Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.

قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: {إِلَّا الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ} [النساء: 98]

nasai-kubra:11054Zakariyyā b. Yaḥyá > Isḥāq > al-Muqriʾ > Ḥaywah b. Shurayḥ > Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Raḥman

An army unit was being recruited from the people of Medina and my name was written among them. Then I met ʿIkrima, and when I informed him about it, he discouraged me very strongly and said, "Ibn ʿAbbas told me that there were some Muslims who were with the pagans to increase their number against Messenger of Allah ﷺ (and the Muslim army) so arrows (from the Muslim army) would hit one of them and kill him or a Muslim would strike him (with his sword) and kill him. So Allah revealed:-- 'Verily! As for those whom the angels take (in death) while they are wronging themselves (by staying among the disbelievers).' (4.97) (Using translation from Bukhārī 7085)   

الكبرى للنسائي:١١٠٥٤أَخْبَرَنَا زَكَرِيَّا بْنُ يَحْيَى حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ حَدَّثَنَا الْمُقْرِئُ حَدَّثَنَا حَيْوَةُ بْنُ شُرَيْحٍ أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ قَالَ

قُطِعَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ بَعْثٌ إِلَى الْيَمَنِ فَاكْتُتِبْتُ فِيهِ فَلَقِيتَ عِكْرِمَةَ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَنَهَانِي عَنْ ذَلِكَ أَشَدَّ النَّهْيِ وَقَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّ نَاسًا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَانُوا مَعَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ يُكَثِّرُونَ سَوَادَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَيَأْتِي أَحَدُهُمُ السَّهْمُ يُرْمَى بِهِ فَيُصِيبُهُ فَيَقْتُلُهُ أَوْ يُضْرَبُ فَيُقْتَلُ فَنَزَلَتِ {الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا فِيمَ كُنْتُمْ قَالُوا كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ} [النساء 97] الْآيَةُ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Bayhaqī
bukhari:7085ʿAbdullāh b. Yazīd > Ḥaywah And Ghayruh > Abū al-Aswad > al-Layth > Abū al-Aswad

An army unit was being recruited from the people of Medina and my name was written among them. Then I met ʿIkrima, and when I informed him about it, he discouraged me very strongly and said, "Ibn ʿAbbas told me that there were some Muslims who were with the pagans to increase their number against Messenger of Allah ﷺ (and the Muslim army) so arrows (from the Muslim army) would hit one of them and kill him or a Muslim would strike him (with his sword) and kill him. So Allah revealed:-- 'Verily! As for those whom the angels take (in death) while they are wronging themselves (by staying among the disbelievers).' (4.97)  

البخاري:٧٠٨٥حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يَزِيدَ حَدَّثَنَا حَيْوَةُ وَغَيْرُهُ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الأَسْوَدِ وَقَالَ اللَّيْثُ عَنْ أَبِي الأَسْوَدِ قَالَ

قُطِعَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ بَعْثٌ فَاكْتُتِبْتُ فِيهِ فَلَقِيتُ عِكْرِمَةَ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَنَهَانِي أَشَدَّ النَّهْىِ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّ أُنَاسًا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَانُوا مَعَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ يُكَثِّرُونَ سَوَادَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَيَأْتِي السَّهْمُ فَيُرْمَى فَيُصِيبُ أَحَدَهُمْ فَيَقْتُلُهُ أَوْ يَضْرِبُهُ فَيَقْتُلُهُ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى {إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ}  

bayhaqi:17749Abū ʿAbdullāh al-Ḥāfiẓ > Abū Bakr Muḥammad b. ʿAbdullāh al-Shāfiʿī > Muḥammad b. Maslamah al-Wāsiṭī > ʿAbdullāh b. Yazīd al-Muqriʾ > Ḥaywah And a man > Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Nawfal al-Asadī > Quṭiʿ > Ahl al-Madīnah Baʿth Liyanhab Fīh Falaqīt ʿIkrimah a freed slave of Ibn ʿAbbās Fanahānī Ashad al-Nahy Thum > Ibn ʿAbbās

[Machine] Some of the Muslims used to be with the polytheists and increase the harm against the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ . They would throw arrows and hit one of them, killing him or causing him injury. So Allah, exalted be He, revealed this verse about them: "Indeed, those whom the angels take [in death] while wronging themselves, [the angels] will say, 'In what [condition] were you?' They will say, 'We were oppressed in the land.' The angels will say, 'Was not the earth of Allah spacious [enough] for you to emigrate therein?' For those, their refuge is Hell - and evil it is as a destination." [Quran 4:97]  

البيهقي:١٧٧٤٩أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ ثنا أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ الشَّافِعِيُّ ثنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ الْوَاسِطِيُّ ثنا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ يَزِيدَ الْمُقْرِئُ ثنا حَيْوَةُ وَرَجُلٌ قَالَا ثنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ نَوْفَلٍ الْأَسَدِيُّ قَالَ قُطِعَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ بَعْثٌ لِيَنْهَبَ فِيهِ فَلَقِيتُ عِكْرِمَةَ مَوْلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فَنَهَانِي أَشَدَّ النَّهْيِ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ أَنَّ

نَاسًا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَانُوا مَعَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ يُكَثِّرُونَ سَوَادَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَيَأْتِي السَّهْمُ يُرْمَى بِهِ فَيُصِيبُ أَحَدَهُمْ فَيَقْتُلُهُ أَوْ يُضْرَبُ فَيُقْتَلُ فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ تَعَالَى ذِكْرَهُ فِيهِمْ {إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا فِيمَ كُنْتُمْ قَالُوا كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ قَالُوا أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوا فِيهَا فَأُولَئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيرًا} [النساء 97]  

رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ فِي الصَّحِيحِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ الْمُقْرِئِ