Do not punish (anybody) with Allah's punishment

Islam > Hadiths > Jurisprudence and juristic principles > Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles

Hadith narrated by Narrated by Al-Bukhāri

Authenticity grade : Authentic

Hadith text: Do not punish (anybody) with Allah's punishment

عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ: أَنَّ عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ حَرَّقَ قَوْمًا، فَبَلَغَ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ فَقَالَ: لَوْ كُنْتُ أَنَا لَمْ أُحَرِّقْهُمْ لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «لاَ تُعَذِّبُوا بِعَذَابِ اللَّهِ»، وَلَقَتَلْتُهُمْ كَمَا قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَنْ بَدَّلَ دِينَهُ فَاقْتُلُوهُ».

‘Ikrimah reported: ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) burned some people, and this news reached Ibn ‘Abbās, who said: Had I been in his place, I would not have burned them, as the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Do not punish (anybody) with Allah's punishment." No doubt, I would have killed them, for the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Whoever changes his religion, kill him."

Explanation of the hadith: Do not punish (anybody) with Allah's punishment

Lessons: Do not punish (anybody) with Allah's punishment

• The killing of one who apostatizes from Islam is obligatory according to the consensus of scholars-subject to its conditions-and it is to be carried out only by the ruler or the judicial authority.
• His words: "Whoever changes his religion, kill him", i.e., whoever apostatizes from Islam-a general ruling that applies to both men and women.
• An apostate is not allowed to remain in his apostasy; rather, he is invited to return to Islam, and if he does not accept, he has to be killed.
• This Hadīth prohibits punishment by fire, and it indicates that legal punishments must not be carried out using fire.
• The virtue of Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) and the vastness of his knowledge and his deep understanding of the Prophet's Hadīths.
• It contains a lesson on observing proper manners when correcting someone who is mistaken.

Categories : Prescribed Punishment for Apostasy