Once ʿUmar bin ʿAbdul ʿAziz sat on his throne in the courtyard of his house so that the people might gather before him. Then he admitted them and (when they came in), he said, "What do you think of Al-Qasama?" They said, "We say that it is lawful to depend on Al-Qasama in Qisas, as the previous Muslim Caliphs carried out Qisas depending on it." Then he said to me, "O Abu Qilaba! What do you say about it?" He let me appear before the people and I said, "O Chief of the Believers! You have the chiefs of the army staff and the nobles of the Arabs. If fifty of them testified that a married man had committed illegal sexual intercourse in Damascus but they had not seen him (doing so), would you stone him?" He said, "No." I said, "If fifty of them testified that a man had committed theft in Hums, would you cut off his hand though they did not see him?" He replied, "No." I said, "By Allah, Messenger of Allah ﷺ never killed anyone except in one of the following three situations: (1) A person who killed somebody unjustly, was killed (in Qisas,) (2) a married person who committed illegal sexual intercourse and (3) a man who fought against Allah and His Apostle and deserted Islam and became an apostate." Then the people said, "Didn't Anas bin Malik narrate that Messenger of Allah ﷺ cut off the hands of the thieves, branded their eyes and then, threw them in the sun?" I said, "I shall tell you the narration of Anas. Anas said: "Eight persons from the tribe of ʿUkl came to Messenger of Allah ﷺ and gave the Pledge of allegiance for Islam (became Muslim). The climate of the place (Medina) did not suit them, so they became sick and complained about that to Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said (to them ), "Won't you go out with the shepherd of our camels and drink of the camels' milk and urine (as medicine)?" They said, "Yes." So they went out and drank the camels' milk and urine, and after they became healthy, they killed the shepherd of Messenger of Allah ﷺ and took away all the camels. This news reached Messenger of Allah ﷺ , so he sent (men) to follow their traces and they were captured and brought (to the Prophet). He then ordered to cut their hands and feet, and their eyes were branded with heated pieces of iron, and then he threw them in the sun till they died." I said, "What can be worse than what those people did? They deserted Islam, committed murder and theft." Then 'Anbasa bin Saʿid said, "By Allah, I never heard a narration like this of today." I said, "O 'Anbasa! You deny my narration?" 'Anbasa said, "No, but you have related the narration in the way it should be related. By Allah, these people are in welfare as long as this Sheikh (Abu Qilaba) is among them." I added, "Indeed in this event there has been a tradition set by Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The narrator added: Some Ansari people came to the Prophet ﷺ and discussed some matters with him, a man from amongst them went out and was murdered. Those people went out after him, and behold, their companion was swimming in blood. They returned to Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said to him, "O Allah's Apostle, we have found our companion who had talked with us and gone out before us, swimming in blood (killed)." Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out and asked them, "Whom do you suspect or whom do you think has killed him?" They said, "We think that the Jews have killed him." The Prophet ﷺ sent for the Jews and asked them, "Did you kill this (person)?" They replied, "No." He asked the Al-Ansars, "Do you agree that I let fifty Jews take an oath that they have not killed him?" They said, "It matters little for the Jews to kill us all and then take false oaths." He said, "Then would you like to receive the Diya after fifty of you have taken an oath (that the Jews have killed your man)?" They said, "We will not take the oath." Then the Prophet ﷺ himself paid them the Diya (Blood-money)." The narrator added, "The tribe of Hudhail repudiated one of their men (for his evil conduct) in the Pre-lslamic period of Ignorance. Then, at a place called Al-Batha' (near Mecca), the man attacked a Yemenite family at night to steal from them, but a. man from the family noticed him and struck him with his sword and killed him. The tribe of Hudhail came and captured the Yemenite and brought him to ʿUmar during the Hajj season and said, "He has killed our companion." The Yemenite said, "But these people had repudiated him (i.e., their companion)." ʿUmar said, "Let fifty persons of Hudhail swear that they had not repudiated him." So forty-nine of them took the oath and then a person belonging to them, came from Sham and they requested him to swear similarly, but he paid one-thousand Dirhams instead of taking the oath. They called another man instead of him and the new man shook hands with the brother of the deceased. Some people said, "We and those fifty men who had taken false oaths (Al-Qasama) set out, and when they reached a place called Nakhlah, it started raining so they entered a cave in the mountain, and the cave collapsed on those fifty men who took the false oath, and all of them died except the two persons who had shaken hands with each other. They escaped death but a stone fell on the leg of the brother of the deceased and broke it, whereupon he survived for one year and then died." I further said, "ʿAbdul Malik bin Marwan sentenced a man to death in Qisas (equality in punishment) for murder, basing his judgment on Al-Qasama, but later on he regretted that judgment and ordered that the names of the fifty persons who had taken the oath (Al-Qasama), be erased from the register, and he exiled them in Sham." (Using translation from Bukhārī 6899)
مَا تَقُولُ يَا أَبَا قِلَابَةَ؟ وَنَصَبَنِي لِلنَّاسِ قُلْتُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عِنْدَكَ رُءُوسُ الْأَجْنَادِ وَأَشْرَافُ الْعَرَبِ أَرَأَيْتَ لَوْ أَنَّ خَمْسِينَ مِنْهُمْ شَهِدُوا عَلَى رَجُلٍ بِدِمَشْقَ مُحْصَنٍ أَنَّهُ قَدْ زَنَى لَمْ يَرَوْهُ أَكُنْتَ تَرْجُمُهُ؟ قَالَ لَا قُلْتُ أفَرَأَيْتَ لَوْ أَنَّ خَمْسِينَ مِنْهُمْ شَهِدُوا عَلَى رَجُلٍ بِحِمْصَ أَنَّهُ سَرَقَ لَمْ يَرَوْهُ أَكُنْتَ تَقْطَعُهُ؟ قَالَ لَا قُلْتُ فَوَاللهِ مَا قَتَلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَحَدًا قَطُّ إِلَّا فِي إِحْدَى ثَلَاثِ خِصَالٍ رَجُلٌ قَتَلَ بِجَرِيرَةِ نَفْسِهِ يُقْتَلُ أَوْ رَجُلٌ زَنَى بَعْدَ إِحْصَانٍ أَوْ رَجُلٌ حَارَبَ اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَارْتَدَّ عَنِ الْإِسْلَامِ قَالَ فَقَالَ الْقَوْمُ أَوَلَيْسَ قَدْ حَدَّثَ أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَطَعَ فِي السَّرَقِ وَسَمَرَ الْأَعْيُنَ وَنَبَذَهُمْ فِي الشَّمْسِ حَتَّى مَاتُوا؟ فَقُلْتُ أَنَا أُحَدِّثُكُمْ حَدِيثَ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ إِيَّايَ حَدَّثَ أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ أَنَّ نَفَرًا مِنْ عُكْلٍ ثَمَانِيَةً قَدِمُوا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَبَايَعُوهُ عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ وَاسْتَوْخَمُوا الْأَرْضَ وَسَقَمَتْ أَجْسَادُهُمْ فَشَكَوْا ذَلِكَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ أَلَا تَخْرُجُونَ مَعَ رَاعِينَا فِي إِبِلِهِ فَتُصِيبُونَ مِنْ أَبْوَالِهَا وَأَلْبَانِهَا؟ قَالُوا بَلَى فَخَرَجُوا فَشَرِبُوا مِنْ أَبْوَالِهَا وَأَلْبَانِهَا فَصَحُّوا وَقَتَلُوا الرَّاعِيَ وَاطَّرَدُوا النَّعَمَ فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَبَعَثَ فِي آثَارِهِمْ فَأُدْرِكُوا فَجِيءَ بِهِمْ فَأَمَرَ بِهِمْ فَقُطِعَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُمْ وَسُمِرَتْ أَعْيُنُهُمْ وَنُبِذُوا فِي الشَّمْسِ حَتَّى مَاتُوا قُلْتُ وَأِيُّ شَيْءٍ أَشَدُّ مِمَّا صَنَعَ هَؤُلَاءِ ارْتَدُّوا عَنِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَقَتَلُوا وَسَرَقُوا فَقَالَ عَنْبَسَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ وَاللهِ إِنْ سَمِعْتُ كَالْيَوْمِ قَطُّ قُلْتُ تَرُدُّ عَلَيَّ حَدِيثِي يَا عَنْبَسَةُ؟ فَقَالَ لَا وَلَكِنْ جِئْتَ بِالْحَدِيثِ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ وَاللهِ لَا يَزَالُ هَذَا الْجُنْدُ بِخَيْرٍ مَا عَاشَ هَذَا الشَّيْخُ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِهِمْ قُلْتُ وَقَدْ كَانَ فِي هَذَا سُنَّةٌ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ نَفَرٌ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فَتَحَدَّثُوا عِنْدَهُ فَخَرَجَ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَقُتِلَ فَخَرَجُوا بَعْدَهُ فَإِذَا هُمْ بِصَاحِبِهِمْ يَتَشَحَّطُ فِي الدَّمِ فَرَجَعُوا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ صَاحِبُنَا كَانَ يَتَحَدَّثُ مَعَنَا فَخَرَجَ بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا فَإِذَا نَحْنُ بِهِ يَتَشَحَّطُ فِي الدَّمِ فَخَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ بِمَنْ تَظُنُّونَ أَوْ مَنْ تَرَوْنَ قَتَلَهُ؟ قَالُوا نَرَى أَنَّ الْيَهُودَ قَتَلَتْهُ فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَى الْيَهُودِ فَدَعَاهُمْ فَقَالَ أَنْتُمْ قَتَلْتُمْ هَذَا؟ قَالُوا لَا قَالَ أَتَرْضَوْنَ نَفْلَ خَمْسِينَ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ مَا قَتَلُوهُ؟ فَقَالُوا مَا يُبَالُونَ أَنْ يَقْتُلُونَا أَجْمَعِينَ ثُمَّ يَنْفُلُونَ قَالَ أَفَتَسْتَحِقُّونَ الدِّيَةِ بِأَيْمَانِ خَمْسِينَ مِنْكُمْ؟ قَالُوا مَا كُنَّا لِنَحْلِفَ فَوَدَاهُ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ قُلْتُ وَقَدْ كَانَتْ هُذَيْلٌ خَلَعُوا خَلِيعًا لَهُمْ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَطَرَقَ أَهْلَ بَيْتٍ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ بِالْبَطْحَاءِ فَانْتَبَهَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ فَحَذَفَهُ بِالسَّيْفِ فَقَتَلَهُ فَجَاءَتْ هُذَيْلٌ فَأَخَذُوا الْيَمَانِيَّ فَرَفَعُوهُ إِلَى عُمَرَ ؓ بِالْمَوْسِمِ وَقَالُوا قَتَلَ صَاحِبَنَا فَقَالَ إِنَّهُمْ قَدْ خَلَعُوهُ فَقَالَ يُقْسِمُ خَمْسُونَ مِنْ هُذَيْلٍ مَا خَلَعُوا قَالَ فَأَقْسَمَ مِنْهُمْ تِسْعَةٌ وَأَرْبَعُونَ رَجُلًا وَقَدِمَ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ مِنَ الشَّامِ فَسَأَلُوهُ أَنْ يُقْسِمَ فَافْتَدَى يَمِينَهُ مِنْهُمْ بِأَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ فَأَدْخَلُوا مَكَانَهُ رَجُلًا آخَرَ فَدَفَعَهُ إِلَى أَخِي الْمَقْتُولِ فَقُرِنَتْ يَدُهُ بِيَدِهِ قَالَ فَانْطَلَقَا وَالْخَمْسُونَ الَّذِينَ أَقْسَمُوا حَتَّى إِذَا كَانُوا بِنَخْلَةٍ أَخَذَتْهُمُ السَّمَاءُ فَدَخَلُوا فِي غَارٍ فِي الْجَبَلِ فَانْهَجَمَ الْغَارُ عَلَى الْخَمْسِينَ الَّذِينَ أَقْسَمُوا فَمَاتُوا جَمِيعًا وَأَفْلَتَ الْقَرِينَانِ وَاتَّبَعَهُمَا حَجَرٌ فَكَسَرَ رِجْلَ أَخِي الْمَقْتُولِ فَعَاشَ حَوْلًا ثُمَّ مَاتَ قُلْتُ وَقَدْ كَانَ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ مَرْوَانَ أَقَادَ رَجُلًا بِالْقَسَامَةِ ثُمَّ نَدِمَ بَعْدَمَا صَنَعَ فَأَمَرَ بِالْخَمْسِينَ الَّذِينَ أَقْسَمُوا فَمُحُوا مِنَ الدِّيوَانِ وَسَيَّرَهُمْ إِلَى الشَّامِ