43/42. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 4446 — A Bird's Complaint on Judgment Day
The One Who Kills A Small bird For No Reason
Hadith About Killing a Bird for No Reason
Sunan an-Nasai : 4446
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4446
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ الْمِصِّيصِيُّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ وَاصِلٍ، عَنْ خَلَفٍ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ مِهْرَانَ - قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَامِرٌ الأَحْوَلُ، عَنْ صَالِحِ بْنِ دِينَارٍ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ الشَّرِيدِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الشَّرِيدَ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " مَنْ قَتَلَ عُصْفُورًا عَبَثًا عَجَّ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ إِنَّ فُلاَنًا قَتَلَنِي عَبَثًا وَلَمْ يَقْتُلْنِي لِمَنْفَعَةٍ " .
'Amr bin Ash-Sharid Narrated from:
I heard Sharid say: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah say: Whoever kills a small bird for no reason, it will beseech Allah on the Day of Resurrection saying: O Lord, so and so killed me for no reason. And he did not kill me for any beneficial purpose.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4446In-book reference : Book 43, Hadith 86English translation : Vol. 5, Book 43, Hadith 4451
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4446
This hadith gives a vivid warning about killing a small bird for no reason. The Messenger of Allah says that the bird will call upon Allah on the Day of Resurrection and say that a certain person killed it uselessly, without any beneficial purpose. The teaching places moral responsibility on the person who takes an animal's life. It shows that needless killing is not forgotten or treated as a small act simply because the creature is small. Kindness to animals in Islam includes leaving them unharmed when there is no valid benefit in killing them. The hadith does not list every lawful purpose or give a wider legal discussion. Its focus is pointless killing. A believer should therefore avoid treating animal life as disposable entertainment or an object of careless play.
What we learn from this hadith
- A small animal's life should not be taken for amusement.
- Pointless killing may be raised as a complaint on the Day of Resurrection.
- The size of the animal does not make needless harm unimportant.
- A beneficial purpose is clearly contrasted with useless killing.
