25. The Office of the Judge
٢٥۔ كتاب الأقضية
The Prophet ﷺ said: Judges are of three types, one of whom will go to Paradise and two to Hell. The one who will go to Paradise is a man who knows what is right and gives judgment accordingly; but a man who knows what is right and acts tyrannically in his judgment will go to Hell; and a man who gives judgment for people when he is ignorant will go to Hell. Abu Dawud said: On this subject this is the soundest tradition, that is, the tradition of Ibn Buraidah: Judges are of three types.
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ الْقُضَاةُ ثَلاَثَةٌ وَاحِدٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَاثْنَانِ فِي النَّارِ فَأَمَّا الَّذِي فِي الْجَنَّةِ فَرَجُلٌ عَرَفَ الْحَقَّ فَقَضَى بِهِ وَرَجُلٌ عَرَفَ الْحَقَّ فَجَارَ فِي الْحُكْمِ فَهُوَ فِي النَّارِ وَرَجُلٌ قَضَى لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى جَهْلٍ فَهُوَ فِي النَّارِ
'If a judge passes a judgment having exerted himself to arrive at what is correct, and he is indeed correct, he will have two rewards. If he passes judgment having exerted himself to arrive at what is correct, but it is incorrect, he will have one reward.'" I narrated it to Abu Bakr bin Hazm and he said: "This is what Abu Salamah narrated to me from Abu Hurairah.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا حَكَمَ الْحَاكِمُ فَاجْتَهَدَ فَأَصَابَ فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ وَإِذَا حَكَمَ فَاجْتَهَدَ فَأَخْطَأَ فَلَهُ أَجْرٌ فَحَدَّثْتُ بِهِ أَبَا بَكْرِ بْنَ حَزْمٍ فَقَالَ هَكَذَا حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو سَلَمَةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ
The Prophet ﷺ said: If anyone seeks the office of judge among Muslims till he gets it and his justice prevails over his tyranny, he will go to Paradise; but the man whose tyranny prevails over his justice will go to Hell.
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ طَلَبَ قَضَاءَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ حَتَّى يَنَالَهُ ثُمَّ غَلَبَ عَدْلُهُ جَوْرَهُ فَلَهُ الْجَنَّةُ وَمَنْ غَلَبَ جَوْرُهُ عَدْلَهُ فَلَهُ النَّارُ
"If any do fail to judge (by the light of) what Allah has revealed, they are (no better than) unbelievers" up to "wrongdoers." These three verses were revealed about the Jews, particularly about Quraizah and al-Nadir.
{ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ } إِلَى قَوْلِهِ { الْفَاسِقُونَ } هَؤُلاَءِ الآيَاتُ الثَّلاَثُ نَزَلَتْ فِي الْيَهُودِ خَاصَّةً فِي قُرَيْظَةَ وَالنَّضِيرِ