Sunan Abi Dawud

Sunan Abi Dawud 4351

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَيُّوبُ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، أَنَّ عَلِيًّا، عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ أَحْرَقَ نَاسًا ارْتَدُّوا عَنِ الإِسْلاَمِ فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ فَقَالَ لَمْ أَكُنْ لأَحْرِقَهُمْ بِالنَّارِ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ لاَ تُعَذِّبُوا بِعَذَابِ اللَّهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَكُنْتُ قَاتِلَهُمْ بِقَوْلِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ مَنْ بَدَّلَ دِينَهُ فَاقْتُلُوهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ عَلِيًّا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَقَالَ وَيْحَ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ ‏.‏

Translation

Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal narrated to us: Ismail ibn Ibrahim narrated to us: Ayyub informed us, from Ikrimah, that Ali—peace be upon him—burned some people who had apostatized from Islam. When Ibn Abbas was told of this, he said that he would not have burned them with fire, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had said not to punish with the punishment of Allah. He would, however, have killed them in accordance with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying that whoever changes his religion should be killed. When Ali was told this, he said that Ibn Abbas had spoken well.