❖ Question:
Is the narration about punishment for cutting a berry tree authentic? What does it mean?
❖ Hadith Reference:
Narrated by Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn Ḥubshī (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu):
“مَنْ قَطَعَ سِدْرَةً صَوَّبَ اللَّهُ رَأْسَهُ فِي النَّارِ”
“Whoever cuts down a berry tree, Allah will cause his head to be cast into the Hellfire.”
[Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 5239]
❖ Answer by:
Al-ʿĀlim Ikramullah Wahidi (ḥafiẓahullāh)
Yes, this narration is authentic.
❖ Explanation:
This ḥadīth delivers an important moral instruction:
No one should cut down a berry tree (sidrah) located in a place where travelers or animals benefit from its shade, especially if done wrongfully, maliciously, or without just cause.
Such an act is condemned, and a severe warning is issued:
Allah will cause such a person’s head to be cast into the Fire.
❖ Clarification by Imām Abū Dāwūd (raḥimahullāh):
“هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ مُخْتَصَرٌ، يَعْنِي مَنْ قَطَعَ سِدْرَةً فِي فَلَاةٍ يَسْتَظِلُّ بِهَا ابْنُ السَّبِيلِ وَالْبَهَائِمُ ؛ عَبَثًا وَظُلْمًا بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ يَكُونُ لَهُ فِيهَا، صَوَّبَ اللَّهُ رَأْسَهُ فِي النَّارِ“
Translation:
This ḥadīth is concise. It refers to someone who cuts a sidrah (berry tree) in a deserted area where travelers and animals benefit from its shade—cutting it without reason, out of mischief or injustice. For such a person, Allah will cast his head into the Fire.
❖ Additional Authentication:
This narration is also recorded by al-Ṭabarānī and in al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr with the wording “من سدرة الحرم“, indicating a specific type of berry tree within the sanctuary area (ḥaram), which strengthens its authenticity and highlights its significance.
✿ Conclusion:
✔ This hadith is authentic, and the warning is specific to cutting a berry tree without a valid reason in a place where it serves public benefit—especially in deserts or wilderness where travelers and animals depend on such natural resources.
✔ Islam emphasizes compassion, preservation of nature, and public welfare, and violating this brings severe consequences as shown in this ḥadīth.
