37/14. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 4066 — Mu'adh's Judgment in Yemen
The Ruling on Apostates
Mu'adh ibn Jabal and the Apostasy Judgment
Sunan an-Nasai : 4066
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4066
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنِي حَمَّادُ بْنُ مَسْعَدَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا قُرَّةُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ هِلاَلٍ، عَنْ أَبِي بُرْدَةَ بْنِ أَبِي مُوسَى الأَشْعَرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَعَثَهُ إِلَى الْيَمَنِ ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَ مُعَاذَ بْنَ جَبَلٍ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ قَالَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي رَسُولُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ . فَأَلْقَى لَهُ أَبُو مُوسَى وِسَادَةً لِيَجْلِسَ عَلَيْهَا فَأُتِيَ بِرَجُلٍ كَانَ يَهُودِيًّا فَأَسْلَمَ ثُمَّ كَفَرَ فَقَالَ مُعَاذٌ لاَ أَجْلِسُ حَتَّى يُقْتَلَ قَضَاءُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ . ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ . فَلَمَّا قُتِلَ قَعَدَ .
It was narrated from Abu Burdah bin Abi Musa Al-Ash'ari, from his father: "That the Prophet [SAW] sent him to Yemen, then he sent Mu'adh bin Jabal after that. When he arrived he said: 'O people, I am the envoy of the Messenger of Allah [SAW] to you.' Abu Musa gave him a cushion to sit down, then a man was brought who had been a Jew, then he became a Muslim, then he reverted to Kufr. Mu'adh said: 'I will not sit down until he is killed; this is the decree of Allah and His Messenger,' (saying it) three times. When he was killed, he sat down."
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4066In-book reference : Book 37, Hadith 101English translation : Vol. 5, Book 37, Hadith 4071
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4066
This hadith about apostasy recounts a specific event in Yemen. The Prophet sent Abu Musa there and later sent Mu'adh ibn Jabal. When Mu'adh arrived, a man was brought who had first been Jewish, then accepted Islam, and later returned to disbelief. Mu'adh refused the offered seat and repeated three times that he would not sit until the man was killed, calling it the decree of Allah and His Messenger. After the execution, he sat down. The report presents Mu'adh acting in an official setting after being sent by the Prophet, not as a private person responding on his own. According to Islamic scholars, penal rulings are handled by lawful courts and qualified authorities, not by private individuals.
What we learn from this hadith
- Mu'adh was sent to Yemen as an envoy of the Messenger of Allah.
- The report describes a specific case of accepting Islam and then returning to disbelief.
- Mu'adh repeated his position three times before sitting.
- The event is presented within public authority, not personal vigilantism.
