umaymen
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One of the stories I love, and one that shows the greatness of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and the vastness of His mercy toward His servants, is the story of the man who killed one hundred people, as mentioned in the authentic hadith of the Prophet ﷺ in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim..
The story tells of a man from an earlier nation who killed ninety-nine people. Then he began to think about repentance. He asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth, and he was directed to a worshipper. When he asked him, “Can I repent?” the worshipper said, “No.” So he killed him, completing one hundred.
This may be one of the clearest examples of the danger of speaking about Allah without knowledge. The man was asking about the most knowledgeable person on earth, but he was directed to a worshipper, and not every worshipper is a scholar. Perhaps the worshipper thought the number of people killed was too great, so he gave him a ruling without knowledge. His answer then became the reason for another crime.
Here we learn a great lesson: Worship alone is not enough without knowledge. A person should not rush to give a religious ruling or speak about Allah without knowledge. Rather, he should say, “I do not know,” when he is not sure about what he is saying.
May Allah have mercy on that worshipper and forgive him. His mistake came from ignorance, even though the result of his ruling was serious.
As for the man, he did not give in to despair. His desire to repent returned, so he again asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth, and he was directed to a scholar. When he told him that he had killed one hundred people and asked him, “Can I repent?” the scholar said: «“Yes. And who could stop you from repenting?”»
What a great statement! He did not say to him, “You have gone too far,” nor did he say, “Your sins are too great to be forgiven.” Instead, he opened the door of hope for him and then showed him the practical way to repent.
He said to him: «“Go to such-and-such a land, for there are people there who worship Allah. Worship Allah with them, and do not return to your land, because it is an evil land.”»
It seems that this scholar was not only knowledgeable about the religious ruling, but also had insight and understood human nature. He knew that repentance is not only regret in the heart. It also needs a real change in a person’s life. That is why he told him to leave the environment where he was used to sinning, stay away from bad company, and move to an environment that would help him obey Allah and remain steadfast.
The man followed his advice and set out toward the land of the righteous. On the way, death came to him. The angels of mercy and the angels of punishment argued about him. The angels of mercy said, “He came as a repentant person, turning his heart toward Allah,” while the angels of punishment said, “He never did any good deed.”
So Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, sent an angel in human form to judge between them. He said, “Measure the distance between the two lands. Whichever one he is closer to, then he belongs to its people.” They measured the distance and found him closer to the land of the righteous by one handspan. So the angels of mercy took him, and Allah forgave him.
In the narration of al-Bukhari, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, revealed to the evil land to move farther away, and to the righteous land to come closer, until the man became closer to the land of the righteous by one handspan. So Allah forgave him.
The fact that Allah commanded the earth to contract so the man would die closer to the land of the righteous shows that sincere intention and sincerity (niyyah and ikhlas) are fully recognized, even if the journey was not completed.
How great this story is!
واحدة من القصص التي أحبها، والتي تتجلى فيها عظمة الله سبحانه وتعالى وسعة رحمته بعباده، قصة الرجل الذي قتل مائة نفس، كما وردت في الحديث الصحيح عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، في صحيحي البخاري ومسلم..
The story tells of a man from an earlier nation who killed ninety-nine people. Then he began to think about repentance. He asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth, and he was directed to a worshipper. When he asked him, “Can I repent?” the worshipper said, “No.” So he killed him, completing one hundred.
تحكي القصة عن رجل من الأمم السابقة قتل تسعة وتسعين نفسًا، ثم حدثته نفسه بالتوبة، فسأل عن أعلم أهل الأرض، فدُلَّ على عابد. فلما سأله: هل لي من توبة؟ قال له: لا. فقتله، فأكمل به المائة.
This may be one of the clearest examples of the danger of speaking about Allah without knowledge. The man was asking about the most knowledgeable person on earth, but he was directed to a worshipper, and not every worshipper is a scholar. Perhaps the worshipper thought the number of people killed was too great, so he gave him a ruling without knowledge. His answer then became the reason for another crime.
ولعل هذا الموقف من أوضح الصور التي تبين خطورة القول على الله بغير علم؛ فالرجل كان يسأل عن أعلم أهل الأرض، فدُلَّ على عابد، وليس كل عابد عالمًا. ولعل العابد استعظم ما سمعه من كثرة القتل، فأفتاه بما لا علم له به، فكانت فتواه سببًا في جريمة أخرى.
Here we learn a great lesson: Worship alone is not enough without knowledge. A person should not rush to give a religious ruling or speak about Allah without knowledge. Rather, he should say, “I do not know,” when he is not sure about what he is saying.
وهنا نتعلم درسًا عظيمًا: أن العبادة وحدها لا تغني عن العلم، وأن على الإنسان ألا يتسرع في الفتوى، وألا يقول على الله ما لا يعلم، بل يقول: لا أعلم، إذا لم يكن على بينة مما يقول.
May Allah have mercy on that worshipper and forgive him. His mistake came from ignorance, even though the result of his ruling was serious.
رحم الله ذلك العابد وغفر له، فقد كان خطؤه من الجهل، وإن كانت عاقبة فتواه عظيمة.
As for the man, he did not give in to despair. His desire to repent returned, so he again asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth, and he was directed to a scholar. When he told him that he had killed one hundred people and asked him, “Can I repent?” the scholar said: «“Yes. And who could stop you from repenting?”»
أما الرجل، فلم يستسلم لليأس، بل عادت إليه رغبته في التوبة، فسأل مرة أخرى عن أعلم أهل الأرض، فدُلَّ على رجل عالم. فلما أخبره أنه قتل مائة نفس وسأله: هل له من توبة؟ قال له العالم »: نعم، ومن يحول بينك وبين التوبة؟«
What a great statement! He did not say to him, “You have gone too far,” nor did he say, “Your sins are too great to be forgiven.” Instead, he opened the door of hope for him and then showed him the practical way to repent.
يا لها من كلمة عظيمة! لم يقل له: لقد أسرفت، ولا قال: ذنوبك أكبر من أن تُغفر، وإنما فتح له باب الرجاء، ثم أرشده إلى الطريق العملي للتوبة.
He said to him: «“Go to such-and-such a land, for there are people there who worship Allah. Worship Allah with them, and do not return to your land, because it is an evil land.”»
قال له»: انطلق إلى أرض كذا وكذا، فإن بها أناسًا يعبدون الله، فاعبد الله معهم، ولا ترجع إلى أرضك، فإنها أرض سوء«.
It seems that this scholar was not only knowledgeable about the religious ruling, but also had insight and understood human nature. He knew that repentance is not only regret in the heart. It also needs a real change in a person’s life. That is why he told him to leave the environment where he was used to sinning, stay away from bad company, and move to an environment that would help him obey Allah and remain steadfast.
ويبدو أن هذا العالم لم يكن عالمًا بالحكم الشرعي فحسب، بل كان صاحب بصيرة وفهم لطبيعة النفس البشرية؛ فعرف أن التوبة ليست مجرد ندم في القلب، وإنما تحتاج إلى تغيير حقيقي في حياة الإنسان. ولذلك أرشده إلى مفارقة البيئة التي اعتاد فيها الذنب، والابتعاد عن صحبة السوء، والانتقال إلى بيئة تعينه على الطاعة والثبات.
The man followed his advice and set out toward the land of the righteous. On the way, death came to him. The angels of mercy and the angels of punishment argued about him. The angels of mercy said, “He came as a repentant person, turning his heart toward Allah,” while the angels of punishment said, “He never did any good deed.”
فاستجاب الرجل، وخرج قاصدًا أرض الصالحين. وفي أثناء الطريق أدركه الموت، فاختصمت فيه ملائكة الرحمة وملائكة العذاب؛ فقالت ملائكة الرحمة: جاء تائبًا مقبلًا بقلبه إلى الله، وقالت ملائكة العذاب: إنه لم يعمل خيرًا قط.
So Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, sent an angel in human form to judge between them. He said, “Measure the distance between the two lands. Whichever one he is closer to, then he belongs to its people.” They measured the distance and found him closer to the land of the righteous by one handspan. So the angels of mercy took him, and Allah forgave him.
فأرسل الله سبحانه وتعالى مَلَكًا في صورة آدمي ليحكم بينهم، فقال: قيسوا ما بين الأرضين، فأيتهما كان أقرب إليه فهو من أهلها. فقاسوا، فوجدوه أقرب إلى أرض الصالحين بشبر، فقبضته ملائكة الرحمة، وغفرالله له.
In the narration of al-Bukhari, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, revealed to the evil land to move farther away, and to the righteous land to come closer, until the man became closer to the land of the righteous by one handspan. So Allah forgave him.
وفي رواية البخاري: أن الله سبحانه وتعالى أوحى إلى أرض السوء أن تتباعد، وإلى الأرض الصالحة أن تقترب، حتى أصبح الرجل أقرب إلى أرض الصالحين بشبر، فغفر الله له.
The fact that Allah commanded the earth to contract so the man would die closer to the land of the righteous shows that sincere intention and sincerity (niyyah and ikhlas) are fully recognized, even if the journey was not completed.
إن أمر الله الأرض أن تنكمش حتى يموت الرجل أقرب إلى أرض الصالحين، يدل على أن النية الصادقة والإخلاص محل تقدير واعتبار، حتى وإن لم تكتمل الرحلة.
How great this story is!
ما أعظم هذه القصة!