49/33. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 5422 — Rights Cannot Be Won by Speech
What May Cancel a Judgment
Hadith About False Claims: A Piece of Fire Warning
Sunan an-Nasai : 5422
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 5422
أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ إِلَىَّ وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ وَلَعَلَّ بَعْضَكُمْ أَلْحَنُ بِحُجَّتِهِ مِنْ بَعْضٍ فَإِنَّمَا أَقْضِي بَيْنَكُمَا عَلَى نَحْوِ مَا أَسْمَعُ فَمَنْ قَضَيْتُ لَهُ مِنْ حَقِّ أَخِيهِ شَيْئًا فَإِنَّمَا أَقْطَعُ لَهُ 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, and I may pass judgment on the basis of what I hear. If I pass judgment in favor of one of you against his brother's rights, then it is a piece of the fire that I am giving him.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 5422In-book reference : Book 49, Hadith 44English translation : Vol. 6, Book 49, Hadith 5424
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 5422
This hadith about false claims is a strong reminder that a legal win is not always a moral win. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said people bring disputes to him, and some may argue more clearly than others. He judged based on what he heard. But if someone received a judgment in his favor while it actually belonged to his brother, that right was described as a piece of fire. The message is plain: clever speech cannot turn another person’s right into your own. In Islamic justice, truth matters even when a person sounds convincing. A believer should fear taking what is not truly his. The warning keeps the heart honest after the court case ends.
What we learn from this hadith
- A strong argument does not make another person’s right lawful.
- Judgment may be based on what is heard, but Allah knows the truth.
- A person should not accept a ruling if he knows it takes someone else’s right.
