Book 40 · Prescribed Punishments (Kitab Al-Hudud)

‘Ikrimah said:‘Ali burned some people who retreated from Islam. When Ibn ‘Abbas was informed of it, he said: If it had been I, I would not have burned them, for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Do not inflict Allah’s punishment on anyone, but would have had killed them on account of the statement of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). The Apostle said: Kill those who change their religion. When ‘Ali was informed about it he said: How truly Ibn ‘Abbas said

Abd Allah (b. Mas`ud) reported the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) as saying:The blood of a Muslim man who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah should not be lawfully shed but only for one of three reasons: married fornicator, soul for soul, and one who deserts his religion separating himself from the community

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is unlawful to shed the blood of a Muslim who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, except in one of three cases: a married person who commits adultery, they are to be stoned; one who goes forth to fight against Allah and His Messenger, they are to be killed, crucified, or exiled from the land; or one who commits murder, for which he is killed in retribution."

Abu Burdah said on the authority of Abu Musa :I went to the Prophet (ﷺ) while two men who were Ash’ arIs were with me. One of them was on my right and the other on my left side. Bothe of them asked him for employment. The prophet (ﷺ) was silent. He asked : What do you say Abu Musa, or ‘Abd Allah b. Qais (Abu Musa’s name)? I replied: By him who has sent you with truth, they did not inform me of what they had in their hearts, and I did not know that they would ask for an employment. He said : I have the scene before my eyes that he had his toothstick below his lip which receded. He (the prophet) said: We will never or will not put in charge of our work anyone who asks for it. But go, ye, Abu Musa, or ‘Abd Allah b. Qais. He then sent him as a Governor of the Yemen, After him he sent Muadh b. Jabal. When Muadh came to him, he said: come down , and he put a cushion for him. He saw that a man was chained with him. He asked : What is this? He replied: He was a Jew and he accepted Islam. He then converted to his religion, an evil religion. He said: I will not sit until he is killed according to the decision of Allah and his Apostle (ﷺ). He said: Yes, be seated. He said: I will not sit until he is killed according to the decision of Allah and his Apostle (peace be upon him). He said it three times. He then commanded for it and he was killed. Both of them then discussed the question of prayer and vigilance at night. One of them, probably Muadh, said : So far as I am concerned, I sleep and I keep vigilance: I keep vigilance and I sleep: I hope for the same reward for my sleep as for my vigilance

Narrated Mu'adh ibn Jabal: AbuMusa said: Mu'adh came to me when I was in the Yemen. A man who was Jew embraced Islam and then retreated from Islam. When Mu'adh came, he said: I will not come down from my mount until he is killed. He was then killed. One of them said: He was asked to repent before that

Abu Burdah said:A man who turned back from Islam was brought to Abu Musa. He invited him to repent for twenty days or about so. Muadh then came and invited him (to embrace Islam) but he refused. So he was beheaded

The tradition mention above has also been transmitted by Abu Musa through a different chain if narrators. But there is no mention of demand of repentance

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: Abdullah ibn AbuSarh used to write (the revelation) for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Satan made him slip, and he joined the infidels. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded to kill him on the day of Conquest (of Mecca). Uthman ibn Affan sought protection for him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave him protection

Narrated Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas: On the day of the conquest of Mecca, Abdullah ibn Sa'd ibn AbuSarh hid himself with Uthman ibn Affan. He brought him and made him stand before the Prophet (ﷺ), and said: Accept the allegiance of Abdullah, Messenger of Allah! He raised his head and looked at him three times, refusing him each time, but accepted his allegiance after the third time. Then turning to his companions, he said: Was not there a wise man among you who would stand up to him when he saw that I had withheld my hand from accepting his allegiance, and kill him? They said: We did not know what you had in your heart, Messenger of Allah! Why did you not give us a signal with your eye? He said: It is not advisable for a Prophet to play deceptive tricks with the eyes

Jarir reported the prophet (ﷺ) as saying:When a slave runs away and reverts to polytheism, he may lawfully be killed

Narrated Abdullah Ibn Abbas: A blind man had a slave-mother who used to abuse the Prophet (ﷺ) and disparage him. He forbade her but she did not stop. He rebuked her but she did not give up her habit. One night she began to slander the Prophet (ﷺ) and abuse him. So he took a dagger, placed it on her belly, pressed it, and killed her. A child who came between her legs was smeared with the blood that was there. When the morning came, the Prophet (ﷺ) was informed about it. He assembled the people and said: I adjure by Allah the man who has done this action and I adjure him by my right to him that he should stand up. Jumping over the necks of the people and trembling the man stood up. He sat before the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: Messenger of Allah! I am her master; she used to abuse you and disparage you. I forbade her, but she did not stop, and I rebuked her, but she did not abandon her habit. I have two sons like pearls from her, and she was my companion. Last night she began to abuse and disparage you. So I took a dagger, put it on her belly and pressed it till I killed her. Thereupon the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Oh be witness, no retaliation is payable for her blood

Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib: A Jewess used to abuse the Prophet (ﷺ) and disparage him. A man strangled her till she died. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) declared that no recompense was payable for her blood

Narrated AbuBakr: AbuBarzah said: I was with AbuBakr. He became angry at a man and uttered hot words. I said: Do you permit me, Caliph of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), that I cut off his neck? These words of mine removed his anger; he stood and went in. He then sent for me and said: What did you say just now? I said: (I had said:) Permit me that I cut off his neck. He said: Would you do it if I ordered you? I said: Yes. He said: No, I swear by Allah, this is not allowed for any man after Muhammad (ﷺ). Abu Dawud said: This is Yazid's version. Ahmad bin Hanbal said: That is, Abu Bakr has no powers to slay a man except for three reasons which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had mentioned: disbelief after belief, fornication after marriage, or killing a man without (murdering) any man by him. The Prophet (ﷺ) had powers to kill

Anas b. Malik said:Some people of ‘Ukl or ‘Urainah’ came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and found Madinah unhealthy. So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ordered them to go to the camels (of the sadaqah) and ordered them to drink some of their urine and milk. They went there when they became well, they killed the herdsman of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and drove off the camels. The news about them reached the prophet (ﷺ) early in the morning. So he sent people in pursuit of them, and they were brought when they day had risen high. He ordered and their hands and feet were cut off and nails were drawn into their eyes, and they were thrown out of Harrah. They begged for water but were not supplied water. Abu Qilabah said: They were people who had stolen, killed, apostatized after their faith and fought against Allah and his Apostle (ﷺ)

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by the narrator Ayyub through different chain. This version has :So he (the prophet) order nails to be heated and had them blinded with them, and he had their hands and feet cut off, and did not cauterise them to stop the flow of blood

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Anas. B. Malik through a different chain of narrators. This version says :The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent some people who were experts in tracking in pursuit of them and they were brought (to him). Allah , the Exalted, then revealed the verse about it : “ The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and his Apostle and strive for mischief through the land

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Anas. B. Malik through a different chain of narrators. This version has :Anas said : I saw one of them biting the earth with this mouth (teeth) on account of thirst and this they died

A similar tradition has also been transmitted by Anas bin Malik through a different chain of narrators. This version adds:He then forbade disfiguring. This version does not mention the words “ from opposite sides” . This tradition has been narrated by Shu’bah from Qatadah and Salam bin Miskin from Thabit on the authority of Anas. They did not mention the words “from opposite side”. I did not find these words “their hands and feet were cut off from opposite sides”. In any version except in the version of Hammad bin Salamah

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: Some people raided the camels of the Prophet (ﷺ), drove them off, and apostatised. They killed the herdsman of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who was a believer. He (the Prophet) sent (people) in pursuit of them and they were caught. He had their hands and feet cut off, and their eyes put out. The verse regarding fighting against Allah and His Prophet (ﷺ) was then revealed. These were the people about whom Anas ibn Malik informed al-Hajjaj when he asked him

Narrated AbuzZinad: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) cut off (the hands and feet of) those who had stolen his camels and he had their eyes put out by fire (heated nails), Allah reprimanded him on that (action), and Allah, the Exalted, revealed: "The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Apostle and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is execution or crucifixion

Muhammad bin Sirin said :This happened before the prescribed punishments(hudud) were revealed, meaning the tradition of Anas

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The verse "The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Apostle, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite side or exile from the land...most merciful" was revealed about polytheists. If any of them repents before they are arrested, it does not prevent from inflicting on him the prescribed punishment which he deserves

‘A’ishah said:The Quraish were anxious about the Makhzumi woman who had committed theft, They said : Who will speak to the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) about her ? Then they said: Who will be bold enough for it but Uasmah bin Zaid, the prophet’s (ﷺ) friend! So Usamah spoke to him, and the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said : Are you interceding regarding one of the punishments prescribed by Allah ? He then got up and gave an address, saying : What destroyed your predecessors was just that when a person of rank among them committed a theft, They left him alone , and when a weak one of them committed a theft, they inflicted the prescribed punishment on him . I swear by Allah that if Fatimah daughter of Muhammad should steal, I would have her hand cut off

’A’ishah said:A Makhzumi woman used to borrow goods and deny having received them, so the prophet (ﷺ) gave orders that her hand should be cut off. The narrator than transmitted the rest of the tradition like that of al-laith, saying : So the prophet (ﷺ) had her hand cut off. Abu dawud said: Ibn Wahb transmitted this tradition from Yunus on the authority of al-Zuhri, and in this version he said al-Laith has said: A woman committed theft during the lifetime of the Prophet (ﷺ) on the occasion of the Conquest (of Mecca). It has been transmitted by al-Laith from Yunus on the authority of Ibn Shihab through his chain of narrators. He said in this version: A woman borrowed goods. Mas'ud bin al-Aswad also transmitted a similar tradition from the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: A velvet was stolen from the house of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Abu Dawud said: Abu al-Zubair reported on the authority of Jabir: A woman committed theft and took refuge with Zainab daughter of Prophet (ﷺ)

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Forgive the people of good qualities their slips, but not faults to which prescribed corporal punishments apply."

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Forgive the infliction of prescribed penalties among yourselves, for any prescribed penalty of which I hear must be carried out

Narrated Nu'aym: Ma'iz came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and admitted (having committed adultery) four times in his presence so he ordered him to be stoned to death, but said to Huzzal: If you had covered him with your garment, it would have been better for you

Ibn al-Muakadir said:Huzzal had ordered Ma’iz to go to the prophet (ﷺ) and tell him(about his having committed adultery)

Narrated Wa'il ibn Hujr: When a woman went out in the time of the Prophet (ﷺ) for prayer, a man attacked her and overpowered (raped) her. She shouted and he went off, and when a man came by, she said: That (man) did such and such to me. And when a company of the Emigrants came by, she said: That man did such and such to me. They went and seized the man whom they thought had had intercourse with her and brought him to her. She said: Yes, this is he. Then they brought him to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When he (the Prophet) was about to pass sentence, the man who (actually) had assaulted her stood up and said: Messenger of Allah, I am the man who did it to her. He (the Prophet) said to her: Go away, for Allah has forgiven you. But he told the man some good words (AbuDawud said: meaning the man who was seized), and of the man who had had intercourse with her, he said: Stone him to death. He also said: He has repented to such an extent that if the people of Medina had repented similarly, it would have been accepted from them. Abu Dawud said: Asbat bin Nasr has also transmitted it from Simak

Narrated AbuUmayyah al-Makhzumi: A thief who had accepted (having committed theft) was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ), but no good were found with him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), said to him: I do not think you have stolen. He said: Yes, I have. He repeated it twice or thrice. So he gave orders. His hand was cut off and he was then brought to him. He said: Ask Allah's pardon and turn to Him in repentance. He said: I ask Allah's pardon and turn to Him in repentance. He (the Prophet) then said: O Allah, accept his repentance. Abu Dawud said: It has been transmitted by 'Amr b. Asim, from Hammam, from Ishaq b. 'Abd Allah from Abu Ummayyah, a man of the Ansar from the Prophet (ﷺ)

Abu ‘Umamah said :A man came to the prophet (ﷺ) and said : Messenger of Allah ! I have committed a crime which involves prescribed punishment so inflict it on me . He said : Have you not performed ablution when you came? He said : Yes, He said: Have you not prayed with us when we prayed ? He said : Yes .He then said : Go off, for Allah, the Exalted, forgave you

Azhar ibn Abdullah al-Harari said:Some goods of the people of Kila' were stolen. They accused some men of the weavers (of theft). They came to an-Nu'man ibn Bashir, the companion of the Prophet (ﷺ). He confined them for some days and then set them free. They came to an-Nu'man and said: You have set them free without beating and investigation. An-Nu'man said: What do you want? You want me to beat them. If your goods are found with them, then it is all right; otherwise, I shall take (retaliation) from your back as I have taken from their backs. They asked: Is this your decision? He said: This is the decision of Allah and His Apostle (ﷺ). Abu Dawud said: By this statement he frightened them ; that is, beating is not necessary except after acknowledgement

‘A’ishah said:The prophet (ﷺ) used to cut off a thief’s hand for a quarter of a dinar and upwards

‘A’ishah reported the prophet (ﷺ) as saying :A thief’s hand should be cut off for a quarter of a dinar and upwards. Ahmed b. Salih said: The amputation (of a thief’s hand) is for a quarter of a dinar and upwards

Ibn ‘Umar’ said:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had thief’s hand cut off for a shield worth three dirhams

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: The Prophet (ﷺ) had a man's hand cut off who had stolen from the place reserved for women a shield whose price was three dirhams

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had a man's hand cut off for (stealing) a shield whose price was a dinar or ten dirhams. Abu Dawud said: Muhammad bin Salamah and Sa'dan bin Yahya have transmitted it from Ibn Ishaq through his chain of narrators

Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Hibbān reported: A slave stole a plant of a palm-tree from the orchard of a man and planted it in the orchard of his master. The owner of the plant went out in search of the plant and found it. He sought help against the slave from Marwān ibn al-Hakam, who was the Governor of Madīnah at that time. Marwān confined the slave and intended to cut off his hand. The slave's master went to Rāfi‘ ibn Khadīj and asked him about that case. Rāfi‘ told him that he had heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The hand is not to be cut off for taking fruit or Kathar (the pith of the palm-tree)." The man then said: "Marwān has seized my slave and wants to cut off his hand. I wish you would go with me to him and tell him what you have heard from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)." Rāfi‘ ibn Khadīj went with him to Marwān ibn al-Hakam. Rāfi‘ said to him: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘The hand is not to be cut off for taking fruit or Kathar.'" So Marwān gave orders to release the slave, and he was released.

This tradition has also been transmitted by Muhammad bin Yahya bin Hibban through a different chain of narrators. This version adds :Marwan gave him some lashes and let him go

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked about fruit which was bung up and said: If a needy person takes some with his mouth and does not take a supply away in his garment, there is nothing on him, but he who carries any of it is to be fined twice the value and punished, and he who steals any of it after it has been put in the place where dates are dried to have his hand cut off if their value reaches the value of a shield. If he steals a thing less in value than it, he is to be find twice the value and punished. Abu Dawud said: Jarin means the place where dates are dried

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Cutting of hand is not to be inflicted on one who plunders, but he who plunders conspicuously does not belong to us

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: He also said through this chain: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Cutting of the hand is not to be inflicted on one who is treacherous

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Jabir through a different chain of narrators. This version adds :Cutting of the hand is not be inflicted on one who snatches something. Abu Dawud said : Ibn Juraij did not hear these two traditions from Abu al-Zubair, I have been informed by Ahmad. B. Hanbal saving : Ibn Juraij heard them from Yasin al-Zayyat. Aby Dawud said: Al-Mughirah b. Muslim has transmitted it from Abu al-Zubair from Jabir From the prophet(ﷺ)

Narrated Safwan bin Umayyah: I was sleeping in the mosque on a cloak mine whose price was thirty dirhams. A man came and pinched it away from me. The man was seized and brought to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He ordered that his hand should be cut off. I came to him and said: Do you cut off only for thirty dirhams ? I sell it to him and make the payment of its price a loan ? He said: Why did you not do so before bringing him to me ? Abu Dawud said: Za'idah has also transmitted it from Simak from Ju'ayd ibn Hujayr. He said: Safwan slept. Mujahid and Tawus said: While he was sleeping a thief came and stole the cloak from beneath his head. The version of AbuSalamah ibn AbdurRahman has: He snatched it away from beneath his head and he awoke. He cried and he (the thief) was seized. Az-Zuhri narrated from Safwan ibn Abdullah. His version has: He slept in the mosque and used his cloak as pillow. A thief came and took his cloak. The thief was seized and brought to the Prophet (ﷺ)

Ibn ‘Umar said:A Makhzuml woman used to borrow goods and deny having received them, so the prophet (ﷺ) gave orders and her hand was cut off. Abu Dawud said: Juwairiyyah has transmitted it from Nafi from Ibn ‘Umar or from Safiyyah daughter of Abu ‘Ubaid. This version adds: The prophet (ﷺ) got up and gave an address saying : Is there any woman who repents to Allah, the Exalted, and to his Apostle? He said it three times, That( woman) was present there but she did not get up and speak. Ibn Ghunj transmitted it from Nafi from Safiyyah daughter of Abu ‘Ubaid. This version has : He witnessed to her

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: A woman borrowed jewellery through some known persons and she herself was unknown. She then sold them. She was seized and brought to the Prophet (ﷺ). He gave orders that her hand should be cut off. It is this woman about whom Usamah interceded and of her the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said whatever he said

‘A’ishah said :A Makhzuml woman used to borrow goods and deny having received them. The prophet (ﷺ) gave orders that her hand should be cut off. He (the narrator) then narrated the tradition similar to the one transmitted by Qutaibah from al-Laith from Ibn Shahib. This version adds: The prophet(ﷺ) had her hand cut off

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: There are three (persons) whose actions are not recorded: a sleeper till he awakes, an idiot till he is restored to reason, and a boy till he reaches puberty

Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib: Ibn Abbas said: A lunatic woman who had committed adultery was brought to Umar. He consulted the people and ordered that she should be stoned. Ali ibn AbuTalib passed by and said: What is the matter with this (woman)? They said: This is a lunatic woman belonging to a certain family. She has committed adultery. Umar has given orders that she should be stoned. He said: Take her back. He then came to him and said: Commander of the Faithful, do you not know that there are three people whose actions are not recorded: a lunatic till he is restored to reason, a sleeper till he awakes, and a boy till he reaches puberty? He said: Yes. He then asked: Why is it that this woman is being stoned? He said: There is nothing. He then said: Let her go. He (Umar) let her go and began to utter: Allah is most great

A similar tradition has also been transmitted by al-A’mash through a different chain of narrators. He also said :“... . Till he reaches puberty , and a lunatic till he is restored to consciousness.” ‘Umar then began to utter: Allah is most great