“Whoever has been made a judge among the people, then he has been slaughtered without a knife”.
Al-‘Abbas bin Muhammad bin Hatim Ad-Dawri related from Hisham bin Ubaidullah Ar-Razi, from Abdullah bin Ja’far bin Abdur Rahman bin Al-Miswar Ibn Makhrama. From Uthman bin Muhammad, from Al-Aa’raj and Al-Maqburi, from Abu Hurairah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever has been made a judge among the people, then he has been slaughtered without a knife”.
Ishaq bin Al-Hasan related from Hisham Ar-Razi; he was then confused or erred in the Isnad … He said: Hisham bin Ubaidullah bin Bilal Ar-Razi related from Abdullah bin Ja’far Al-Makhrami, from Muhammad bin Ibrahim … He said: I believe it to be from Al-Muqbari and Al-Aa’raj, from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet (peace be upon him): The same Hadith (i.e. Whoever has been made a judge). His statement: Muhammad bin Ibrahim is an error and therefore the correct statement (or view) is what Ad-Dawriy said. Abdullah bin Ja’far bin Mus’ab bin Abdullah Az-Zubairi related from his grandfather, from Al-Mughira bin Abdur Rahman, from Abdullah (meaning Ibn Sa’id Ibn Abu Hind), from Uthman bin Muhammad Al- Akhnasi, from Sa’id Al-Maqburi, from Abu Hurairah: That the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever has been made a judge among the people, then he has been slaughtered without a knife”.
Isma’il bin Ishaq Al-Qadi related from Muhammad bin Abu Bakr Al- Muqaddami, from Humaid bin Al-Aswad and Safwan bin ‘Eisa, from Abdullah bin Sa’id Ibn Abu Hind, from Uthman bin Muhammad Al- Akhnasi, from Al-Maqburi, from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet (peace be upon him) who said: “Whoever has been made a judge among the people, then he has been slaughtered without a knife”.
Isma’il bin Ishaq related from Muhammad bin Abu Bakr, from Bashar bin ‘Eisa, from Ibn Abu Dh’ib, from Uthman Al-Akhnasi, from Al- Maqburi, from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said: “Whoever has been made a judge among the people, then he has been slaughtered without a knife”.
Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Abdur Rahman bin Nafi’ As-Sairafiy (may Allah’s mercy be upon him) related from Ma’n bin ‘Eisa, from Ibn Abu Dhi’b, from Uthman bin Muhammad Al-Akhnasi, from Sa’id bin Al-Musayyib (!!), from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said: “Whoever has been made a judge then he has been slaughtered without a knife”.
‘Abbas bin Muhammad Ad-Dawri related from Abu ‘Ali Al-Hanafi Ubaidullah bin Abdul Hamid, from Isma’il bin Ishaq Al-Qadi, from Abdullah bin Maslamah Al-Qa’nabi, from Ibn Abu Dh’ib, (Al-Hanafi said) from Uthman bin Muhammad Al-Akhnasi, from Sa’id, from Abu Hurairah, who said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever has been placed over the judiciary, has been slaughtered without a knife”. And Ad-Dawry said: “Slaughtered with a knife here”. This is similarly related from Sa’id without any additional identification to the name, so I believe that he wanted to escape from saying: Ibn ul- Musayyib, because it is an error.
Abdullah bin Ayub related from Ruh, from Ibn Abu Dhi’b, from Uthman bin Muhammad Al-Akhnasi, from Ibn ul-Musayyib, that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him said: “Whoever is appointed to the judiciary, has been slaughtered without a knife”.
Abu Bakr Ja’far bin Muhammad related from Qutaibah bin Sa’id, from Abdullah bin Nafi’, from Ibn Abu Dhi’b, from Uthman bin Muhammad Al-Akhnasi, from Sa’id bin Al-Musayyib, who said: “If a man is appointed as a judge he has been slaughtered without a knife”. Abu Bakr said: He did not go past Sa’id (in this chain) and did not raise it to the Messenger (peace be upon him).
Ahmad bin Isma’il bin Muhammad bin Nabih Abu Hudhafah As-Sahmi related to us, along time ago, from a book. He said: Abu Damrah Anas bin ‘Ayad related to me from Uthman, and he was ibn Ad-Dahhak, from Ibn ul-Musayyib, from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said: “Whoever is made a judge, he has been slaughtered without a knife”.
Similarly, Abu Hudhafah said to us, from Ibn ul-Musayyib. Then Muhammad bin Al-Muttalib Al-Khuzaa’iy related it to me. He said: Ibrahim bin Al-Mundhir Al-Hizami related to us from Ja’far bin Al- Hasan, from Duhaim Abdur Rahman bin Ibrahim, from Abu Damrah, from Uthman bin Ad-Dahhak, from Uthman bin Muhammad Al- Akhnasi, from Sa’id, from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet (peace be upon him) … the same (i.e. Hadith).
Al-Makhrami and Abdullah bin Sa’id bin Abu Hind, the Riwayah (report) of Bashar bin ‘Eisa from Ibn Abu Dh’ib, from Uthman bin Muhammad Al-Akhnasi, from Al-Maqburi, while Ma’n related from Abu Dh’uaib and Abu Damrah from Uthman bin Ad-Dahhak, from Al- Akhnasiy agreed when they said: “From Sayyid Al-Musayyib” while there were those who escaped from stating the son of so and so and instead just said: “From Sa’id (i.e. without further identification), from Abu Hurairah” and that was Al-Qa’nabi from Ibn Abu Dh’ib and the one who related from Abu Damrah from Al-Khuza’iy and Duhaim. And he said: Ibn Nafi’ from Ibn Abu Dh’ib, from Al-Akhnasi, from Sa’id ibn Al-Musayyib. He said: “Whoever is appointed as a judge” and he did not raise it [i.e. make it raised (Marfoo’) to the Prophet (peace be upon him)] and did not go beyond him (i.e. Sa’id bin Al-Musayyib in the chain). He said: Ruh from Ibn Abu Dh’ib, from Al-Akhnasi, from Ibn ul-Musayyib that the Prophet.
He said: Therefore, it may be that Al-Akhnasi heard it from Al- Maqburi, from Abu Hurairah and he heard it from Sa’id bin Al- Musayyib from his statement and then this confused some of those who transmitted it from him. That is as Ruh bin ‘Ubadah said: “From Ibn ul-Musayyib”, from the Prophet (peace be upon him). This indicates that Ibn Abu Dh’ib was mistaken in his statement “Ibn ul- Musayyib” if it was based upon what Ruh bin ‘Ubadah said. And I don’t know if anyone has related this speech from Sa’id bin Al-Musayyib. And it being from (Sa’id bin) Al-Maqburiy has an origin to it other than the Riwayah (narration) of Al-Akhnasi. Therefore, the correct view is of those who stated: “From al-Maqburi, from Abu Hurairah”.
Al-Hasan bin Muhammad Az-Za’farani related from Bakr bin Bakkar, from Sufyan Ath-Thawri, from Zaid bin Aslam, from Sa’id or Abu Sa’id from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet (peace be upon him), that he said: “Whoever is made (or appointed) as a judge, has been slaughtered by other than a knife”. It was in this way that Az- Za’farani stated it to us: “From Sa’id or Abu Sa’id” and as such he was not sure about it.
Surad bin Khimar bin Salim Abu Sahl Al-Jahbadh related it to us from the origin of his book. He said: Bakr bin Bakkar related it to us from Sufyan Ath-Thawri, from Zaid bin Aslam, from sa’id bin Al-Maqburi, from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said: “Whoever is made (or appointed) as a judge, has been slaughtered by other than a knife”.
Al-Harith bin Abu Usamah related to me from Abdul ‘Aziz bin Aban, from Sufyan Ath-Thawri, from Ibn Ghaziyah, from Sa’id Al-Maqburi, from Abu Hurairah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever is made (or appointed) as a judge, has been slaughtered by other than a knife”. He said: “Abu Bakr”: And this is an error from Abdul ‘Aziz bin Aban. (Rather) The Hadith is a Hadith of Bakr bin Bakkar.
Ibrahim bin Isma’il Al-Bazzar related to us from Abdullah bin Mu’awiyah bin Az-Zubairi, from Yusuf bin Ya’qub bin Isma’il, from Nasr bin ‘Ali, from Fadl bin Sulaiman, from ‘Amr bin Abu ‘Amr, from Al-Maqburi, from Abu Hurairah: That the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever is appointed as a judge, has been slaughtered by other than a knife”.
Isma’il bin Ishaq bin Isma’il related to us from Yahya bin Abdul Hamid, from Dawud bin Khalid Al-‘Attar, from Sa’id bin Abu Sa’id, from the Prophet (peace be upon him): The same (i.e. Whoever is appointed as a judge …). This contains indicative evidence to support those who narrated the narration of Al-Akhnasi from Al-Maqburi.
Al-Qasim bin Hashim bin Sa’id As-Simsar related to us from Yahya bin Nadr ibn Hajib, from Abdullah bin Sa’id bin Abu Hind, from his father, from Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever has been made a judge among the people, then he has been slaughtered without a knife”.
He said: Abu Bakr: I do not know anyone who related this Hadith like this (i.e. with this chain) other than Yahya bin Nadr bin Hajib and Yahya bin Nadr is feeble (نيَّ لَ ) in his Hadith. This Hadith was related by Abdullah bin Sa’id bin Abu Hind, from Uthman bin Muhammad Al- Akhnasi, from Al-Maqburi, from Abu Hurairah. It may be that he intended that but made an error. And Al-Qasim bin Hashim As-Simsar is Thiqah (trustworthy – reliable).
Mahmud bin Muhammad bin Abu Al-Mada’ Al-Halabi related to us from Al-‘Abbas bin Al-Faraj Al-Masisi, from Dawud Az-Zabarqan, from ‘Ataa bin As-Sa’ib, from Sa’id bin Jubair, from Ibn ‘Abbas, from the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Whoever is seeks to be (or is made) a judge has been slaughtered by other than a knife”] [End of Quote].
You can see here more paths which dictate certainty (Al-Qat’) in that the mention of Sa’id bin Al-Musayyib was an error of some of the narrators. That is unless we were to accept the distant possibility that our person of concern ‘Uthman bin Muhammad bin Al-Mughirah Al- Akhnasi’ had indeed on occasions related it from the speech of Sa’id bin Al-Musayyib himself and then some of the narrators were confused by the matter. Even in such a case, there is no defect in relation to Sa’id bin Al-Musayyib repeating it often without a chain of transmission due to the hadith already being well-known and spread among the people, for the purpose of exhortation and making people fearful of the responsibility of the position of judiciary. The affirmation of the Hadith from Sa’id bin Abu Sa’id Al-Maqburi, from Abu Hurairah in a Marfoo’ manner [i.e. to the Prophet (peace be upon him)] is a matter that has no doubt due to the conformity of the Thiqaat (trustworthy narrators) Zaid bin Aslam, Dawud bin Khalid bin Dinar Al-‘Attar, ‘Amr bin Abu ‘Amr and perhaps ‘Umarah bin Ghaziyah, Abu Sulaiman Dawud bin ‘Ataa’ Al-Madani and Abdullah bin Sa’id bin Abu Hind (in their narrations) with (what was related by) our person of interest Uthman bin Muhammad bin Al-Mughira Al-Akhnasi (i.e. they affirmed in their reporting, like ‘Uthman Al- Akhnasi, that the Hadith was related by Sa’id bin Abu Sa’id Al- Maqburi). The invalidity or falseness is therefore established in respect to the attribution of defectiveness to the Hadith of ‘Uthman bin Muhammad bin Al-Mughira Al-Akhnasi from Sa’id bin Al-Musayyib. We have searched electronically the complete collections of Hadith and we did not find that Uthman related any Hadith from Sa’id bin Al-Musayyib except for this one. In addition, the majority of the narrations (for this Hadith), with their chains, state that they were related from Sa’id Al-Maqburi from Abu Hurairah. We found many narrations of his within the books of history and Maghazi (i.e. Seera with focus upon the battles). They include among them, the following notable narration: - The following was recorded in “Tarikh ul-Madinah” by Ibn Shabbah (1/113):
