عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ سَعْدِ بْنِ مَالِكِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ رَضِيَ اللّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ نَبِيَّ اللّهِ صلّى اللّه عليه وسلّم قَالَ: «كَانَ فِيمَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكمْ رَجُلٌ قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وتِسْعينَ نَفْسًا، فَسَأَلَ عَنْ أعْلَمِ أَهْلِ الأرضِ، فَدُلَّ عَلَى رَاهِبٍ، فَأَتَاهُ، فَقَال: إِنَّهُ قَتَلَ تِسعَةً وتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا، فَهَلْ لَهُ مِنْ تَوبَةٍ؟ فقالَ: لَا، فَقَتَلهُ، فَكَمَّلَ بهِ مئَةً، ثُمَّ سَأَلَ عَنْ أَعْلَمِ أَهْلِ الأَرضِ، فَدُلَّ عَلَى رَجُلٍ عَالِمٍ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّهُ قَتَلَ مِئَةَ نَفْسٍ فَهَلْ لَهُ مِنْ تَوْبَةٍ؟ فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ، ومَنْ يَحُولُ بَيْنَهُ وبَيْنَ التَّوْبَةِ؟ انْطَلِقْ إِلَى أَرْضِ كَذَا وكَذَا، فإِنَّ بِهَا أُناسًا يَعْبُدُونَ اللّهَ تَعَالَى فاعْبُدِ اللّهَ مَعَهُمْ، ولَا تَرْجِعْ إِلَى أَرْضِكَ، فَإِنَّهَا أرضُ سُوءٍ، فانْطَلَقَ حَتَّى إِذَا نَصَفَ الطَّرِيقَ أَتَاهُ الْمَوْتُ، فاخْتَصَمَتْ فِيهِ مَلَائِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ ومَلَائِكَةُ الْعَذَابِ، فَقَالتْ مَلَائِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ: جَاءَ تَائِبًا، مُقْبِلًا بِقَلبِهِ إِلى اللّهِ تَعَالَى، وقالتْ مَلائِكَةُ العَذَابِ: إنَّهُ لمْ يَعْمَلْ خَيرًا قَطُّ، فَأَتَاهُمْ مَلَكٌ في صورَةِ آدَمِيٍّ، فَجَعَلُوهُ بَيْنَهُمْ - أيْ حَكَمًا - فقالَ: قِيسُوا ما بينَ الْأَرْضَيْنِ فَإِلَى أيَّتِهِمَا كَانَ أدنَى فَهُوَ لَهُ، فَقَاسُوا، فَوَجَدُوهُ أدْنى إِلَى الْأرْضِ الَّتِي أرَادَ، فَقَبَضَتْهُ مَلَائِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ» متفق عليه. • وفي رواية في الصحيح: «فَكَانَ إِلَى القَريَةِ الصَّالِحَةِ أقْرَبَ بِشِبْرٍ، فَجُعِلَ مِنْ أهلِهَا». • وفي رواية في الصحيح: «فَأَوحَى اللّه تَعَالَى إِلَى هَذِهِ أَنْ تَبَاعَدِي، وَإِلَى هذِهِ أَنْ تَقَرَّبِي، وقَالَ: قِيسُوا مَا بيْنَهُما، فَوَجَدُوهُ إِلَى هذِهِ أَقْرَبَ بِشِبْرٍ، فَغُفِرَ لَهُ». • وفي رواية: «فَنَأى بِصَدْرِهِ نَحْوَهَا».
On the authority of Abu Sa'id, Sa'd ibn Malik ibn Sinan al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Among those who came before you, there was a man who killed ninety-nine people. He then asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth and was directed to a monk. He went to him and said: 'I have killed ninety-nine people. Is there any chance of repentance for me?' The monk said: 'No.' So he killed him, completing one hundred. Then he asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth and was directed to a scholar. He said: 'I have killed one hundred people. Is there any chance of repentance for me?' The scholar said: 'Yes, and who can stand between you and repentance? Go to such-and-such a land, for in it are people who worship Allah the Most High; worship Allah with them, and do not return to your land, for it is a land of evil.' So he set out, and when he reached the midpoint of the journey, death came to him. The angels of mercy and the angels of punishment disputed over him. The angels of mercy said: 'He came as a penitent, turning his heart to Allah the Most High.' The angels of punishment said: 'He never did any good at all.' Then an angel came to them in human form, and they appointed him as arbiter between them. He said: 'Measure the distance between the two lands, and whichever he is closer to, he belongs to it.' They measured, and they found him closer to the land he was heading toward, so the angels of mercy took his soul." Agreed upon (narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim). In a narration in the Sahih: "He was closer to the righteous village by a hand-span, so he was counted among its people." In another narration in the Sahih: "Allah the Most High commanded this land [of evil] to move farther away, and that land [of righteousness] to draw nearer. Then He said: 'Measure the distance between them.' They found him closer to this one by a hand-span, so he was forgiven." In another narration: "He leaned forward with his chest toward it."
الشرح · explanation
من يحول: استفهام إنكاري والمعنى أيّ شيء يكون حائلًا وفاصلًا. نَصف الطريق: أي بلغ نصفها. أدنى: أقرب. نأى: نهض بجهد ومشقة رغم ثقل ما أصابه من الموت.
"Who can stand between" (man yahulu): a rhetorical question of denial, meaning what could possibly be a barrier or separator. "Reached the midpoint" (nasafa at-tariq): meaning he reached its halfway point. "Closer" (adna): nearer. "Leaned forward" (na'a): he rose with effort and difficulty despite the weight of death upon him.
الدروس · lessons
سعة رحمة اللّه، وقبوله لتوبة التائبين، مهما عظمت ذنوبهم وكبرت خطاياهم. قبول توبة القاتل عمدًا وعليه إجماع العلماء، لأن الظاهر من الحديث أنّ قتله للنّفوس كان عمدًا وعدوانًا، ولم يمنع ذلك من قبول توبته. لا بد من صدق النيّة في طلب التوبة، وسلوك الطرق والوسائل المؤدّية إليها والمعِينة عليها. استعظام الذنب هو أول طريق التوبة، وكلما صَغُرَ الذنب في عين العبد عَظُمَ عند اللّه. الحديث منهج للدعاة بألّا ييأسوا من إنسان مهما بلغت ذنوبه وخطاياه، فقد تكون هناك بذرة خير في نفسه تحتاج إلى من ينميها ويسقيها بماءِ رجاءِ عفوِ الله. أثر البيئة التي يعيش فيها الإنسان والأصحاب الذين يخالطهم في سلوكه وأخلاقه. هجرُ كل ما يذكّر بالمعصية ويغري بالعودة إليها. أهمية العلم وشرف أهله، وفضل العالم على العابد فالعلماء هم ورثة الأنبياء.
The vastness of Allah's mercy and His acceptance of the repentance of those who repent, no matter how great their sins or how enormous their transgressions. The acceptance of the repentance of one who deliberately kills is the consensus of the scholars, because the apparent meaning of the hadith is that his killing was deliberate and aggressive, yet this did not prevent the acceptance of his repentance. Sincerity of intention in seeking repentance is essential, as well as pursuing the paths and means that lead to it and aid in it. Recognizing the gravity of one's sin is the first step on the path to repentance; the smaller the sin appears in the servant's eyes, the greater it is in the sight of Allah. This hadith serves as a methodology for callers to Islam: they should never despair of any person, no matter how great his sins, for there may be a seed of good within him that needs someone to nurture and water it with the hope of Allah's pardon. The influence of the environment in which a person lives and the companions he associates with on his behavior and character. Abandoning everything that reminds one of sin and tempts one to return to it. The importance of knowledge and the honor of its people, and the superiority of the scholar over the worshipper, for scholars are the heirs of the prophets.