Sahih al-Bukhari #6914

Judgments (Ahkaam)
Sahih

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ، أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، أَخْبَرَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتَ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، أَخْبَرَتْهُ عَنْ أُمِّهَا أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، قَالَتْ سَمِعَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم جَلَبَةَ خِصَامٍ عِنْدَ بَابِهِ فَخَرَجَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ، وَإِنَّهُ يَأْتِينِي الْخَصْمُ، فَلَعَلَّ بَعْضًا أَنْ يَكُونَ أَبْلَغَ مِنْ بَعْضٍ، أَقْضِي لَهُ بِذَلِكَ وَأَحْسِبُ أَنَّهُ صَادِقٌ، فَمَنْ قَضَيْتُ لَهُ بِحَقِّ مُسْلِمٍ فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ قِطْعَةٌ مِنَ النَّارِ، فَلْيَأْخُذْهَا أَوْ لِيَدَعْهَا ‏"‏‏.‏
The Prophet (ﷺ) heard the voices of some people quarreling near his gate, so he went to them and said, "I am only a human being and litigants with cases of disputes come to me, and maybe one of them presents his case eloquently in a more convincing and impressive way than the other, and I give my verdict in his favor thinking he is truthful. So if I give a Muslim's right to another (by mistake), then that (property) is a piece of Fire, which is up to him to take it or leave it." (See Hadith No. 281 )
Narrated by Narrated Um Salama:

Context

In this hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) addresses a situation where he hears a dispute outside his door. He emphasizes his human limitations in adjudicating cases, acknowledging that eloquence can sometimes mislead him into making incorrect judgments. The takeaway is a reminder of the importance of justice and the weight of responsibility that comes with making decisions that affect others' rights.

Modern Application

In today's context of resolving conflict, this hadith highlights the need for fairness and careful consideration in decision-making. It encourages individuals to listen to all sides of a dispute and to be aware of the potential biases that can arise from persuasive arguments.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Justice and Prophetic Conduct because it illustrates the Prophet's (ﷺ) commitment to fairness and his acknowledgment of human limitations in judgment.

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قَٰلَ رَبِّ ٱحْكُم بِٱلْحَقِّ ۗ وَرَبُّنَا ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ ٱلْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ
[The Prophet] has said, "My Lord, judge [between us] in truth. And our Lord is the Most Merciful, the one whose help is sought against that which you describe."
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سَمَّٰعُونَ لِلْكَذِبِ أَكَّٰلُونَ لِلسُّحْتِ ۚ فَإِن جَآءُوكَ فَٱحْكُم بَيْنَهُمْ أَوْ أَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ ۖ وَإِن تُعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ فَلَن يَضُرُّوكَ شَيْـًۭٔا ۖ وَإِنْ حَكَمْتَ فَٱحْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُقْسِطِينَ
[They are] avid listeners to falsehood, devourers of [what is] unlawful. So if they come to you, [O Muhammad], judge between them or turn away from them. And if you turn away from them - never will they harm you at all. And if you judge, judge between them with justice. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.
وَأَنِ ٱحْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَآءَهُمْ وَٱحْذَرْهُمْ أَن يَفْتِنُوكَ عَنۢ بَعْضِ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ ۖ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُصِيبَهُم بِبَعْضِ ذُنُوبِهِمْ ۗ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًۭا مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَفَٰسِقُونَ
And judge, [O Muhammad], between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their inclinations and beware of them, lest they tempt you away from some of what Allah has revealed to you. And if they turn away - then know that Allah only intends to afflict them with some of their [own] sins. And indeed, many among the people are defiantly disobedient.
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The Prophet frowned and turned away
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وَمَا كَانَ لِنَبِىٍّ أَن يَغُلَّ ۚ وَمَن يَغْلُلْ يَأْتِ بِمَا غَلَّ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ ۚ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
It is not [attributable] to any prophet that he would act unfaithfully [in regard to war booty]. And whoever betrays, [taking unlawfully], will come with what he took on the Day of Resurrection. Then will every soul be [fully] compensated for what it earned, and they will not be wronged.

Common Words

96 total77 unique12 repeated
ٱلله5x
ما3x
بينهم3x
وإن3x
أن3x
ٱحكم2x
ٱلرحمن2x
فإن2x
فٱحكم2x
عنهم2x
بما2x
أنزل2x
قل1x
رب1x
بٱلحق1x
وربنا1x
ٱلمستعان1x
على1x
تصفون1x
سمعون1x
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About Sahih al-Bukhari

This hadith is #6914 from Sahih al-Bukhari, in the Book of Judgments (Ahkaam). It is graded Sahih and narrated by Narrated Um Salama:.

About This Hadith