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Sunan Abu Dawud
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Sunan Abu Dawud #5267

General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab)

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

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ - عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ نَزَلَ نَبِيٌّ مِنَ الأَنْبِيَاءِ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ فَلَدَغَتْهُ نَمْلَةٌ فَأَمَرَ بِجَهَازِهِ فَأُخْرِجَ مِنْ تَحْتِهَا ثُمَّ أَمَرَ بِهَا فَأُحْرِقَتْ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ فَهَلاَّ نَمْلَةً وَاحِدَةً ‏"‏ ‏.‏
A prophet got down beneath a tree and he was stung by an ant. He ordered regarding the baggage and it was removed from beneath it. He then ordered regarding it and it was burnt. Allah then revealed to him : why not (just) one ant?
Narrated by Abu hurairah reported the prophet (peace be upon him) as saying :

Context

This hadith narrates an incident involving a prophet who, after being stung by an ant, ordered the destruction of the entire colony. However, Allah revealed to him the folly of this action, suggesting that only one ant should have been dealt with. This teaches a lesson about proportionality in response to harm and the value of mercy.

Modern Application

In contemporary life, this hadith serves as a reminder to respond to grievances with measured actions rather than overreactions. It encourages individuals to consider the consequences of their actions and to practice restraint, particularly in situations where anger or frustration may lead to excessive responses.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Divine Retribution and Prophetic Conduct because it illustrates the balance between justice and mercy in the actions of the prophets and the divine guidance they receive.

Divine RetributionProphetic Conduct

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حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَتَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ وَادِ ٱلنَّمْلِ قَالَتْ نَمْلَةٌۭ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّمْلُ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ مَسَٰكِنَكُمْ لَا يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَٰنُ وَجُنُودُهُۥ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Until, when they came upon the valley of the ants, an ant said, "O ants, enter your dwellings that you not be crushed by Solomon and his soldiers while they perceive not."
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[Allah] said, "Throw it down, O Moses."
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فَلَمَّا قَضَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ ٱلْمَوْتَ مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَوْتِهِۦٓ إِلَّا دَآبَّةُ ٱلْأَرْضِ تَأْكُلُ مِنسَأَتَهُۥ ۖ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ ٱلْجِنُّ أَن لَّوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ ٱلْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا۟ فِى ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْمُهِينِ
And when We decreed for Solomon death, nothing indicated to the jinn his death except a creature of the earth eating his staff. But when he fell, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating punishment.
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Common Words

65 total58 unique7 repeated
على2x
ٱلنمل2x
لا2x
ٱلله2x
عليه2x
فلما2x
ما2x
حتى1x
إذا1x
أتوا1x
واد1x
قالت1x
نملة1x
يأيها1x
ٱدخلوا1x
مسكنكم1x
يحطمنكم1x
سليمن1x
وجنوده1x
وهم1x
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About Sunan Abu Dawud

This hadith is #5267 from Sunan Abu Dawud, in the Book of General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab) and narrated by Abu hurairah reported the prophet (peace be upon him) as saying :.

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About This Hadith