danger. For readers searching for an Islamic warning against killing for political power, the hadith teaches caution, personal responsibility, and fear of being questioned for blood shed in defense of another person’s rule.
What we learn from this hadith
- The slain person is shown bringing the killer to account.
- The killer says the act was done for another person’s rule.
- Political loyalty does not erase the victim’s claim.
- Jundab’s advice is direct: be careful and avoid this danger.
