Sahih al-Bukhari
Sahih al-Bukhari 18
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو إِدْرِيسَ، عَائِذُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّ عُبَادَةَ بْنَ الصَّامِتِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ وَكَانَ شَهِدَ بَدْرًا، وَهُوَ أَحَدُ النُّقَبَاءِ لَيْلَةَ الْعَقَبَةِ ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ وَحَوْلَهُ عِصَابَةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ " بَايِعُونِي عَلَى أَنْ لاَ تُشْرِكُوا بِاللَّهِ شَيْئًا، وَلاَ تَسْرِقُوا، وَلاَ تَزْنُوا، وَلاَ تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلاَدَكُمْ، وَلاَ تَأْتُوا بِبُهْتَانٍ تَفْتَرُونَهُ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَرْجُلِكُمْ، وَلاَ تَعْصُوا فِي مَعْرُوفٍ، فَمَنْ وَفَى مِنْكُمْ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَمَنْ أَصَابَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْئًا فَعُوقِبَ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَهُوَ كَفَّارَةٌ لَهُ، وَمَنْ أَصَابَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْئًا ثُمَّ سَتَرَهُ اللَّهُ، فَهُوَ إِلَى اللَّهِ إِنْ شَاءَ عَفَا عَنْهُ، وَإِنْ شَاءَ عَاقَبَهُ " . فَبَايَعْنَاهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu al-Yaman narrated to us. He said: Shu'ayb informed us, from al-Zuhri, who said: Abu Idris, A'idhullah ibn Abdullah, informed me that Ubada ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him)—who had taken part in Badr and was one of the naqibs on the night of al-Aqaba—reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, with a group of his Companions around him: ‘Pledge allegiance to me that you will not associate anything with Allah, will not steal, will not commit adultery, will not kill your children, will not bring forth a slander that you fabricate between your hands and feet, and will not disobey in what is right. Whoever among you fulfills this pledge, his reward is with Allah. Whoever commits any of these acts and is punished for it in this world, that will be an expiation for him. Whoever commits any of these acts and Allah then conceals it, his matter rests with Allah: if He wills, He will forgive him; and if He wills, He will punish him.’ We pledged allegiance to him on that basis.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The English witness explains naqib as the head of a group of six; the Arabic here uses the title without that explanation.
The English witness paraphrases the phrase about a slander fabricated ‘between your hands and feet’ as accusing an innocent person. The source image is retained in the translation, pending review of the idiom.
The Arabic does not state the witness's parenthetical exception for associating partners with Allah in the clause about punishment in this world; it is not added.
وَلاَ تَأْتُوا بِبُهْتَانٍ تَفْتَرُونَهُ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَرْجُلِكُمْ
The phrase literally invokes a slander fabricated between one's hands and feet; the witness interprets it as accusing an innocent person.
Should the English retain the image or use an idiomatic rendering such as fabricating a false accusation?