Nasai

Hadith Commentary:

That is, the principle is that the killer and the killed are not gathered together in Paradise or Hell; if the killed and the martyr (in the path of Allah) is destined for Paradise, then certainly the killer of such a person will go to Hell. But Allah, the Exalted, Himself observes the wonders of His power, so He laughs that a person, fighting on behalf of the disbelievers, killed a Muslim mujahid (striver in Allah’s path), then by the power of Allah, he too was granted the state of faith, and after that, fighting on behalf of the Muslims, he was martyred. In this way, both the killer and the killed entered Paradise.

When Allah, the Exalted, sees this marvel of His power, He laughs; just as Allah’s other attributes are true, so too is His laughter true.

To delve into its modality is an innovation (bid‘ah); this is the doctrine of the Salaf.

From this hadith, it is also understood that by embracing Islam and performing jihad, all the sins of disbelief are forgiven. From the narration of Imam Ahmad and Hammam, it is explicitly derived that one of these two persons was a believer and the other a disbeliever.

Thus, if a Muslim deliberately, that is, intentionally, kills another Muslim without any legitimate Shar‘i reason, and then the killer repents and is martyred in the path of Allah, his sin will not be forgiven.

This is the opinion of Abdullah ibn Abbas (radi Allahu anhu) that the repentance of a believer’s killer is not accepted, while the majority of scholars say that his repentance is valid. And the verse: “And whoever kills a believer intentionally...” (al-Nisa: 94) is in a severe manner so that people refrain from it; by “eternity” (khulud) is meant to remain for a very long time (Summary of Wahidi) .

Today, on Eid al-Adha 91 AH, when I had come to Bombay at the invitation of the congregation to lead the Eid al-Adha prayer, this explanatory statement was committed to writing.

May Allah, the Exalted, accept this supplication on this blessed day, that the honor of completing this blessed book be attained.

Ameen, O Lord of the worlds.

Ibn al-Jawzi said: Most of the Salaf refrain from interpreting such (attributes) and accept them as they have come, and it is necessary in such matters to let them pass as they are, believing that Allah’s attributes do not resemble the attributes of creation. The meaning of letting them pass is not knowing the intended meaning, along with the belief in His transcendence (Fath al-Bari) .

That is, Ibn al-Jawzi (rahimahullah) said that most of the righteous predecessors (Salaf al-Salih) considered it prohibited to interpret such divine attributes; rather, they accept them as they have been transmitted, with the belief that Allah’s attributes are not similar to the attributes of creation.

To accept them means that we know their meanings, but the modality (how) is unknown.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
The principle is that the killer and the one killed are not gathered together in Paradise or Hellfire.
If the one killed is destined for Paradise, then certainly the killer of such a person will go to Hellfire. However, when Allah, by His power, admits both the killer and the one killed into Paradise, He laughs. This occurs in the following manner: a person, fighting on behalf of the disbelievers, killed a Muslim and martyred him. Then Allah granted the killer the ability to repent, so he became a Muslim, and while fighting on behalf of the Muslims, he too attained martyrdom. In this way, both the killer and the one killed entered Paradise.

➋
In this hadith, one of Allah’s attributes, “al-Dahk” (laughing), is mentioned.
We affirm it as it is, based on its reality, and interpreting it away is contrary to the position of the pious predecessors (salaf salih). However, its modality (kayfiyyah) is unknown, and none of the creation resembles Him in any of His attributes.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:

Benefits and Issues:
Allah, the Exalted, laughs, but His laughter is befitting to His majesty. Its reality cannot be comprehended, nor is there any need to describe its modality. Therefore, just as there is no need for likening or comparison, there is also no need for interpretation (ta'wil).

(1) In the above-mentioned narrations, there is mention of amazement, laughter, and happiness; therefore, the use of these words regarding Allah Ta’ala is undoubtedly correct. Whatever the intended meaning may be, because the matter of Allah Ta’ala and His attributes is beyond our intellect. Its discussion is futile. The words and attributes that have been used for Allah Ta’ala in the Qur’an and Hadith, their usage is permissible; that is, it is not for us to suggest to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) by prompting or instructing him that such-and-such word should not have been used, or such-and-such should have been used. Allah and His Messenger have the greatest and most complete knowledge.

(2) In this, there is mention of Allah Ta’ala’s immense grace and vast mercy, that by accepting the repentance of the murderer, He also made him deserving of Paradise.

(3) The acceptance of deeds depends on the conclusion and the end. If the end is with goodness (husn al-khatimah), then the sins of the earlier life will not cause any harm. And if the end is upon evil, then the good deeds of the earlier life will be of no benefit.

Commentary:
(1)
From this, the attribute of "dahk" (laughter) of Allah is established, but even while having faith in the attributes of Allah, it is not permissible to liken them to the attributes of the creation.

(2)
The laughter of Allah is an expression of His pleasure and approval, and "rida" (pleasure/approval) is also one of the attributes of Allah.

(3)
The knowledge of the fate of human beings belongs to Allah Ta'ala; even regarding the greatest criminal, it can be hoped that Allah Ta'ala may grant him guidance. Therefore, as long as a person does not die upon disbelief, it should not be said about him that he will not receive guidance; thus, he should continue to be invited (to Islam).

(4)
Because of accepting Islam, previous sins are forgiven; therefore, the second man did not receive the punishment of Hell despite having killed a believer.

Takhrij al-Hadith:
[وأخرجه البخاري 2826، من حديث مالك، ومسلم 1890، من حديث ابي الزناد به ورواه النسائي 6/38، 39 ح3168، من حديث عبدالرحمٰن بن القاسم به]

Explanation (Tafaqquh):
➊ In the mentioned narration, the killer is a disbeliever (kafir) and the one killed is a Muslim. The Muslim was martyred (shahid) at the hands of the disbeliever on the battlefield. Later, Allah, the Exalted, granted the disbeliever the ability to accept Islam; thus, the former disbeliever, now a Muslim, after embracing Islam, fought jihad against the disbelievers, in which he too attained the rank of martyrdom. In this respect, both the former killer and the former killed are destined for Paradise.
➋ Allah, the Exalted, laughing and expressing mockery is one of His attributes. «كما يليق بجلاله عز وجل» To liken it to the creation is false and rejected.
➌ The people of faith (ahl al-iman) should always remain prepared for jihad.
➍ Allah, the Exalted, has opened the gates of Paradise for the mujahideen and martyrs (shuhada).
➎ With sincere repentance (tawbah), all previous sins are forgiven.
➏ Iman (faith) is the name of statement (qawl), action (amal), and firm conviction of the heart.
➐ Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Barr interpreted Allah’s laughter as His mercy (and grace and generosity). See: [التمهيد 18/345]
But according to Ibn al-Jawzi, it should be stated with the belief that this is an attribute of Allah and is not similar to the creation. See: [فتح الباري 6/40 ح2822] And this is the preferred (rajih) view.

Benefit:
From this hadith, one of the attributes of Allah Almighty, "laughing," is established; that is, Allah Almighty also laughs, but it is prohibited to give any example, modality, or likeness of it. We simply say that Allah laughs «كما يليق شانه » in a manner befitting His majesty.

Furthermore, this hadith establishes the virtue of martyrdom (shahadah). It also shows that in life, there are certain good turning points upon which, if a person reflects and contemplates, he can bring himself to the straight path, and through this, his rank and status become very elevated. An example of this is also present in the hadith: a disbeliever who kills a Muslim today may, tomorrow, himself become a Muslim, enter the battlefield of jihad, and while fighting against the disbelievers, himself attain martyrdom.