The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) never struck anything with his hand, neither a woman nor a servant, except when he was fighting in the cause of Allah

Chapter: His Avoidance Of Sin, His Choosing The Easier Of Permissible Things, And His Vengeance For The Sake Of Allah If His Sacred Limits Were Transgressed

Authentic hadith of Sahih Muslim Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih Muslim 2328a

Narrator:Ā’ishah

حَدَّثَنَاهُ أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ

مَا ضَرَبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم شَيْئًا قَطُّ بِيَدِهِ وَلاَ امْرَأَةً وَلاَ خَادِمًا إِلاَّ أَنْ يُجَاهِدَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَمَا نِيلَ مِنْهُ شَىْءٌ قَطُّ فَيَنْتَقِمَ مِنْ صَاحِبِهِ إِلاَّ أَنْ يُنْتَهَكَ شَىْءٌ مِنْ مَحَارِمِ اللَّهِ فَيَنْتَقِمَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ‏

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) never struck anything with his hand, neither a woman nor a servant, except when he was fighting in the cause of Allah. He would never avenge himself concerning anything that was done to him except if the limits of Allah, the Almighty, were transgressed. Then (in that case) he would seek revenge for the sake of Allah, the Almighty.

Reported by Muslim (No. 2328a, 2327a, 2327d, 2327e, 2328b), Al-Bukhari (No. 3560, 6126, 6786, 6853), Abu Dawud (No. 4785, 4786), An-Nasa’i (No. 2096), Ibn Majah (No. 1984), Malik (No. 1637), Ahmad (No. 22906, 23410, 23686, 23702, 23837, 24127, 24310, 24381) and Ad-Darimi (No. 2121).

Explanation

One of the morals of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was that he never hit an animal or other creature, and he neither hit a woman nor a servant though it was common practice to hit them. Since he never hit these two despite the common practice, he did not hit any other creature whom it was not common to hit with greater reason. The exception was when he would fight in the cause of Allah to raise the word of Allah high. He also never sought vengeance for harm that was inflicted upon him, such as the incident in the battle of Uhud, when the disbelievers injured his head and broke one of his front teeth, and other acts of aggression and assault on their part. He used to pardon, forgive, and show forbearance. He did not seek vengeance except when the limits of Allah were transgressed, as he never approved of any such act from anyone.

Explanation in Arabic

من أخلاق النبي -عليه الصلاة والسلام- أنه ما ضرب شيئاً من الحيوانات ولا من غيرها في أي زمن من الأزمنة، لا امرأة ولا خادماً؛ لأن عادة أغلب الناس ضربهما، وإذا لم يضربهما النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم مع جريان العادة بذلك فغيرهما ممن لم يعتد ضربه أولى، إلا أن يجاهد في سبيل الله لإعلاء كلمة الله تعالى، وما نال أحد منه شيئاً فانتقم منه، كما وقع من شج الكفار لرأسه في أحد وكسر رباعيته وغير ذلك مما وقع من إساءتهم، ومع ذلك يعفو ويصفح ويحلم، ولا ينتقم، إلا إذا انتهكت محارم الله فإنه لا يقر أحدا على ذلك.

حسن خلقه -صلى الله عليه وسلم- وحلمه، وصبره، وعفوه.
الغضب لله لا ينافي الحلم والأناة والرفق والعفو.
إقامته -صلى الله عليه وسلم- حدود الله على من يستحقها ولا يمنعه من ذلك رفقه ورحمته؛ لأن ذلك من رحمة المحدود.
الدلالة على أهمية الجهاد في سبيل الله وأنه من صفات المرسلين.

Classical commentary

An-Nawawi — Sharh Sahih Muslim

قَوْلهَا : ( مَا ضَرَبَ رَسُول اللَّه صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ شَيْئًا قَطُّ بِيَدِهِ , وَلَا اِمْرَأَةً , وَلَا خَادِمًا إِلَّا أَنْ يُجَاهِدَ فِي سَبِيل اللَّه ) فِيهِ أَنَّ ضَرْبَ الزَّوْجَة وَالْخَادِم وَالدَّابَّة وَإِنْ كَانَ مُبَاحًا لِلْأَدَبِ فَتَرْكُهُ أَفْضَلُ.…

Scholars’ grades

Grade taken from the status of the collection (Sahih Muslim).

Other versions

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 3560

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was never given a choice between two things except that he would choose the easier of the two unless it were a sin. If it were a sin, he would be the farthest of people from it

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was never given a choice between two things except that he would choose the easier of the two unless it were a sin. If it were a sin, he would be the farthest of people from it. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and…

مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ إِلاَّ أَخَذَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا، مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا، فَإِنْ كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ، وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه…

Narrated by Ā’ishah Explained

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 6126

Whenever Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was given the choice of one of two matters he would choose the easier of the two as long as it was not sinful to do so, but if it was sinful, he would not approach it. Allah's Apostle never took revenge over anybody for his own sake but (he did) only when Allah's…

مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ قَطُّ إِلاَّ أَخَذَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا، مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا، فَإِنْ كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ، وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله…

Narrated by Ā’ishah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 6786

Whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) was given an option between two things, he used to select the easier of the tow as long as it was not sinful; but if it was sinful, he would remain far from it. By Allah, he never took revenge for himself concerning any matter that was presented to him, but when Allah's…

مَا خُيِّرَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ إِلاَّ اخْتَارَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا، مَا لَمْ يَأْثَمْ، فَإِذَا كَانَ الإِثْمُ كَانَ أَبْعَدَهُمَا مِنْهُ، وَاللَّهِ مَا انْتَقَمَ لِنَفْسِهِ فِي شَىْءٍ يُؤْتَى…

Narrated by Ā’ishah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 6853

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) never took revenge for his own self in any matter presented to him till Allah's limits were exceeded, in which case he would take revenge for Allah's sake.

مَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لِنَفْسِهِ فِي شَىْءٍ يُؤْتَى إِلَيْهِ حَتَّى تُنْتَهَكَ مِنْ حُرُمَاتِ اللَّهِ فَيَنْتَقِمَ لِلَّهِ‏.‏

Narrated by Ā’ishah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih Muslim 2327a

'A'isha, the wife of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ), said that whenever he had to choose between two things he adopted the easier one, provided it was nor sin, but if it was any sin he was the one wio was the farthest from it of the people; and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) never took revenge from anyone because of…

مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ إِلاَّ أَخَذَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا فَإِنْ كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم…

Narrated by Ā’ishah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih Muslim 2327d

Never did Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) make a choice between two things but adopting the easier one as compared to the difficult one, but his choice for the easier one was only in case it did not involve any sin, but if it involved sin he was the one who was the farthest from it amongst the people.

مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا أَيْسَرُ مِنَ الآخَرِ إِلاَّ اخْتَارَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا فَإِنْ كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ ‏

Narrated by Ā’ishah

See all 37 versions

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih Muslim 2327e

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Hisham through another chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording.

وَحَدَّثَنَاهُ أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، وَابْنُ، نُمَيْرٍ جَمِيعًا عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ أَيْسَرَهُمَا ‏.‏ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرَا مَا بَعْدَهُ ‏.‏

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih Muslim 2328b

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Hisham through another chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording.

وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَابْنُ، نُمَيْرٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَةُ، وَوَكِيعٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، كُلُّهُمْ عَنْ هِشَامٍ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ يَزِيدُ…

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan Abu Dawud 4785

the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was never given his choice between two things without taking the easier(or lesser) of them provided it involved no sin, for if it did, no one kept farther away from it than he. And the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) never took revenge on his own behalf for anything unless…

مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي أَمْرَيْنِ إِلاَّ اخْتَارَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا فَإِنْ كَانَ إِثْمًا كَانَ أَبْعَدَ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ وَمَا انْتَقَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم…

Narrated by Ā’ishah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan Abu Dawud 4786

the Messenger of Allah (saws ) never struck a servant or a woman.

مَا ضَرَبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم خَادِمًا وَلاَ امْرَأَةً قَطُّ ‏.‏

Narrated by Ā’ishah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan an-Nasa'i 2096

"Hardly anyone every remembered the Messenger of Allah cursing anyone, and if he had recently met with Jibril and studied the Quran with him, he was more generous in doing good than the blowing with. "(Sahih) Abu 'Abdur-Rehman (An-Nasai) said; This is a mistake, and what is correct is the…

مَا لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْ لَعْنَةٍ تُذْكَرُ وَكَانَ إِذَا كَانَ قَرِيبَ عَهْدٍ بِجِبْرِيلَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ يُدَارِسُهُ كَانَ أَجْوَدَ بِالْخَيْرِ مِنَ الرِّيحِ الْمُرْسَلَةِ ‏.‏

Narrated by Ā’ishah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan Ibn Majah 1984

"The Messenger of Allah never beat any of his servants, or wives, and his hand never hit anything."

مَا ضَرَبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ خَادِمًا لَهُ وَلاَ امْرَأَةً وَلاَ ضَرَبَ بِيَدِهِ شَيْئًا ‏.‏

Narrated by Ā’ishah

Not graded Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Muwatta Malik 1637

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az- Zubayr that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not have to choose between two matters, but that he chose the easier of…

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي أَمْرَيْنِ قَطُّ…

Narrated by Ā’ishah

Not graded Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Musnad Ahmad 22906