This chapter sets out a foundational principle of how Muslims are to deal with one another: we judge by what is outwardly shown, and we leave what is hidden in the heart to Allah. an-Nawawi gathers the famous reports about honouring the testimony of faith and the danger of looking past it into someone's secret intentions.
Notice the recurring weight given to the words La ilaha illallah. Once a person declares it, their life and property become protected, and no one may overrule that by claiming to know their true motive. These reports touch on the conduct of battle, and their finer rulings belong to the scholars; the spiritual lesson Buruja draws out is the seriousness of the testimony and the danger of presuming to read hearts.
Hadith 390
'Abdullah bin 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:
وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما، أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: "أمرت أن أقاتل الناس حتى يشهدوا أن لا إله إلا الله ، وأن محمداً رسول الله ، ويقيموا الصلاة، ويؤتوا الزكاة ، فإذا فعلوا ذلك عصموا مني دماءهم وأموالهم إلا بحق الإسلام، وحسابهم على الله تعالى" ((متفق عليه)) .
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I have been commanded (by Allah) to fight people until they testify that there is no true god except Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and perform Salat and pay Zakat. If they do so, they will have protection of their blood and property from me except when justified by Islam, and then account is left to Allah". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
In plain words
Once people declare faith and uphold its outward duties, their life and property are protected, and what lies hidden in their hearts is left to Allah alone to judge.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 390 In-book reference : Introduction, Hadith 390
Hadith 391
Abu Abdullah bin Tariq bin Ashyam (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
وعن أبي عبد الله طارق بن أشيم ، رضي الله عنه ، قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: " من قال لا إله إلا الله ، وكفر بما يعبد من دون الله، حرم ماله ودمه، وحسابه على الله تعالى" ((رواه مسلم)).
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who professes La ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah), and denies of everything which the people worship besides Allah, his property and blood become inviolable, and it is for Allah to call him to account". [Muslim].
In plain words
Whoever declares that there is no god but Allah and rejects all false worship has their life and property made inviolable. Their inner reckoning belongs to Allah.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 391 In-book reference : Introduction, Hadith 391
Hadith 392
Al-Miqdad bin Al-Aswad (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
وعن أبي المقداد بن الأسود، رضي الله عنه ، قال: قلت لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : أرأيت إن لقيت رجلاً من الكفار، فاقتتلنا، فضرب إحدى يدى بالسيف، فقطعها، ثم لاذ منى بشجرة، فقال أسلمت لله، أأقتله يارسول الله بعد أن قالها؟ فقال: "لا تقتله، فإن قتلته، فإنه بمنزلتك قبل أن تقتله، وإنك بمنزلته قبل أن يقول كلمته التى قال" ((متفق عليه)) . ((ومعنى أنه بمنزلتك أي :معصوم الدم محكوم بإسلامه، ومعنى أنك بمنزلته أي : مباح الدم بالقصاص لورثته، لا أنه بمنزلته في الكفر؛ والله أعلم)).
I said, "Tell me, O Messenger of Allah, if I meet an infidel, and we fight together, and he cuts off my hands with his sword, then hides from me behind a tree and (then) says he has submitted himself to Allah. Shall I kill him after he has said it?" He (ﷺ) replied, "Do not kill him." I submitted, "But O Messenger of Allah, he cut off one of my hands and only then he said it." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then replied, "Do not kill him, for if you do so, he will be in the position in which you were before you killed him (i.e., he will be considered a Muslim and thus his life will be inviolable), and you will be in the position in which he was before he made his testimony (i.e., your life will not be inviolable, for his heirs can ask for Qisas)". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
In plain words
When asked about an enemy in battle who declares faith only after striking, the Prophet forbade killing him. Once a person testifies to faith, we honor that testimony and do not presume to judge the heart behind it.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 392 In-book reference : Introduction, Hadith 392
Hadith 393
Usamah bin Zaid (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:
وعن أسامة بن زيد، رضي الله عنهما، قال: بعثنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، إلى الحرقة من جهينة ، فصبحنا القوم على مياههم، ولحقت أنا ورجل من الأنصار رجلاً منهم، فلما غشيناه قال: لا إله إلا الله ، فكف عنه الأنصاري، وطعنته برمحي حتى قتلته، فلما قدمنا المدينة بلغ ذلك النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقال لى: " يا أسامة أقتلته بعد ما قال لا إله إلا الله؟! قلت يا رسول الله إنما كان متعوذا فقال ” أقتلته بعد ما قال لا إله إلا الله؟!" فما زال يكررها على حتى تمنيت أني لم أكن أسلمت قبل ذلك اليوم. ((متفق عليه)) . وفي رواية: فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "أقال : لا إله إلا الله وقتلته؟! قلت: يا رسول الله، إنما قالها خوفاً من السلاح، قال: "أفلا شققت عن قلبه حتى تعلم أقالها أم لا؟!" فما زال يكررها حتى تمنيت أني أسلمت يومئذ.
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent us to Huraqat, a tribe of Juhainah. We attacked that tribe early in the morning and defeated them, (then) a man from the Ansar and I caught hold of a man (of the defeated tribe). When we overcame him, he said: 'La ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah).' At that moment, the Ansari spared him, but I attacked him with my spear and killed him. By the time we went back to Al-Madinah, news had already reached Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said to me, "O Usamah, did you kill him after he professed La ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah)?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah! He professed it only to save his life." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) repeated, "Did you kill him after he had professed La ilaha illallah?" He went on repeating this to me until I wished I had not embraced Islam before that day (so that I would have not committed this sin). [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Did you kill him in spite of his professing La ilaha illallah?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah! He said out of fear of our arms." He (ﷺ) said, "Why did you not cut his heart open to find out whether he had done so sincerely or not?" He continued repeating it until I wished that I had embraced Islam only that day.
In plain words
Usamah killed a man who had just declared faith, thinking it insincere. The Prophet's stern repetition of the question left Usamah deeply regretful, teaching that we accept the words of faith and never claim to read motives.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 393 In-book reference : Introduction, Hadith 393
Hadith 394
Jundub bin 'Abdullah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
وعن جندب بن عبد الله، رضي الله عنه ، أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، بعث بعثاً من المسلمين إلى قوم من المشركين، وأنهم التقوا فكان رجلاً من المشركين إذا شاء أن يقصد إلى رجل من المسلمين قصد له فقتله، وأن رجلاً من المسلمين قصد غفلته، وكنا نتحدث أنه أسامة بن زيد، فلما رفع عليه السيف ، قال: لا إله إلا الله، فقتله، فجاء البشير إلى رسول الله ، صلى الله عليه وسلم فسأله ، وأخبره، حتى أخبره خبر الرجل كيف صنع ، فدعاه فسأله، فقال: "لم قتلته؟ فقال: يا رسول الله أوجع في المسلمين، وقتل فلانا وفلانا -وسمى له نفراً- وإني حملت عليه، فلما رأى السيف قال: لا إله إلا الله. قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "اقتلته؟" قال نعم : قال: "فكيف تصنع بلا إله إلا الله، إذا جاءت يوم القيامة؟ قال: يا رسول الله استغفر لي. قال: "وكيف تصنع بلا إله إلا الله إذا جاءت يوم القيامة؟ " فجعل لا يزيد على أن يقول: " كيف تصنع بلا إله إلا الله إذا جاءت يوم القيامة" ((رواه مسلم)).
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) dispatched a contingent of the Muslims to a tribe of the polytheists. The two sides met (in combat) at one place. A man among the polytheists was so dashing that, whenever he intended to kill a man from Muslims, he killed him. Amongst the Muslims, too, was a man looking forward to (an opportunity of) his (polytheist's) unmindfulness. He (the narrator) said: We talked that he was Usamah bin Zaid (May Allah be pleased with him). When he raised his sword, he (the soldier of the polytheists) uttered: "La ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah)." But he (Usamah bin Zaid) killed him. When the good news of victory reached Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) he asked him (about the events of the battle), and he informed him about the man (Usamah) and what he had done. He (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)) sent for him and asked him why he had killed him. He (Usamah) said, "O Messenger of Allah, he struck the Muslims and killed such and such of them." And he named some of them. (He continued): "I attacked him and when he saw the sword he said: 'La ilaha illallah."' Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Did you kill him?" He (Usamah) replied in the affirmative. The Messenger of Allah then remarked, "What would you do with regard to (the utterance): La ilaha illallah, when it comes (before you) on the Day of Resurrection?" He (Usamah) said, "O Messenger of Allah! Beg forgiveness for me". He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "What would you do with regard to (the utterance): La ilaha illallah, when it comes (before you) on the Day of Resurrection?" He (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)) added nothing to it but kept repeating, "What would you do with regard to (the utterance): La ilaha illallah, when it comes (before you) on the Day of Resurrection?". [Muslim].
In plain words
Again a fighter killed a man who declared faith at the last moment. The Prophet kept asking how he would answer for that testimony on the Day of Resurrection, underlining how weighty the words of faith are.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 394 In-book reference : Introduction, Hadith 394
Hadith 395
'Abdullah bin 'Utbah bin Mas'ud reported:
وعن عبد الله بن عتبة بن مسعود قال: سمعت عمر بن الخطاب، رضي الله عنه، يقول: "إن ناساً كانوا يؤخذون بالوحي في عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وإن الوحى قد انقطع، وإنما نأخذهم الآن بما ظهر لنا من أعمالكم، فمن أظهر لنا خيراً، أمناه وقربناه، وليس لنا من سريرته شئ، الله يحاسبه في سريرته، ومن أظهر لنا سوءاً، لم نأمنه، ولم نصدقه وإن قال: إن سريرته حسنة" ((رواه البخاري)).
I heard 'Umar bin Al- Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) reported saying: "In the lifetime of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) some people were called to account through Revelation. Now Revelation has discontinued and we shall judge you by your apparent acts. Whoever displays to us good, we shall grant him peace and security, and treat him as a near one. We have nothing to do with his insight. Allah will call him to account for that. But whosoever shows evil to us, we shall not grant him security nor shall we believe him, even if he professed that his intention is good." [Al-Bukhari].
In plain words
Umar explained that since revelation no longer exposes hidden hearts, people are judged by their visible conduct. Show good and you are treated as trustworthy; show evil and you are not, while Allah judges what is concealed.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 395 In-book reference : Introduction, Hadith 395