Home > The 40 Hadith of Nawawi > Hadith 17 of Nawawi
Hadith number 17 of the collection of the 40 hadiths of Imam an-Nawawi, in a faithful English translation.
Updated on 10 September 2026 at 2:45 AM
📖 17 min readThis hadith belongs to the collection of the 40 hadiths of Imam an-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him), the most studied hadith compilation in the world: foundations of faith, worship and character, all authentic narrations.
At-Tabarani reports from the hadith of Anas, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "When you judge, judge with equity; when you kill, kill well; for Allah the Mighty and Majestic is Excellent loving the excellent."
His saying (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Allah wrote excellence upon every thing," and in the version of Abu Ishaq al-Fazari in the Book of Expeditions, from Khalid, from Abu Qilaba, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Allah wrote excellence upon every thing, or said: upon every creation", thus reported mursal, with doubt in "every thing" or "every creation." Its apparent requires He wrote upon every creature excellence: would every thing or every creation be the written-upon, and the written is excellence. Said: the meaning is Allah wrote excellence to every thing or in every thing, or wrote excellence in the guardianship of every thing: the written-upon would be unmentioned, the mentioned being the one benefited by excellence. And the wording of writing requires obligation per most jurists and legal theorists, against some of them. Known is the usage of the word writing in the Quran for what is certain obligation: either legally, as His word: "Prayer is prescribed upon the believers at determined times"; His word: "Fasting is prescribed upon you"; "Fighting is prescribed upon you", or what is decree inevitably, as His word: "Allah wrote: I will prevail, I and My messengers"; His word: "We wrote in the Psalm after the reminder that My righteous servants inherit the earth"; His word: "Those, He wrote faith in their hearts." And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said of Ramadan month's night-standing: "I feared it be written upon you." And said: "I was ordered the siwak until I feared it be written upon me." And said: "Written upon Adam's son is his share of fornication: he will meet that inevitably." [The hadith is text on excellence]: then this hadith is text on excellence's obligation. Allah the Most High commanded it: "Allah commands justice and excellence"; and said: "Do well: Allah loves the well-doers."
This command to excellence: sometimes for obligation, like excellence to parents and relatives by the measure of piety and kinship's bond, and excellence to the guest by the measure of hospitality, as mentioned earlier. Sometimes for recommendation: like voluntary charity and the like.
This hadith indicates the obligation of excellence in everything of works. But each thing's excellence is by its measure: excellence in bringing the apparent and inward obligations: bringing them in the manner of their complete obligations, that measure of excellence therein is obligatory. Excellence therein completing their recommendations: not obligatory. Excellence in leaving forbidden things: ceasing them, leaving their apparent and inward, as the Most High said: "Leave the sin's apparent and inward", that measure of excellence therein is obligatory. Excellence in patience on trials: coming with patience in its manner without abjection nor impatience. The obligatory excellence in dealing with creatures and their company: performing what Allah required of all those rights. The obligatory excellence in creatures' guardianship and governance: performing all guardianship's obligations. The measure beyond obligation in all that: excellence not obligatory. Excellence in killing what is permitted killing of men and beasts: shedding the soul on the fastest, easiest, lightest of ways, without addition of torture: pain without need.
This type is what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) mentioned in this hadith, perhaps as example, or for needing its explanation in that situation: "when you kill, kill well the killing; when you slaughter, slaughter well the slaughtering." The killing and slaughtering with kasra: the manner. The meaning: better the slaughter's manner and the killing's manner. That indicates the obligation of hastening the souls' shedding permitted shedding on the easiest of ways. Ibn Hazm cited consensus of excellence's obligation in slaughter.
The easiest ways of killing man: striking by sword upon the neck. Allah said of the disbelievers: "When you meet those who disbelieve: striking of the necks"; and He said: "I will cast into the disbelievers' hearts terror: strike above the necks and strike from them every fingertip." It was said he specified the place of striking easier on the killed: above the bones, below the brain. Durayd ibn as-Simma recommended his killer killing him so.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), sending a column fighting in Allah's path, said to them: "Mutilate not, and kill not a child." Abu Dawoud and Ibn Majah report from Ibn Mas'oud's hadith, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "The most chaste of killers: the people of faith in him." Ahmad and Abu Dawoud report from the hadiths of Imran ibn Houssayn and Samoura ibn Joundoub that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibited mutilation. Boukhari reports from the hadith of Abdallah ibn Yazid, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): he prohibited mutilation. Imam Ahmad reports from the hadith of Ya'la ibn Mourra, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Mutilate not Allah's servants." Reported also from a Companion's hadith, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Whoever mutilates a being of soul then repents not: Allah mutilates him Resurrection day."
Know permitted killing occurs two ways. The first: being reprisal, mutilation not permitted therein of the reprised, but killed as he killed. Had he mutilated the slain: is he mutilated as he did, or killed only by sword? Two famous scholars' sayings. One: done to him as he did, Abu Hanifa's, ash-Chafi'i's, Ahmad's in the famous, Ishaq's and others'. In the two Sahihs, from Anas: a maidservant passed with necklaces in Madina, a Jew struck her with a stone; brought to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with the last breath. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: did so-and-so kill you? She raised her head; at the third: did so-and-so kill you? She lowered her head. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called him, and crushed his head between two stones. In a version of both: he was seized and confessed. In a version of Muslim: a Jew killed a maid of the Ansar upon her jewelry, threw her in the wells, crushed her head with stones; seized, brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who ordered him stoned till death: stoned till dead. The second saying: no qoud except by sword, ath-Thawri's, Abu Hanifa's (may Allah be pleased with him), and a narration of Ahmad. From Ahmad a third: done to him as he did, unless burning by fire or mutilating: then killed by sword, for prohibition of mutilation and fire-burning. Al-Authram transmitted of him. Reported of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "No qoud except by sword." Ibn Majah reports it, its chain weak. Ahmad said: reported "no qoud except by sword" but its chain is not good. Anas's hadith, the Jew killed by stones, is more chained and easier.
And if mutilated then killed, like cutting his extremities then killing: contented with killing, or done to him as he did, cutting his extremities then killing? Two sayings. The first: done to him as he did, Abu Hanifa's, ash-Chafi'i's, Ahmad's in one of the two versions, Ishaq's and others'. The second: contented with killing him, ath-Thawri's, Ahmad's in a version, Abu Youssouf's, Muhammad's. Malik said: did he that to him as mutilation and torture: done to him as he did; if not so: contented with killing him.
The second: killing being for disbelief: original disbelief or apostasy from Islam; most scholars: mutilation disliked therein too, and killed therein by sword.
Reported of a group of the Ancients mutilation's permission therein by fire-burning and other, as Khalid ibn al-Walid and others did. Reported of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) he burned, and the fire came to him. Reported that Oumm Qirfa al-Fazariya apostatized in Abu Bakr as-Siddiq's era: he ordered her plaits tied to two colts' tails, then cried to them: she was torn. These story's chains are interrupted. Ibn Sa'd mentions in his Tabaqat without chain that Zayd ibn Haritha killed her of those killers in the Messenger of Allah's era (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and informed the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Authentic of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) he burned the apostates, and Ibn Abbas disapproved of him. Said: he burned them not, but smoked them until death. Said: he killed them then burned them, that authenticates not; reported of him an apostate brought, ordered crushed by legs till death.
Ibn Aqil of our companions chose killing-by-mutilation's permission for disbelief, especially aggravated, carrying mutilation's prohibition on reprisal-killing. The permission arguers argued the 'Ouraniyyin hadith, reported in the two Sahihs of Anas's hadith: people of Ourayna came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in Madina, embracing Islam; the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to them: "If you will go out to the charity's camels, drinking their milks and urines: do." They did, healed, then attacked the shepherds, killing them, apostatizing from Islam, driving the Messenger of Allah's flocks (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). That reached the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): he sent pursuit, they were brought, and he cut their hands and legs, cauterized their eyes, leaving them in the Harra until death. In a version: then cast to the sun until death. In a version: their eyes nailed, cast in the Harra seeking water, none given. In a version of at-Tirmidhi: cut their hands and legs in opposition. In a version of an-Nasai: crucified them.
The scholars differed on the punishment face of these: some saying: whoever did their like, apostatizing and warring and taking wealth, done to him as done to these. Reported of a portion, among them Abu Qilaba, and a narration of Ahmad. Some saying: this indicates mutilation's permission of whose crimes aggravated in general, mutilation's prohibition being in reprisals: Ibn Aqil's opinion of our companions. Some saying: what was done to the 'Ouraniyyin was abrogated by mutilation's prohibition. Some saying: was before the limits' descent and the brigandage verse, then abrogated thereby, a group's opinion among them al-Awza'i and Abu Obayd. Some saying: what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did to them was only by the brigandage verse, nothing abrogated, saying: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) killed them and cut hands for taking wealth; whoever takes wealth and kills: cut and crucified necessarily, killed for killing, hand and opposite leg cut for wealth-taking, crucified for assembling the two crimes: killing and wealth-taking: al-Hasan's opinion and a narration of Ahmad. And their eyes nailed for nailing the shepherds' eyes, thus Muslim reports of Anas's hadith. Ibn Chihab mentions they killed the shepherd and mutilated him. Ibn Sa'd mentions they cut his hand and leg, planted thorn in tongue and eyes till death, and then...
then their cutting and eye-nailing and thirsting would be reprisals. That diverges from whoever says the brigand committing an infraction requiring reprisals is satisfied thereof before killing, Ahmad's madhab. But satisfied necessarily as killing, or as reprisal falling by the guardian's pardon? Two narrations of him; but at-Tirmidhi's narration of their cutting in opposition indicates their cutting for brigandage, unless they had cut the shepherd's hand and leg in opposition. And Allah knows best.
Reported of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) permitting fire-burning, then prohibiting it, as in Sahih Boukhari, from Abu Hourayra (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent us an expedition saying: should you find so-and-so and so-and-so, naming two Quraysh men, burn them with fire. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said as we would go out: "I had commanded you burning so-and-so with fire, but fire is punished by only Allah: should you find them, kill them." Therein also, of Ibn Abbas that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Punish not with Allah's punishment the Mighty and Majestic." Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), Abu Dawoud and an-Nasai report Ibn Mas'oud's hadith: we were with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), passing an ant-hill burned; the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) angered, saying: "It befits not a human punishing with Allah's punishment the Mighty and Majestic." Khalid burned a group in apostasy. Reported of a group of Companions fire-burning whoever did the people of Lout's act. Reported of Ali suggesting Abu Bakr kill him then burn with fire, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh preferring: lest torture by fire. In Imam Ahmad's Mousnad: Ali, when Ibn Moulijam struck him, said: "Do to him as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) willed doing a man intending killing him: kill him then burn him." Most scholars: fire-burning disliked even to insects. Ibrahim an-Nakha'i said: fire-burning the scorpion is mutilation. And Oumm ad-Darda prohibited fire-burning the flea. Ahmad said: fish not grilled in fire alive; and said: grasshopper lighter, having no blood.
Established of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibiting beast-tying: confining the beast then striking arrows and like till death. In the two Sahihs, from Anas: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibited beasts being tied. Therein also, of Ibn Umar: he passed a people having set a hen shooting, saying: who did this? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) cursed who did this. Muslim reports from Ibn Abbas's hadith, of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibiting taking anything of living being as target, the target: what arrows are shot in. In Imam Ahmad's Mousnad, from Abu Hourayra: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibited the target, beast shot then eaten, but slaughtered, then shooting if they will.
In this meaning many hadiths. Therefore the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded excellence of killing and slaughter, commanded blade's sharpening and beast's easing, indicating slaughter by the sharp instrument easing the beast by hastening its soul's shedding. Imam Ahmad and Ibn Majah report Ibn Umar's hadith: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered the blade's sharpening and its hiding from beasts, saying: "When one of you slaughters, let him hasten," meaning hastening slaughter.
Command of kindness to the slaughtered beast came. Ibn Majah reports Abu Sa'id al-Khudri's hadith: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed a man dragging a sheep by its ear; the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Leave its ear, take by its foreneck", the foreneck: the neck's front. Al-Khallal and at-Tabarani report Ikrima's hadith, from Ibn Abbas: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed a man placing his foot on a sheep's face, sharpening his blade, it looking at him with its eyes; he said: "Could you not before this? Would you kill it twice?" Reported of Ikrima mursal, by Abd ar-Razzaq and others, with addition: "Had you not sharpened your blade before laying her?" Imam Ahmad said: led to slaughter kindly led, and the knife hidden from it, the knife appearing only at slaughter. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered that of hiding blades. And said: "What is hidden to the beast is not hidden to it: it knows its Lord and knows it dies." And reported of Ibn Sibat saying: beasts are fitted to everything except knowing their Lord and fearing death. And come the command of cutting the arters at slaughter, as Abu Dawoud reports from Ikrima's hadith, from Ibn Abbas, and Abu Hourayra, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): he prohibited the demon's strip, that slaughtered cutting the skin, not cutting the arters. Ibn Hibban reports it in his Sahih, and with him: Ikrima said: they cut of it the little thing then left it till death, cutting not the arters: prohibited of that. Abd ar-Razzaq reports in his book, from Muhammad ibn Rachid, from al-Wadhin ibn Atta: a butcher opened a door upon a sheep to slaughter; it escaped him until it came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); he followed, taking dragging by its leg; the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to it: "Patience for Allah's order; and you, O butcher, lead it to death in gentle leading." And by his chain, of Ibn Sirin: Umar saw a man dragging a sheep by its leg to slaughter, saying: "Woe to you, lead it to death a beautiful leading." Muhammad ibn Ziyad reports Ibn Umar saw a butcher dragging a sheep saying: "Lead it to death a beautiful leading"; the butcher took his blade saying: I lead it not beautifully, I intend slaughtering it the hour. He said: "Lead it beautifully." In Imam Ahmad's Mousnad, from Mou'awiya ibn Qurra, from his father, a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah, I slaughter the sheep mercying it"; the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "And the sheep, were you to mercy it: Allah mercies you." Moutarrif ibn Abdallah said: "Allah mercies by the sparrow's mercy." Nouf al-Bakali said: a man slaughtered a young goat before its mother, dulling, and under a tree having a nest with a chick, the chick fell to earth: he pitied it, returned it to its place, and Allah returned to him his strength.
Reported of other way of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibiting the mother returned to her child: general to Adam's sons and others. In the Sunan of Abu Dawoud: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked of the young colt, saying: "It is right, and leaving it until being first-birthed son of birthing, or second-toothed daughter of milking, given a widow, or carried in Allah's path, better than slaughtering, its flesh stuck to its down, your vessel replaced, your she-camel returned to her young." The meaning: the she-camel's young slaughtered small at its birth: its flesh not profited, its owner harmed by his she-camel's milk's interruption, his vessel replaced, the pail milked in, and the she-camel turned to her young, by her losing it.