49/13. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 5401 — A Warning Against Taking False Rights
Judgment Based on What is Apparent
Hadith About False Claims and Fair Judgment in Islam
Sunan an-Nasai : 5401
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 5401
أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عُرْوَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، عَنْ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " إِنَّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ إِلَىَّ وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ وَلَعَلَّ بَعْضَكُمْ أَلْحَنُ بِحُجَّتِهِ مِنْ بَعْضٍ فَمَنْ قَضَيْتُ لَهُ مِنْ حَقِّ أَخِيهِ شَيْئًا فَلاَ يَأْخُذْهُ فَإِنَّمَا أَقْطَعُهُ بِهِ قِطْعَةً مِنَ النَّارِ " .
Umm Salamah Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: "You refer your disputes to me, but I am only human, and some of you may be more eloquent in arguing their case than others. If I pass judgment in favor of one of you, against his brother's rights, let him not take it, for it is a piece of fire that I am giving him."
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 5401In-book reference : Book 49, Hadith 23English translation : Vol. 6, Book 49, Hadith 5403
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 5401
This hadith about false claims teaches that a court ruling does not change the truth before Allah. The Prophet SAW explained that people bring disputes to him, and some may argue more strongly than others. A person may sound convincing, but that does not mean he is right. If the Prophet SAW judged for someone based on what was presented, while that person knew he was taking his brother's right, he was warned not to take it. The hadith calls that right a piece of fire. The lesson is simple and strong: Islamic judgment is not a game of words. Honesty matters even when a person can win an argument.
What we learn from this hadith
- Strong speech does not make a false claim true.
- A person must not take another person's right, even after winning a case.
- Judges may rule by what appears before them, while Allah knows the hidden truth.
- Fear of Allah should stop a person from using legal success to take what is unlawful.
