The Blood of a Muslim Is Sacred: Hadith 14 of an-Nawawi

How much is a Muslim’s life worth in Islam? In Hadith 14 of Imam an-Nawawi’s collection, the Prophet ﷺ answered with a clear rule: the blood of a Muslim is not lawful except in three cases, and he named them. Here is the hadith as it was narrated, the same words from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan on the day his house was besieged, and how the scholars explain it.

The hadith

‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

Al-Bukhari recorded it too (Sahih al-Bukhari 6878), listing a life for a life first and describing the third person as one who goes out of the religion and leaves the community. Imam an-Nawawi placed it as Hadith 14 of his 40 Hadith.

‘Uthman and the same three cases

The same rule was on the lips of ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) when rebels surrounded his house. Abu Umamah ibn Sahl reported that ‘Uthman looked out over the people and reminded them that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

‘Uthman then swore that he had done none of the three, and asked them on what grounds they would kill him. At-Tirmidhi called the narration hasan, Darussalam grades it Sahih, and Abu Dawud recorded the same account (Sunan Abi Dawud 4502, Sahih per al-Albani).

What the blood of a Muslim hadith means

The Encyclopedia of Translated Prophetic Hadiths (HadeethEnc) explains that the Prophet ﷺ made clear a Muslim is inviolable unless he commits one of these three:

• The married adulterer: one who commits zina after being lawfully married. HadeethEnc states that it is lawful for him to be stoned to death.
• A life for a life: one who deliberately and unlawfully kills a person whose life is protected is killed in return, with the conditions that apply.
• The one who leaves the religion and the community: HadeethEnc explains this as leaving Islam altogether through apostasy, or splitting from the community by abandoning part of it without apostasy, such as those who commit highway robbery and rebels like the Kharijites.

Among the benefits it lists:

• The hadith shows that Muslims must be respected and that their blood is inviolable.
• It is forbidden to do any of these three acts, and whoever does deserves the death penalty, either for disbelief (the apostate) or as a legal punishment (the married adulterer and the deliberate killer).
• Allah legislated these punishments to deter criminals and to protect society from crime.
• Carrying out the legal punishments lies within the authority of the ruler.
• We are urged to stay with the Muslim community and not to separate from it.

The details of these rulings, such as their conditions and how they are proven, belong to the scholars of fiqh and the courts. For questions about them, ask a qualified scholar.

A Muslim’s life is sacred

Other authentic narrations make the same point from the other side: what is protected, and how seriously. The Prophet ﷺ said:

In his sermon on the Day of Nahr he said that our blood, property and honor are as sacred to one another as that day, that month and that city (Sahih al-Bukhari 67). He also said that a believer remains at liberty regarding his religion unless he kills somebody unlawfully (Sahih al-Bukhari 6862). And Allah says:

Reflection: the hadith opens with “it is not permissible”. Its starting point is that a Muslim’s life is protected, and only three named cases lift that protection. ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) understood it that way. Facing men who wanted his life, he did not argue from his status. He argued from this hadith.

How to put it into practice

The hadith does not give a routine, so these are suggestions:

• Treat every Muslim’s life, wealth and honor as sacred, in what you say about them as well as what you do.
• Leave punishments to the lawful authority. HadeethEnc notes that carrying them out lies with the ruler.
• Stay with the Muslim community and keep away from what splits it.
• Keep far from the sins the hadith names, and from what leads to them.
• Ask a qualified scholar about the rulings of these punishments, rather than relying on social media.

Key lessons

• A Muslim’s blood is inviolable; that is the starting point.
• The hadith names three cases: the married adulterer, a life for a life, and the one who leaves the religion and the community.
• These punishments were legislated to deter crime and protect society.
• Carrying them out lies with the ruler.
• ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) cited the same three cases when his own life was threatened.

Questions people ask

A question to carry with you today: if the Prophet ﷺ guarded a Muslim’s blood this carefully, how carefully do we guard each other’s honor and wealth in the way we speak and deal with one another?

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