I was with ‘Uthman ؓ in the house when he was under siege. We would go into an entryway where, when we entered it, we could hear what the people were saying in al-Balat. ʿUthman ؓ entered it one day for some reason, then he came out with his face flushed and said: They were threatening to kill me just now. We said: Allah will suffice you against them, O Ameer al-Muʿmineen. He said: Why would they kill me? I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “It is not permissible to shed the blood of a Muslim man except in one of three cases; a man who disbelieved after having become Muslim, or a man who committed zina after being married, or a man who killed a person not in retaliation of murder But by Allah, I never committed zina either during the Jahiliyyah or in Islam... I never wanted to change my religion since Allah, may He be glorified and exalted guided me, and I never killed anyone So why do they want to kill me? (Using translation from Aḥmad 468)   

نَسْمَعُ كَلَامَ مَنْ بِالْبَلَاطِ فَخَرَجَ عُثْمَانُ ؓ يَوْمًا مُتَغَيِّرًا لَوْنُهُ قُلْنَا مَا لَكَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ؟ قَالَ إِنَّهُمْ لَيُوَاعِدُونِي بِالْقَتْلِ فَقُلْنَا يَكْفِيكَهُمُ اللهُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ وَبِمَ يَقْتُلُونِي وَقَدْ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ لَا يَحِلُّ دَمُ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ إِلَّا بِإِحْدَى ثَلَاثٍ رَجُلٌ كَفَرَ بَعْدَ إِسْلَامِهِ أَوْ زَنَى بَعْدَ إِحْصَانِهِ أَوْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ فَوَاللهِ مَا زَنَيْتُ بِجَاهِلِيَّةٍ وَلَا إِسْلَامٍ قَطُّ وَلَا قَتَلْتُ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ وَلَا تَمَنَّيْتُ بِدِينِي بَدَلًا مُذْ هَدَانِي اللهُ ﷻ لِلْإِسْلَامِ فَبِمَ يَقْتُلُونِي؟  

The blood of a Muslim man who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah should not be lawfully shed but only for one of three reasons: married fornicator, soul for soul, and one who deserts his religion separating himself from the community. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 4352)   

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَا يَحِلُّ دَمُ رَجُلٍ مُسْلِمٍ يَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَأَنِّي رَسُولُ اللهِ إِلَّا أَحَدُ ثَلَاثَةِ نَفَرٍ النَّفْسُ بِالنَّفْسِ وَالثَّيِّبُ الزَّانِي وَالتَّارِكُ لِدِينِهِ الْمُفَارِقُ لِلْجَمَاعَةِ  

Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up and said: By Him besides Whom there is no god but He, the blood of a Muslim who bears the testimony that there is no god but Allah, and I am His Messenger, may be lawfully shed only in case of three persons: the one who abandons Islam, and deserts the community [Ahmad, one of the narrators, is doubtful whether the Prophet ﷺ used the word li'l-jama'ah or al-jama'ah), and the married adulterer, and life for life. (Using translation from Muslim 1676c)   

قَامَ فِينَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ وَالَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ غَيْرُهُ لَا يَحِلُّ دَمُ رَجُلٍ مُسْلِمٍ يَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَأَنِّي رَسُولُ اللهِ إِلَّا ثَلَاثَةُ نَفَرٍ التَّارِكُ الْإِسْلَامَ الْمُفَارِقُ لِلْجَمَاعَةِ أَوِ الْجَمَاعَةَ وَالثَّيِّبُ الزَّانِي وَالنَّفْسُ بِالنَّفْسِ قَالَ الْأَعْمَشُ فَحَدَّثْتُ بِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فَحَدَّثَنِي عَنِ الْأَسْوَدِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ بِمِثْلِهِ  

[Machine] "If I were, I would not have burned them and I would have killed them for the saying of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: 'Whoever changes his religion, kill him.' And I would not have burned them for the saying of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: 'It is not fitting for anyone to punish with the punishment of Allah.'"  

لَوْ كُنْتُ أَنَا لَمْ أُحَرِّقْهُمْ وَلَقَتَلْتُهُمْ لِقَوْلِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ مَنْ بَدَّلَ دِينَهُ فَاقْتُلُوهُ وَلَمْ أُحَرِّقْهُمْ لِقَوْلِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ لَا يَنْبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ أَنْ يُعَذِّبَ بِعَذَابِ اللهِ  

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Whoever changes his religion, then kill him."  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ غَيَّرَ دِينَهُ فَاضْرِبُوا عُنُقَهُ  

I went to the Prophet ﷺ while two men who were Ash’ arIs were with me. One of them was on my right and the other on my left side. Bothe of them asked him for employment. The prophet ﷺ was silent. He asked : What do you say Abu Musa, or ‘Abd Allah b. Qais (Abu Musa’s name)? I replied: By him who has sent you with truth, they did not inform me of what they had in their hearts, and I did not know that they would ask for an employment. He said : I have the scene before my eyes that he had his toothstick below his lip which receded. He (the prophet) said: We will never or will not put in charge of our work anyone who asks for it. But go, ye, Abu Musa, or ‘Abd Allah b. Qais. He then sent him as a Governor of the Yemen, After him he sent Muadh b. Jabal. When Muadh came to him, he said: come down , and he put a cushion for him. He saw that a man was chained with him. He asked : What is this? He replied: He was a Jew and he accepted Islam. He then converted to his religion, an evil religion. He said: I will not sit until he is killed according to the decision of Allah and his Apostle ﷺ. He said: Yes, be seated. He said: I will not sit until he is killed according to the decision of Allah and his Apostle (peace be upon him). He said it three times. He then commanded for it and he was killed. Both of them then discussed the question of prayer and vigilance at night. One of them, probably Muadh, said : So far as I am concerned, I sleep and I keep vigilance: I keep vigilance and I sleep: I hope for the same reward for my sleep as for my vigilance. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 4354)   

قَالَ أَبُو مُوسَى أَقْبَلْتُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَمَعِي رَجُلَانِ مِنَ الْأَشْعَرِيِّينَ أَحَدُهُمَا عَنْ يَمِينِي وَالْآخَرُ عَنْ يَسَارِي وَرَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَسْتَاكُ وَكِلَاهُمَا سَأَلَ الْعَمَلَ وَالنَّبِيُّ ﷺ سَاكِتٌ فَقَالَ مَا تَقُولُ يَا أَبَا مُوسَى أَوْ يَا عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ قَيْسٍ؟ قُلْتُ وَالَّذِي بَعَثَكَ بِالْحَقِّ مَا أَطْلَعَانِي عَلَى مَا فِي أَنْفُسِهِمَا وَمَا شَعَرْتُ أَنَّهُمَا يَطْلُبَانِ الْعَمَلَ قَالَ وَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى سِوَاكِهِ تَحْتَ شَفَتِهِ قَلَصَتْ قَالَ لَنْ أَسْتَعْمِلَ أَوْ لَا أَسْتَعْمِلُ عَلَى عَمَلِنَا مَنْ أَرَادَهُ وَلَكِنِ اذْهَبْ أَنْتَ يَا أَبَا مُوسَى أَوْ يَا عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ قَيْسٍ فَبَعَثَهُ عَلَى الْيَمَنِ ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَهُ مُعَاذَ بْنَ جَبَلٍ فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ عَلَيْهِ مُعَاذٌ قَالَ انْزِلْ وَأَلْقَى لَهُ وِسَادَةً وَإِذَا رَجُلٌ عِنْدَهُ مُوثَقٌ قَالَ مَا هَذَا؟ قَالَ هَذَا كَانَ يَهُودِيًّا فَأَسْلَمَ ثُمَّ رَاجَعَ دِينَهُ دِينَ السُّوءِ قَالَ لَا أَجْلِسُ حَتَّى يُقْتَلَ قَضَاءَ اللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ﷺ ثَلَاثَ مِرَارٍ وَأَمَرَ بِهِ فَقُتِلَ ثُمَّ تَذَاكَرَا قِيَامَ اللَّيْلِ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ ؓ أَمَّا أَنَا فَأَنَامُ وَأَقُومُ أَوْ أَقُومُ وَأَنَامُ وَأَرْجُو فِي نَوْمَتِي مَا أَرْجُو فِي قَوْمَتِي