Sunan Abi Dawud
Sunan Abi Dawud 4499
The Imam Enjoining A Pardon In The Case Of Bloodshed
Arabic hadith text
حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ بْنِ مَيْسَرَةَ الْجُشَمِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ عَوْفٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمْزَةُ أَبُو عُمَرَ الْعَائِذِيُّ، حَدَّثَنِي عَلْقَمَةُ بْنُ وَائِلٍ، حَدَّثَنِي وَائِلُ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذْ جِيءَ بِرَجُلٍ قَاتِلٍ فِي عُنُقِهِ النِّسْعَةُ قَالَفَدَعَا وَلِيَّ الْمَقْتُولِ فَقَالَ " أَتَعْفُو " . قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ " أَفَتَأْخُذُ الدِّيَةَ " . قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ " أَفَتَقْتُلُ " . قَالَ نَعَمْ . قَالَ " اذْهَبْ بِهِ " . فَلَمَّا وَلَّى قَالَ " أَتَعْفُو " . قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ " أَفَتَأْخُذُ الدِّيَةَ " . قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ " أَفَتَقْتُلُ " . قَالَ نَعَمْ . قَالَ " اذْهَبْ بِهِ " . فَلَمَّا كَانَ فِي الرَّابِعَةِ قَالَ " أَمَا إِنَّكَ إِنْ عَفَوْتَ عَنْهُ يَبُوءُ بِإِثْمِهِ وَإِثْمِ صَاحِبِهِ " . قَالَ فَعَفَا عَنْهُ . قَالَ فَأَنَا رَأَيْتُهُ يَجُرُّ النِّسْعَةَ .
Translation
Narrated Wa'il ibn Hujr
I was with the Prophet (ﷺ) when a man who was a murderer and had a strap round his neck was brought to him.
He then called the legal guardian of the victim and asked him: Do you forgive him?
He said: No. He asked: Will you accept the blood-money? He said: No. He asked: Will you kill him? He said: Yes. He said: Take him. When he turned his back, he said: Do you forgive him? He said: No. He said: Will you accept the blood-money? He said: No. He said: Will you kill him? He said: Yes. He said: Take him. After repeating all this a fourth time, he said: If you forgive him, he will bear the burden of his own sin and the sin of the victim. He then forgave him. He (the narrator) said: I saw him pulling the strap.