The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: "There were two woman who had two children, and the wolf came and took away the son of one of them. She said to her companion: 'It took away your son.' The other one said: 'No, it took away your son.' They referred the matter to Dawud, peace be upon him, for judgment (about the remaining child) and he ruled in favor of the older one. Then they went out to Sulaiman bin Dawud and told him (about that). He said: 'Give me a knife and I will cut him in half (to be shared) between you.' The younger one said: 'Do not do that, may Allah have mercy on you; he is her son.' So he ruled that (the child) belonged to the younger woman." Abu Hurairah said: "By Allah! I never heard 'Sikkin' used until that day. We would only say: 'Mudyah.'"
The Book of the Etiquette of Judges - Sunan an-Nasa'i 5402
The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: "There were two woman who had two children, and the wolf came and took away the son of one of them. She said to her companion: 'It took away your son.' The other one said: 'No, it took away your son.' They referred the matter to Dawud, peace be upon him, for judgment (about the remaining child) and he ruled in favor of the older one. Then they went out to Sulaiman bin Dawud and told him (about that). He said: 'Give me a knife and I will cut him in half (to be shared) between you.' The younger one said: 'Do not do that, may Allah have mercy on you; he is her son.' So he ruled that (the child) belonged to the younger woman." Abu Hurairah said: "By Allah! I never heard 'Sikkin' used until that day. We would only say: 'Mudyah.'"
Commentary on the Judicial Wisdom
This profound narration demonstrates the superior judicial insight granted to Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him). While Prophet Dawud judged according to apparent evidence favoring the elder woman, Sulaiman employed psychological wisdom to uncover the truth.
The proposed division of the child was not intended for execution but as a test of maternal love. The true mother's immediate surrender of her claim to save the child's life revealed her genuine motherhood. This illustrates that judges must sometimes employ unconventional methods to discern truth when evidence is contradictory.
Lessons in Judicial Conduct
This hadith teaches that judges must seek the essence of justice beyond superficial evidence. The ruling demonstrates that the objective of Islamic judiciary is to establish truth and protect rights, even if it requires innovative approaches within Shariah boundaries.
The incident also shows the permissibility of reviewing judgments when new evidence or perspectives emerge. The women's appeal to Sulaiman after Dawud's ruling indicates the Islamic judicial system's flexibility in pursuing ultimate justice.
Linguistic Note
Abu Hurairah's remark about the word "Sikkin" (knife) instead of "Mudyah" reflects the linguistic richness of Arabic and how Prophetic narrations introduced and standardized terminology. This attention to precise language is crucial in legal matters where terminology carries significant weight.