37/2. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 3999 — The Victim's Claim Against the Killer
The Gravity of the Sin of Shedding Blood
Intentional Murder Hadith: The Victim Will Confront the Killer
Sunan an-Nasai : 3999
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3999
أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ عَمَّارٍ الدُّهْنِيِّ، عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ أَبِي الْجَعْدِ، أَنَّ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، سُئِلَ عَمَّنْ قَتَلَ مُؤْمِنًا مُتَعَمِّدًا ثُمَّ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا ثُمَّ اهْتَدَى فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَأَنَّى لَهُ التَّوْبَةُ سَمِعْتُ نَبِيَّكُمْ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " يَجِيءُ مُتَعَلِّقًا بِالْقَاتِلِ تَشْخُبُ أَوْدَاجُهُ دَمًا فَيَقُولُ أَىْ رَبِّ سَلْ هَذَا فِيمَ قَتَلَنِي " . ثُمَّ قَالَ وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ أَنْزَلَهَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ مَا نَسَخَهَا .
Salim bin Abi Ja'd Narrated from:
Ibn 'Abbas was asked about someone who killed a believer deliberately, then he repented, believed and did righteous deeds, and followed true guidance. Ibn 'Abbas said: "There is no way the repentance could avail him! I heard the Prophet [SAW] say: 'He (the victim) will come hanging onto his killer, with his jugular veins flowing with blood and saying: O Lord, ask him why he killed me. Then he said: By Allah, Allah revealed it and never abrogated anything of it.'"
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3999In-book reference : Book 37, Hadith 34English translation : Vol. 5, Book 37, Hadith 4004
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3999
This intentional murder hadith records Ibn Abbas’s answer when he was asked about a person who deliberately killed a believer and later repented, believed, did righteous deeds, and followed guidance. Ibn Abbas replied that he did not see how repentance could benefit such a person. He then reported hearing the Prophet describe the victim coming while clinging to the killer, with blood flowing from his neck, and asking Allah to question the killer about why he was killed. Ibn Abbas added that Allah revealed the warning and did not abrogate it. A careful explanation must keep the attribution clear: the strong statement about repentance is Ibn Abbas’s answer in this narration, while the scene of the victim confronting the killer is attributed to the Prophet. The text is designed to show the terrible weight of deliberate murder and the lasting claim of the person whose life was taken.
What we learn from this hadith
- Ibn Abbas gave a severe answer about deliberate killing and repentance.
- The victim is described as confronting the killer before Allah.
- The central question is simple and direct: why was he killed?
- The narration presents intentional murder as a matter of lasting accountability.
