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Sahih MuslimThe Book of Repentance

Sahih Muslim 2766a

Chapter: The Acceptance Of The Repentance Of The One Who Kills, Even If He Has Killed A Great Deal

Authentic hadith of Sahih Muslim Sahih Muslim 2766a

Narrator:Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، - وَاللَّفْظُ لاِبْنِ الْمُثَنَّى - قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي الصِّدِّيقِ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، أَنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏

كَانَ فِيمَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ رَجُلٌ قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا فَسَأَلَ عَنْ أَعْلَمِ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ فَدُلَّ عَلَى رَاهِبٍ فَأَتَاهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا فَهَلْ لَهُ مِنَ تَوْبَةٍ فَقَالَ لاَ ‏.‏ فَقَتَلَهُ فَكَمَّلَ بِهِ مِائَةً ثُمَّ سَأَلَ عَنْ أَعْلَمِ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ فَدُلَّ عَلَى رَجُلٍ عَالِمٍ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ قَتَلَ مِائَةَ نَفْسٍ فَهَلْ لَهُ مِنْ تَوْبَةٍ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ وَمَنْ يَحُولُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ التَّوْبَةِ انْطَلِقْ إِلَى أَرْضِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَإِنَّ بِهَا أُنَاسًا يَعْبُدُونَ اللَّهَ فَاعْبُدِ اللَّهَ مَعَهُمْ وَلاَ تَرْجِعْ إِلَى أَرْضِكَ فَإِنَّهَا أَرْضُ سَوْءٍ ‏.‏ فَانْطَلَقَ حَتَّى إِذَا نَصَفَ الطَّرِيقَ أَتَاهُ الْمَوْتُ فَاخْتَصَمَتْ فِيهِ مَلاَئِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ وَمَلاَئِكَةُ الْعَذَابِ فَقَالَتْ مَلاَئِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ جَاءَ تَائِبًا مُقْبِلاً بِقَلْبِهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ ‏.‏ وَقَالَتْ مَلاَئِكَةُ الْعَذَابِ إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَعْمَلْ خَيْرًا قَطُّ ‏.‏ فَأَتَاهُمْ مَلَكٌ فِي صُورَةِ آدَمِيٍّ فَجَعَلُوهُ بَيْنَهُمْ فَقَالَ قِيسُوا مَا بَيْنَ الأَرْضَيْنِ فَإِلَى أَيَّتِهِمَا كَانَ أَدْنَى فَهُوَ لَهُ ‏.‏ فَقَاسُوهُ فَوَجَدُوهُ أَدْنَى إِلَى الأَرْضِ الَّتِي أَرَادَ فَقَبَضَتْهُ مَلاَئِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ ‏"

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

There was a person before you who had killed ninety-nine persons and then made an inquiry about the learned persons of the world (who could show him the way to salvation). He was directed to a monk. He came to him and told him that he had killed ninety-nine persons and asked him whether there was any scope for his repentance to be accepted. He said: No. He killed him also and thus completed one hundred. He then asked about the learned persons of the earth and he was directed to a scholar, and he told him that he had killed one hundred persons and asked him whether there was any scope for his repentance to be accepted. He said: Yes; what stands between you and the repentance? You better go to such and such land; there are people devoted to prayer and worship and you also worship along with them and do not come to the land of yours since it was an evil land (for you). So he went away and he had hardly covered half the distance when death came to him and there was a dispute between the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment. The angels of mercy said: This man has come as a penitant and remorseful to Allah and the angels of punishment said: He has done no good at all. Then there came another angel in the form of a human being in order to decide between them. He said: You measure the land to which he has drawn near. They measured it and found him nearer to the land where he intended to go (the land of piety), and so the angels of mercy took possession of it. Qatada said that Hasan told him that it was said to them that as death approached him, he crawled upon his chest (and managed) to slip in the land of mercy.

Reported by Muslim (No. 2766a).

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Classical commentary

An-Nawawi — Sharh Sahih Muslim

قَوْله صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : ( إِنَّ رَجُلًا قَتَلَ تِسْعًا وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا , ثُمَّ قَتَلَ تَمَام الْمِائَة , ثُمَّ أَفْتَاهُ الْعَالِم بِأَنَّ لَهُ تَوْبَة ) هَذَا مَذْهَب أَهْل الْعِلْم , وَإِجْمَاعهمْ عَلَى صِحَّة تَوْبَة الْقَاتِل عَمْدًا , وَلَمْ يُخَالِف أَحَد مِنْهُمْ إِلَّا اِبْن عَبَّاس. وَأَمَّا مَا نُقِلَ عَنْ بَعْض السَّلَف مِنْ خِلَاف هَذَا , فَمُرَاد قَائِله الزَّجْر عَنْ سَبَب التَّوْبَة , لَا أَنَّهُ يَعْتَقِد بُطْلَان تَوْبَته. وَهَذَا الْحَدِيث ظَاهِر فِيهِ , وَهُوَ إِنْ كَانَ شَرْعًا لِمَنْ قَبْلنَا , وَفِي الِاحْتِجَاج بِهِ خِلَاف فَلَيْسَ مَوْضِع الْخِلَاف , وَإِنَّمَا مَوْضِعه إِذَا لَمْ يَرِدْ شَرْعنَا بِمُوَافَقَتِهِ وَتَقْرِيره , فَإِنْ وَرَدَ كَانَ…

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Scholars’ grades

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

Other versions

Not graded Riyad as-Salihin 20

Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) said: "There was a man from among a nation before you who killed ninety-nine people and then made an inquiry about the most learned person on the earth. He was directed to a monk. He came to him and told him that he had killed ninety-nine people and asked him if there was any…

"‏ كان فيمن كان قبلكم رجل قتل تسعة وتسعين نفساً، فسأل عن أعلم أهل الأرض، فدل على راهب، فأتاه فقال‏:‏ إنه قتل تسعه وتسعين نفساً، فهل له من توبة‏؟‏ فقال‏:‏ لا، فقتله فكمل به مائةً، ثم سأل عن أعلم أهل الأرض، فدل على رجل…

Narrated by Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri

Also reported by… (2)
  • السنن الكبرى للبيهقي (14557)مِمَّنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ رَجُلٌ قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا ، فَسَأَلَ عَنْ أَعْلَمِ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ ، فَدُلَّ عَلَى رَاهِبٍ ، فَأَتَاهُ ، فَقَالَ : إِنَّهُ قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا ، فَهَلْ لَهُ مِنْ تَوْبَةٍ ؟ قَالَ : لا ، فَقَتَلَهُ فَكَمَّلَ بِهَ مِائَةً ، ثُمَّ سَأَلَ عَنْ أَ
  • شعب الإيمان للبيهقي (6561)مِمَّنْ قَبْلَكُمْ رَجُلٌ قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا ، فَسَأَلَ عَنْ أَعْلَمِ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ فَدُلَّ عَلَى رَاهِبٍ ، فَأَتَاهُ ، فَقَالَ : إِنَّهُ قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا ، فَهَلْ لَهُ مِنْ تَوْبَةٍ ؟ فَقَالَ : لا . فَقَتَلَهُ ، فَكَمَّلَ بِهِ الْمِائَةَ ، ثُمَّ سَأَلَ عَنْ أَع

On the same subject

Authentic Sahih al-Bukhari 3470

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Amongst the men of Bani Israel there was a man who had murdered ninety-nine persons. Then he set out asking (whether his repentance could be accepted or not). He came upon a monk and asked him if his repentance could be accepted. The monk replied in the negative and so the…

كَانَ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ رَجُلٌ قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ إِنْسَانًا ثُمَّ خَرَجَ يَسْأَلُ، فَأَتَى رَاهِبًا فَسَأَلَهُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ هَلْ مِنْ تَوْبَةٍ قَالَ لاَ‏.‏ فَقَتَلَهُ، فَجَعَلَ يَسْأَلُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ…

Narrated by Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri + 1 other version

Authentic Sahih Muslim 2766b

There is no chance for repentance for you. He killed the monk also and then began to make an inquiry and moved from one village to another village where there lived pious persons, and as he had covered some distance, he was overtaken by death, but he managed to crawl upon his chest (to the side…

أَنَّ رَجُلاً قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا فَجَعَلَ يَسْأَلُ هَلْ لَهُ مِنْ تَوْبَةٍ فَأَتَى رَاهِبًا فَسَأَلَهُ فَقَالَ لَيْسَتْ لَكَ تَوْبَةٌ ‏.‏ فَقَتَلَ الرَّاهِبَ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ يَسْأَلُ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ مِنْ…

Narrated by Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri

Differing grades Sunan Ibn Majah 2622

“Shall I not tell you what I heard directly from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)? I heard it and memorized it: 'A man killed ninety-nine people, then the idea of repentance occurred to him. He asked who was the most knowledgeable of people on earth, and he was told of a man so he went to him and said…

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ، أَنْبَأَنَا هَمَّامُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي الصِّدِّيقِ النَّاجِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ أَلاَ…

Narrated by Abu Rāfi + 2 other versions

Monday, October 12, 2026 1 جمادى الأولى 1448 هـ