1 stories of repentance man killed 99 people

8/10/2019 1 Stories of Repentance Man Killed 99 People

1/14

Benefits from the Stories of the Repenters:

The Man who Killed One-Hundred People

Compiled and Translated by Ab!al-"asan M#lik $dam al-Akh%ar


2/14

The Repentance of the ManWho Killed One-Hundred People1

On the authority of Ab!Sa'd Al-Khudr'who said: The Messenger of All#h!said: There

was a man from those who came before you who killed ninety-nine people. He then beganto enquire about the most knowledgeable people in the land and was directed to a monk. Hewent to him and informed him that he had killed ninety-nine people and asked was there anyhope of his repentance. He replied to him that there was not, so he killed him and completedone-hundred.

He again asked about the most knowledgeable of the people of the land and was directed to ascholar. He informed him that he had killed one-hundred people and asked was there anyhope for his repentance. He replied to him that there was and said, Who stands between you

and repentance? Go to such and such a land, you will find there people who worship All#h.Worship All#h alongside them, and do not return to your land, because it is a land of evil. Sohe departed, and when he got about half the distance, death overtook him. A dispute beganbetween the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment. The angels of mercy said, Hecame to Allah with a repenting heart, and the angels of punishment argued, He never did agood deed in his life. Then there appeared an angel in the form of a human being to arbitratebetween them. He said, Measure between the two lands and whichever one he is closer to, hewill be considered from its inhabitants. They measured and found that he was closer to theland that he intended to go to, and so the angels of mercy took his soul.2

First Benefit: Feeling Remorseful for Ones Sins

As we learn in the narration, this man, from the previous generations, murdered aconsiderable number of people and then began to search for the most learned of the people.He desired to enquire about his hopes for repentance. His search for such an answer, after thecommission of such monstrous crimes, clearly indicates he had developed feelings of regretand contrition for what his hands had put forth. This benefit can be found in the thechaptering of the !a"#"Ibn Hibb#n who collects the (ad'th under the heading: The

Chapter of Repentance: Mention of the "ad'th Showing that Remorse is Repentance.

The Repentance of the Manwho Killed One-Hundred People

al-Ra!m"niyyah Publishing

2

1This is an excerpt of a section from a forthcoming publication entitled Until the Sun Rises from its West: Benefitsfrom the Stories of the Repenters. May Allah facilitate its completion.

2Collected by al-Bukh#r'in his !a"i"(no. 3209) and Muslim (no. 4945) in his !a"i"both on the authority ofAb!Sa'd al-Khudr'.


3/14

In addition to this, al-Shaykh Mu(ammad ibn )#li(al-Uthaym'n states: He then becameremorseful and began to ask about the most knowledgeable people of the land3

Also, there is an authentic (ad'th is collected by Im#m A(mad in his Musnadand Ibn M#jahin his Sunanwhich establishes that of the most important conditions4of repentance is regret

for ones sins. He!

said: To feel remorse is repentance.5


al-Rahmaniyyah Publishing

3

3Explanation of Riy$%al-!$lih#n(1/84)

4In his classic work Riy$%al-!$lih#n, Im#m An-Nawaw'clarifies the conditions of Tawbah:The people of knowledge say: It is obligatory to repent from every sin, so if the sin is between is between theworshipper and All#h, having no connection to another persons rights, then there are three conditions:First:To leave o*the sinSecond:To be remorseful upon committing the actThird: To firmly determine never to return to the actIf one of these three [conditions] is missing, the tawbahis incomplete.And if the sin concerns another person, there are four conditions, the three previously mentioned, and [fourth]the sinner absolving himself, so if it was [concerning] property of some sort, it must be returned to the victim,and if it is the crime of slander, or similar, he seeks his victims pardon, if it is backbiting, he must seek thepersons forgiveness. It is obligatory to repent from every sin, and if the sinner repents from one of his sins, histawbahfrom that particular sin is complete according to the people of knowledge, and he must repent fromwhat remains [of his sins]. And the proofs for the obligation of tawbahare clear in the Book [of Allah], theSunnah and the consensus of the Islamic nation.The noble Shaykh al-Uthaym'n says in his explanation of Riy$d al-!$li"#n: And tawbahhas the three

conditions mentioned by the author, may All#h have mercy upon him, but upon further research, they reach five[conditions]:The first condition: Sincerity to All#h, that is that the intention behind the persons tawbahis to seek only theFace of All#h and that All#h will forgive him, and refraining from that which he committed from sin; notseeking from that (repentance) to be seen of the people or to ingratiate himself to them, nor does he intend fromit to merely escape a punishment from the ruler. Rather he only seeks the Face of All#h and the abode of theafterlife and that All#h will pardon his sins.Second: Remorse for the commission of his sin, because a person being remorseful is a sign of the truthfulnessof his repentance; meaning, that a person is grieved by what he has done in the past and is overcome by anguishdue to it and knows he will not be relieved from it until he repents to All#h.Third:To abandon the sin he is committing, and this is from its most important of these conditions. Anddesistance from the sin, so if it is the abandonment of that which is obligatory, this means he must implement

the obligatory act. For example, a person failed to pay the Zakahand desires to repent to All#h; then it is uponhim pay the Zakahthat he withheld in the past. And if a person was negligent in dutifulness to his parents, thenit is a must that he become dutiful to them. If he is negligent in keeping the family ties, then it is upon him tokeep them. And if the sin was the commission of that which is impermissible, then it is obligatory to refrainfrom it immediately. If, for example, he was from those who dealt in interest, then it is obligatory upon him todesist from it and remain far removed from it, and he must divest what he earned by way of intere st

5Collected by Ibn M#jah in his Sunan(no. 4234) and A(mad in his Musnad(no. 3597) on the authority of AbdAllah ibn Mas!d. It has been authenticated by al-Alb#n' in !a"#"Ibn M$jah(3/4328)


4/14

Mu(ammad ibn H#d'al-Sind'says in the explication of the Sunanof Ibn M#jah: Hisstatement (To feel regret)means for his sin, due to it being disobedience [of All#h], because

if he felt regret for any other reason, like his regretting drinking intoxicants due wasting his

money, then this is not from repentance whatsoever. Also, his statement (is repentance)means it is the major part of it (i.e. repentance) and is necessary for the [establishment of]remaining conditions, for indeed the one who is regretful will generally leave o*the sinimmediately and be determined not to return to it in the future, and with this [the conditionsof] repentance are completed.6

Im#m al-Man#w'says: Indeed it is the greatest of its conditions because regret is somethingthat is connected to the heart and the limbs follow it, so if the heart feels regret, it ceases tocommit the sin and the limbs follow it in that.

He goes on to say: So since regret is from the reasons of repentance, he called it (i.e. regret)by its (i.e. repentance) name.7

Al-+a(#w', in Shar"Mushkil al-&th$r, cites the statement of Umar ibn al-Kha,,#b: Sincererepentance is that a man avoids the evil acts that he once committed, repenting to All#h fromthem, and not returning to them ever.

After citing this narration, al-+a(#w'says: And from that which has been narrated on the

Prophet concerning regret and that it is repentance: To feel remorse is repentance. He thenstates: The Messenger of All#h!called remorse repentance. This shows that the one who

says, I repent to All#h from such and such a sin, and he is regretful, is rewarded for thisstatement of his.

He continues: So regret for this (sin) is from what prevents returning to what is similar to it,and in this is proof for what wementioned. And with All#h is success.8

In relation to this, al-"#fi-ibn "ajr states: And some of them say that it is su.cient for

repentance to be regretful for falling into the sin, for this necessitates abandoning it, anddetermining not to return to it, and these are a result of regret.



4

6Shar"Sunan Ibn M$jah(2/563)

7Fayd al-Qad'r(6/387)

8Shar"Mushkil al-&th$r(no. 1465)


5/14

Al-All#mah ibn al-Uthaym'n mentions: The second condition: Regret for what he hasperpetrated from sin, because a person feeling regret shows that he is sincere in his atonement,this means that he feels sorrow for what he has committed, is overcome with anguish because

of it, and knows he will not find any relief until he repents to All#h.9



5

9Sharh Riy$%al-!$lih#n(1/74)


6/14

Second: Asking the People of Knowledge when Seeking Guidance to Repentance

All#h says in His Book:

Ask the people of knowledge when you do not know. [al-Nahl: 43]

So, the seeker of truth must return to the scholars for clarification in matters that confoundhim. Thus, the Muslim should be diligent in enquiring about those things that are a means ofobtaining All#hs Pleasure, as well as that which removes him from His Anger. From thosethings, rather, the most exigent of them, is the a*air of repentance. For if the laymen seeksguidance and words of advice from those who are ignorant of the rulings connected totawbahand its fulfillment, the questioner places himself in harms way. For the devout

worshipper, who is unlearned in the rulings of Islam, may look at the gravity of the crimes ofthe sinner and see no hope for him. This ignorance is what prompted the monk in thenarration to speak erringly, costing him hislife.

Regarding this, Ibn "ajr states: In this hadith is the virtue of the scholar over the worshipper,10because the one who gave the initial verdict, that there was no repentance for him, wasconcerned with worship, so he magnified the murderers crime of taking so many lives. As forthe second (i.e. the scholar), he was concerned with knowledge, so he answered him correctlyand guided him to the path of salvation.11

Shaykh Uthaym'n says: He then became remorseful and began to ask about the mostknowledgeable people of the land to ascertain whether or not there was hope for hisrepentance, so he was [first] directed to a monk, meaning a worshipper, but he was notendowed with knowledge, so when he said that he had killed ninety-nine people andaskedwas there any repentance for him, the monk regarded the sin as too great and said: There isno repentance for you, so he killed the monk and completed one-hundred people. He thenagain sought the most knowledgeable people of the land and was directed to a scholar, and he



6

10This can also be seen in hadith of Muadh ibn Jabal that the Prophet said: The virtue of the scholar over theworshipper is like that of the full moon over the stars. Authenticated in !a"i"al-Jami(no. 4212) of Shaykh al-Alb#n'

11Fat"al-B$r#(7/200)


7/14

informed him that he had killed one-hundred people and enquired whether or not was therewas any repentance for him. He informed him that indeed there was.12

Therefore, one should seek out the people of knowledge and virtue to ask them concerning

the conditions and means of repentance. The evidences for this are copious. For example,what is found in the (ad'th collected in the Sunanof Ab!Dawud on the authority of J#biribn Abd All#h who said: We went out on an expedition and one of us was hit with a rockand it caused a gash in his head, then when he slept he had a wet dream, so he asked hiscompanions: Is it permissible for me to make Tayammum? They answered: We dont see

anything to permit you to do so as long as there is water present. So he made Ghusland died.When we reached the Messenger of All#h!, he was informed of this and said: They killed

him. All#h kill them. Could they not have asked if they did not know?Indeed the cure forignorance is the question.

After citing this hadith in his propitious work al-Jaw#b al-K#f', Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyahstates: So he (i.e. the Prophet!) here has related that ignorance is a sickness, and the cure

for that sickness is the question.13

Sufy#n al-Thawr'stated: It was said: Fear the trial of the ignorant worshipper and the sinfulscholar, for indeed they are a trial for all who have been tested.14

Also, Im#m M#lik said: Knowledge is not to be taken from four, and it is to be taken from

any besides them: it is not taken from an ignorant man who openly displays his ignorance, orone who lies in the a*airs of the people, even if he is not accused of lying in the (ad'th of theMessenger of All#h, or the person of desires who calls the people to them, or the man who isdevout in his worship but doesnt have knowledge ofwhat he relates.15



7

12Explanation of Riy$d al-!$li"#n1/84

13al-Jaw$b al-K$fi (p. 32)

14Tahdh#b al-Kam$l(11/168)

15al-J$mi li Akhl$q al-R$w#wa Adab al-S$mi (no. 169) and al-Kif$yah (no. 465)


8/14

Third: All!h Forgives the Greatest of Sins with Sincere Repentance

The evidence for this can be found in the response of the scholar, Who stands between you

and repentance? And there is no question concerning the evil of murder. It is consideredfrom the gravest of sins after Shirk. To this end, al-"#fi-al-Dhahab'mentions it second in hisbook al-Kab$ir (The Major Sins) after ascribing partners in worship with All#h.

All#h says in His Noble Quran:

Because of that We ordained for the Children of Isr!"l that if anyonekilled a person not in retaliation of murder or to spread corruption in

the land-it would be as if he killed all of mankind.[al-M$idah5:32]

He also says:

And those who do not call on anyone with All#h, nor kill a personunjustly, except in the right, nor commit fornication, and whoeverdoes this shall receive the punishment. The torment will be doubledfor him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein indisgrace.[al-Furq$n25:68-71]

And All#h says:

And whoever kills a believer intentionally; his recompense is Hell to abidetherein.[al-Nis$4:93]

In addition to this, in the hadith of Anas ibn M#lik that the Prophet!was asked about the

major sins and he said: To ascribe partners in worship with All#h, to disobey ones parents,the taking of a life, and false witness.16

Also, in the two !a"#"sfrom the (ad'th of Ab!W#il on the authority of Ibn Mas!d whosaid: I said to the Messenger of All#h!, O Messenger of All#h! What is the worst sin? He



8

16Collected by al-Bukh#r'in his !a"i"(no. 2654, 5976, 6273 and 6274) and Muslim (no. 87) on the authority ofAb!Bakrah


9/14

said: To join partners with All#h after He has created you.. I said, And then? He said: Tokill your child fearing that he will share your food.17

These text clearly place murder as one of the greatest of the major sins, second only to

associating partners in worship with All#h, so its gravity is unquestionable. At same time,there are numerous texts from the Book and the Sunnah that prove that even the one whohas committed this heinous sin of murder, and then sincerely repents to All#h, he is forgiven.From theses evidences are the verses in Surah al-Furq$n:

And those who do not call on anyone with All#h, nor kill a personunjustly, except in the right, nor commit fornication, and whoever doesthis shall receive the punishment. The torment will be doubled for him onthe Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace.

Except those who repent and believe, and work righteous deeds; for those

All#h will change their sins into good deeds, and All#h is The Forgiving,The Merciful.

And whosoever repents and does righteous deeds; then verily he repents toAll#h with true repentance. [al-Furq$n25:72-74]

Shaykh Abd al-Ra(m#n ibn N#/ir al-Sad'says in the tafs'rof these verses: (Except those

who repent)from sins changing them and abandoning them immediately, feeling regret fortheir actions in the past, and being determined to never repeat them. (And believe)in All#h,a true belief that necessitates abandoning sin and becoming obedient (and work righteousdeeds)from what All#h has commanded, making the intention for the Face of All#h (Forthose All#h will change their sins into good deeds)meaning, their deeds and statements

that were once counted from evil will be changed to good: their Shirkinto Im#n, and their sininto obedience, then they will do acts of good and observance and repent from every sin,from what is apparent in the verse.18



9

17Collected by al-Bukh#r'in his !a"#"(no. 4477, 6811, 6861, 7520 and 7032) and Muslim in his !a"#"(no. 86)from the (ad'th of Abd Allah ibn Mas!d.

18Tays#r al-Kar#m al-Ra"m$n(p. 639-640)


10/14

From the proofs also in the Qur#n is the verse where All#h says:

Say: O my slaves who have transgressed against themselves! Do not

despair of the Mercy of All#h: certainly, Allah forgives all sins. Truly He isthe All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.[al-Zumar: 53]

From the well-known proofs in the Sunnah is this (ad'th of the one who killed one-hundredpeople. Ibn "ajr says: In this (ad'th is proof that repentance benefits for murder as it does forall other sins.19

Im#m Muslim collects this hadith in his !a"#"in the Book of Repentance under the chapterThe Acceptance of the Repentance of the Murderer even if he has taken Many Lives. Im#m

al-Nawaw'says in the explication of this (ad'th: His statement: (Indeed there was a manwho killed ninety-nine people, then completed one-hundred, then a scholaranswered that there was repentance for him)This is the position of the people ofknowledge, and there is consensus among them regarding the acceptance of the repentance ofthe one who murders intentionally, without any di*erence of opinion among them20

In al-Adab al-Mufrad, Im#m al-Bukh#r'collects the narration of Ibn Abb#s that a man cameto him and said to him: I was engaged to a woman and she refused to marry me, so anotherman proposed to her, and she wanted to marry him, so I became extremely jealous and killed

her. Is there any repentance for me? He said: Is your mother alive? He answered: No. Hesaid: Repent to All#h, and draw close to Him as much as possible. At#ibn Yas#r said: I wentand asked Ibn Abb#s: Why did you ask was his mother alive? He answered: Indeed I do notknow an act that brings one closer to All#h then righteousness to ones mother. 21



10

19Fat"al-B$r#(7/200)

20Shar"Muslim(17/85)

21al-Adab al-Mufradof Im#m al-Bukh#r' (no.4)


11/14

Fourth: The Encouragement of the Repenter to Flee from the Places and People ofSin:

This narration is a clear indication of the great reward of Hijrah(emigration) from the lands

of sin and trangression to the lands of Tawh#dand obediance. Hijrahhas a direct relation totawbah, as it is a means of having ones sins wiped clean. The Messenger of Allah!says:

Verily, Isl#m wipes away what came before it, and al-Hijrah(emigration) erases whatpreceded it; and indeed al-'ajjwipes out what came before it.22So the scholar who advisedthe killer to emigrate directed him to one of the greatest paths to repentance.

In the explication of the (ad'th of the man who killed one-hudred people, al-H#fi-ibn "ajrsays: And in this (ad'th is the virtue of leaving the land of which a person fell into sin [forfear] that he will most likely return to it there either because it will remind him of his past

actions, and the temptation found in it, or because of the presence of those who will aid himupon it and encourage him to it, and therefore the second one said: And do not return to

your land because it is a land of evil, and in it is an indication that the repenter must separatehimself from the circumstances that he was accustomed to in the days of his disobedience.23

Al-Nawaw'says: In this is the desire for the one who is repenting to remove himself fromthe places where he used to commit sin and separate from the people he committed sins with,and to abandon them as long as they remain in that condition; and to change his companions



11

22Collected by Im#m Muslim in his !a"i"(no. 165) on the authority of Ibn Shamasa Mahr'who said: We wentto Amr ibn al-As and he was about to die. He wept for a long time and turned his face towards the wall. Hisson said: Did the Messenger of All#h!not give you tidings of this? He (the narrator) said: He turned his face

and said: The best thing which we can count upon is the testimony that there is none worthy of worship (intruth) but All#h and that Mu(ammad!is the Prophet of All#h. Verily I have passed through three phases. (The

first one) in which I found myself averse to none else more than I was averse to the Messenger of All #h!, and

there was no other desire stronger in me than the one that I should overpowerhim and kill him. Had I died inthis state, I would have certainly been one of the inhabitants of Hellfire. When All#h instilled the love of Islam in

my heart, I came to the Prophet!and said: Stretch out your right hand so that may pledge my allegiance toyou. He stretched out his right hand, I withdrew my hand, He (i.e. the Prophet) said: What has happened toyou, O 'Amr? I replied: I intend to lay down a condition. He asked: What condition do you intend to putforward? I said: That I be granted pardon. He (the Prophet) observed: Are you not aware of the fact that Islamwipes out all the previous [misdeeds]? Verily, Hijrah(emigration) wipes out all the previous [misdeeds], andverily the al-'ajj(pilgrimage) wipes out all the [previous] misdeeds... See also al-Irw$(no. 1280) by Shaykh al-Alb#n'

23Fat"al-B$ri(7/200)


12/14

to the righteous, the scholars, the worshippers and those who he benefits from theircompanionship, and this reassures his repentance.24

This last statement from al-Nawaw'is very important, rather, it is an essential step the

repenter must take, because if he remains with the people that he used to commit sin with,then he will, in all likelihood, return to it. This is due to the fact that the human being iscreated weak.

All#h says:

And man was created weak.[al-Nis$: 28]

In commanding with keeping righteous company All#h says:

And keep yourself patiently with those who call on their Lord morningand afternoon, seeking His Face: and let not your eyes overlook them,desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of this world.[al-Kahf: 28]

Ibn Kath'r says in the commentary of this verse: Sit with those who remember All#h, exaltHim, praise Him, and ask of Him in the day and the night, from the worshippers of All#hwhether they are from the poor, the rich or the weak. 25

Also, in the two Sah#hson the authority of Ab!M!s#al-Ashar'from the Prophet

!:Indeed the example of good company and bad company is like that of the seller of scentsand the blacksmith, so the seller of scents will either give you some as a gift or sell you someor at least you will find with him a pleasant smell, and the blacksmith will either burn yourclothes or you will find with him an awful odor.26

Im#m Muslim collects this hadith in his Sah#h, the chapter: The Desire of Sitting with theRighteous and Avoiding Evil Companionship. Al-Nawaw'says: In this hadith is the virtueof sitting with the righteous, the people of good, honor, upright character, fear [of All#h],

knowledge, and good conduct; and the prohibition of sitting with the people of evil,



12

24Shar"!ah#h Muslim(17/86)

25Tafs#r Ibn Kath#r(3/80)

26Collected by al-Bukhar'in his !a"#"(no. 5229) and Muslim in his !a"#" (no. 4740)


13/14

innovation, those who backbite the people, or who commit an abundance of sin, and what issimilar from unpraiseworthy types.27

A-'m al-$b#di states: In this hadith is guidance to companion the pious, and the scholars,

and to sit with them, for indeed it will benefit in this life and the next; and to avoidcompanioning the wicked and sinful, for indeed it harms [a person] religiously and in theworldly a*airs.28

Consequently, a person must carefully select his companions from the righteous, as all otherfriendswill be enemies to one another on the Day of Judgment.

All#h says:

Friends on that Day will be enemies to one another except therighteous. [al-Zukhruf: 67]

Im#m al-Baghaw'says in his commentary of this verse: (Friends)upon sin in the worldlylife (on that Day)the Day of Resurrection (will be enemies to one another except therighteous)except those who loved for the sake of Allah upon obedience to Him.

Al'ibn Ab!T#lib said: There were two believing friends, and two disbelieving friends, soone of the believing friends dies and says: O Lord! Certainly so and so used to enjoin me to

obedience to You and Your Messenger, and enjoined me to good and forbade me from evil,and reminded me that I was going to meet You. O All#h! Do not send him astray him afterme and guide him as You guided me, and bestow Your favor upon him as You bestowed Yourfavor upon me. So when his friend dies, they are joined together and they will praise oneanother saying: What an excellent brother and companion.

And when one of the disbelievers dies and he says: O Lord! Indeed so and so prevented mefrom obedience to You and Your Messenger, he commanded me to do evil and prevented me



13

27Shar"!a"#"Muslim(16/394)

28Awn al-Mab(d(13/146)


14/14

from good and told me that I would not meet You, and he will say: What and evil brotherand companion.29

Qat#dah ibn Di#mah said: By All#h we have never seen a man companion a people except

that he was like them, so companion the righteous from the worshippers of All#h, thatperhaps you will be like them or with them.30

Ibn Abd al-Barr narrates that it was reported to him on the authority of al-A(n#f ibn al-Qays that he said: Good speech is better than remaining quiet, and remaining quiet is betterthan evil, vain speech, and good companionship is better than being alone, and being alone isbetter than evil companionship.31

We ask All#h to allow us to benefit from righteous companionship in the best of gatherings.

Just as we ask that He makes us from the sincere repenters. Indeed All#h loves those whorepent and those who purify themselves. May the Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet,his family, companions and all who follow them until the Day of Resurrection.

Written by the one in need of his Lords Favor

Ab!al-"asan M#lik $dam al-Akh%ar



14

29Tafs#r al-Baghaw#(7/221)This indeed reminds us of the narration of Anas ibn M#lik who stated that the Prophet!said: There are not

two people who loved each other for All#hs Sake and then separated except because of some sin one of themcommitted. See Silsilah al-!a"i"ahof Shaykh al-Alb#n'(no. 637)

30al-Ib$nah(2/480)

31al-Tamh#d (17/449)

1 stories of repentance man killed 99 people

Documents