37/6. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 4021 — Warning Against Dividing the Ummah
Killing One Who Splits Away from the Jama'ah (Main Body of Muslims) and Mentioning the Di
Hadith About Muslim Unity and Dividing the Ummah
Sunan an-Nasai : 4021
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4021
أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَلِيٍّ، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْمَرْوَزِيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ، عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ، عَنْ زِيَادِ بْنِ عِلاَقَةَ، عَنْ عَرْفَجَةَ بْنِ شُرَيْحٍ، قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّهَا سَتَكُونُ بَعْدِي هَنَاتٌ وَهَنَاتٌ وَهَنَاتٌ - وَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ - فَمَنْ رَأَيْتُمُوهُ يُرِيدُ تَفْرِيقَ أَمْرِ أُمَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُمْ جَمِيعٌ فَاقْتُلُوهُ كَائِنًا مَنْ كَانَ مِنَ النَّاسِ " .
'Arfajah bin Shuraih Narrated from:
The Prophet [SAW] said: 'After me there will be many calamities and much evil behavior.' He raised his hands (and said): 'Whomever you see trying to create division among the Ummah of Muhammad [SAW] when they are all united, kill him, no matter who he is among the people.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4021In-book reference : Book 37, Hadith 56English translation : Vol. 5, Book 37, Hadith 4026
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4021
This hadith about dividing the Ummah begins with a warning that many calamities and forms of evil behavior will come after the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. He then focuses on a specific danger: a person who tries to break the unity of the Ummah of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم while the people are together. The phrase “no matter who he is” shows that social rank or identity does not excuse an attempt to cause such division. The core Islamic topic is Muslim unity and the protection of a settled community from organized disruption. According to Islamic scholars, the stated punishment is a matter for lawful rulers, judges, and proper legal authority, not for individuals or groups acting on their own. For everyday readers, the clear lesson is to reject schemes that turn a united Muslim community into hostile camps.
What we learn from this hadith
- Future periods may contain serious trials and harmful behavior.
- A person's status does not make deliberate division of a united Ummah acceptable.
- Muslims should guard community unity and resist organized attempts to break it.
