Sunan Ibn Majah
The Chapters on Rulings
كتاب الأحكام
Chapter 20
الْقَضَاءِ بِالْقُرْعَةِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ishaq bin Mansur narrated to us: Abdur-Razzaq informed us: Al-Thawri informed us, from Salih Al-Hamdani, from Al-Shabi, from Abd Khair Al-Hadrami, from Zaid bin Arqam, who said: Ali bin Abi Talib was in Yemen when three men who had had intercourse with one woman during a single period of purity were brought to him. He asked two of them: Do you acknowledge the child as belonging to this man? They said: No. Then he asked two others the same question, and they said: No. Each time he asked two of them whether they acknowledged the child for the other, they said: No. So he cast lots among them, assigned the child to the one selected by the lot, and imposed on him two-thirds of the blood money. This was mentioned to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he laughed until his molars showed.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says “during one purity” and repeatedly reports pairwise denial; no further account of the legal reasoning is given. The wording assigns two-thirds of the diyah to the man selected by lot, without specifying here to whom it is paid.
Chapter 21
الْقَافَةِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah, Hisham bin Ammar, and Muhammad bin Al-Sabbah narrated to us. They said: Sufyan bin Uyaynah narrated to us, from Al-Zuhri, from Urwah, from Aishah, who said: One day the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me happily, saying: Aishah, did you not see that Mujazziz Al-Mudliji came to me and saw Usamah and Zaid with a blanket over them, covering their heads while their feet were visible? He said: These feet are from one another.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Qatifah is rendered as a blanket or wrap. The Arabic says their heads were covered and their feet appeared; it gives no further commentary on the genealogical inference.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad bin Yahya narrated to us: Muhammad bin Yusuf narrated to us: Israel narrated to us: Simak bin Harb narrated to us, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas: Quraysh went to a woman who practiced divination and said to her: Tell us which of us most resembles the man of the station. She said: If you spread a cloth over this flat ground and then walk on it, I will tell you. So they spread a cloth, and the people walked over it. She saw the footprint of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: This one among you is the closest to him in resemblance. Then they remained for twenty years—or for however long Allah willed—and afterward Allah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The phrase “man of the station” (sahib al-maqam) is left close to the Arabic because the source gives no identification or explanation. The duration is explicitly uncertain: “twenty years or whatever Allah willed.”
Chapter 22
تَخْيِيرِ الصَّبِيِّ بَيْنَ أَبَوَيْهِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham bin Ammar narrated to us: Sufyan bin Uyaynah narrated to us, from Ziyad bin Sad, from Hilal bin Abi Maimunah, from Abu Maimunah, from Abu Hurairah: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave a boy the choice between his father and his mother and said: Boy, this is your mother and this is your father.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic does not report which parent the boy chose.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Ismail bin Ulayyah narrated to us, from Uthman Al-Batti, from Abdul-Hamid bin Salamah, from his father, from his grandfather, that his parents brought their dispute before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). One of them was a disbeliever and the other a Muslim, so he gave the child a choice. The child turned toward the disbelieving parent, and the Prophet said: O Allah, guide him. Then the child turned toward the Muslim parent, and he ruled in that parent favor.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says “his parents” and that the child first turned toward the disbelieving parent, then toward the Muslim parent; it does not explicitly state the child went home with the parent. The final clause is translated as a ruling in favor of the Muslim parent.
Chapter 23
الصُّلْحِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Khalid bin Makhlad narrated to us: Kathir bin Abdullah bin Amr bin Awf narrated to us, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Reconciliation is permissible among the Muslims, except for a reconciliation that makes something lawful forbidden or makes something forbidden lawful.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic states the exception in terms of changing what is lawful and unlawful; no other limits are added in this wording.
Chapter 24
الْحَجْرِ عَلَى مَنْ يُفْسِدُ مَالَهُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Azhar bin Marwan narrated to us: Abd Al-Ala narrated to us: Said narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Anas bin Malik, that a man in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had weakness in his judgment and would engage in sales. His family came to the Prophet and said: Messenger of Allah, place a restriction on him. The Prophet called him and forbade him from that, but he said: Messenger of Allah, I cannot bear to abstain from buying and selling. He said: When you make a transaction, say: Here it is, and there is no deception.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic describes weakness in the man judgment and the family request for hajr, a restriction on his dealings. The closing phrase here it is, and no deception is an unusual formula; the source does not explain its exact legal effect.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Abd Al-Ala narrated to us, from Muhammad bin Ishaq, from Muhammad bin Yahya bin Habban, who said: He is my grandfather, Munqidh bin Amr. He was a man who had suffered a severe wound to his head that affected his speech, yet he continued trading and was continually cheated. He went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and told him about this. The Prophet said to him: When you make a sale, say: There is to be no deception. Then, for every item you buy, you have the option for three nights: if you are pleased, keep it; if you are displeased, return it to its owner.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic calls the head injury an ammah and says it broke or impaired his tongue; “severe wound to his head that affected his speech” avoids overstating a precise medical diagnosis. The phrase la khilabah is a transaction formula whose force is glossed as no deception.
Chapter 25
تَفْلِيسِ الْمُعْدَمِ وَالْبَيْعِ عَلَيْهِ لِغُرَمَائِهِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Shababah narrated to us: Al-Laith bin Sad narrated to us, from Bukair bin Abdullah bin Al-Ashajj, from Iyad bin Abdullah bin Sad, from Abu Said Al-Khudri, who said: A man suffered a loss in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on fruit he had bought, and his debt grew large. The Messenger of Allah said: Give charity to him. The people gave charity to him, but it did not suffice to repay his debt. The Messenger of Allah then said: Take what you find; you have no more than that. That is, the creditors.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The final words “that is, the creditors” are a compiler or transmitter gloss in the Arabic and are retained as such. The wording says the charity did not reach the amount needed to repay his debt.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad bin Bashshar narrated to us: Abu Asim narrated to us: Abdullah bin Muslim bin Hurmuz narrated to us, from Salamah Al-Makki, from Jabir bin Abdullah: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) released Muadh bin Jabal from his creditors, then appointed him over Yemen. Muadh said: The Messenger of Allah released me with my property, then appointed me.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic verb khala a in relation to Muadh and his creditors is rendered as released him from his creditors; Muadh restates it as being released with his property. The report does not detail how the debts were settled.
Chapter 26
مَنْ وَجَدَ مَتَاعَهُ بِعَيْنِهِ عِنْدَ رَجُلٍ قَدْ أَفْلَسَ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Sufyan bin Uyaynah narrated to us. And Muhammad bin Ramh narrated to us: Al-Laith bin Sad informed us. Both routes are from Yahya bin Said, from Abu Bakr bin Muhammad bin Amr bin Hazm, from Umar bin Abdul-Aziz, from Abu Bakr bin Abdur-Rahman bin Al-Harith bin Hisham, from Abu Hurairah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever finds his very own property with a man who has become bankrupt has a greater right to it than anyone else.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic has two transmission routes that converge at Yahya bin Said; both are retained. “His very own property” renders matā ah bi-aynihi, emphasizing the identical item.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham bin Ammar narrated to us: Ismail bin Ayyash narrated to us, from Musa bin Uqbah, from Al-Zuhri, from Abu Bakr bin Abdur-Rahman bin Al-Harith bin Hisham, from Abu Hurairah, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If a man sells an item, then finds that very item with a man who has become bankrupt, and he has received none of its price, then it belongs to him. But if he has received some of its price, then he is equal with the creditors.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic distinguishes whether the seller received any part of the price: none, or some. In the latter case he stands alongside the other creditors.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ibrahim bin Al-Mundhir Al-Hizami and Abdur-Rahman bin Ibrahim Al-Dimashqi narrated to us. They both said: Ibn Abi Fudayk narrated to us, from Ibn Abi Dhi b, from Abu Al-Mutamir bin Amr bin Rafi, from Ibn Khaldah Al-Zuraqi, who was a judge in Madinah. He said: We came to Abu Hurairah concerning a companion of ours who had become bankrupt. He said: This is the ruling the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave: If any man dies or becomes bankrupt, the owner of the goods has a greater right to them if he finds them in their very same state.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source includes two named transmitters at the start who converge at Ibn Abi Fudayk; both are retained. The Arabic includes both death and bankruptcy as conditions, and emphasizes finding the identical goods.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Amr bin Uthman bin Said bin Kathir bin Dinar Al-Himsi narrated to us: Al-Yaman bin Adi narrated to us: Al-Zubaydi narrated to me: Muhammad bin Abdur-Rahman, from Al-Zuhri, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurairah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If a person dies while another person property itself is with him, whether he has recovered anything from him or not, then that owner stands equal with the creditors.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The final Arabic clause uses an idiom meaning “he is on equal standing with the creditors.” The preceding pronouns and condition are compact and somewhat ambiguous; the translation preserves that compactness rather than specifying a procedure.
Chapter 27
كَرَاهِيَةِ الشَّهَادَةِ لِمَنْ لَمْ يُسْتَشْهَدْ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Uthman bin Abi Shaybah and Amr bin Rafi narrated to us. They both said: Jarir narrated to us, from Mansur, from Ibrahim, from Ubaydah Al-Salmani, who said: Abdullah bin Masud said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: Which people are the best? He said: My generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them. Then will come people whose testimony comes before their oath, and whose oath comes before their testimony.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The final description is an Arabic rhetorical pairing about people readily giving testimony and oaths; the wording does not explicitly say they were not asked. The sequence of three generations is preserved as stated.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abdullah bin Al-Jarrah narrated to us: Jarir narrated to us, from Abdul-Malik bin Umayr, from Jabir bin Samurah, who said: Umar bin Al-Khattab addressed us at Al-Jabiyah and said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood among us as I stand among you, and said: Keep my due regard concerning my Companions, then those who follow them, then those who follow them. Then falsehood will spread until a man gives testimony though he was not asked to testify, and swears an oath though he was not asked to swear.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says “preserve me concerning my Companions,” an idiom rendered as keeping the Prophet due regard with respect to them. “Though he was not asked” follows the explicit negations in the Arabic.
Chapter 28
الرَّجُلِ عِنْدَهُ الشَّهَادَةُ لاَ يَعْلَمُ بِهَا صَاحِبُهَا
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ali bin Muhammad and Muhammad bin Abdur-Rahman Al-Jufi narrated to us. They both said: Zaid bin Al-Hubab Al-Ukayli narrated to us: Ubayy bin Abbas bin Sahl bin Sad Al-Saidi informed me: Abu Bakr bin Amr bin Hazm narrated to me: Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Amr bin Uthman bin Affan narrated to me: Kharijah bin Zaid bin Thabit narrated to me: Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Amrah Al-Ansari informed me that he heard Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani say that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: The best witnesses are those who give their testimony before being asked for it.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic explicitly praises testimony offered before a request is made; it does not specify exceptions or circumstances. The full chain is retained, including the nested first-person transmission verbs.
Chapter 29
الإِشْهَادِ عَلَى الدُّيُونِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ubaydullah bin Yusuf Al-Jubayri and Jamil bin Al-Hasan Al-Ataki narrated to us. They both said: Muhammad bin Marwan Al-Ijli narrated to us: Abdul-Malik bin Abi Nadhrah narrated to us, from his father, from Abu Said Al-Khudri, who said: He recited this verse: “O you who believe, when you contract a debt for a specified term”—up to His words, “Then if one of you entrusts another.” He said: This abrogated what came before it.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
This is Abu Said statement, not a saying attributed to the Prophet. The Arabic quotes portions of Quran 2:282 with a cutoff at “if one of you entrusts another.” The reference to abrogation is retained as the narrator statement.
Chapter 30
مَنْ لاَ تَجُوزُ شَهَادَتُهُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ayyub bin Muhammad Al-Raqqi narrated to us: Mamar bin Sulayman narrated to us. And Muhammad bin Yahya narrated to us: Yazid bin Harun narrated to us. They both said: Hajjaj bin Artah narrated to us, from Amr bin Shuaib, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The testimony of a treacherous man or woman is not accepted, nor that of someone subjected to a prescribed punishment in Islam, nor that of someone who harbors rancor against his brother.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic includes male and female forms for a treacherous witness. “Someone subjected to a prescribed punishment” renders mahdud fil-Islam; “rancor” renders ghimr.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Harmalah bin Yahya narrated to us: Abdullah bin Wahb narrated to us: Nafi bin Yazid informed me, from Ibn Al-Had, from Muhammad bin Amr bin Ata, from Ata bin Yasar, from Abu Hurairah, who heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: The testimony of a Bedouin against a settled villager is not admissible.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic contrasts a badawi with the person of a qaryah. “Bedouin” and “settled villager” convey that contrast without adding a rationale for the rule.