The Office of the Judge (Kitab Al-Aqdiyah)

Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: He who has been appointed a judge has been killed without a knife.

Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: He who has been appointed a judge among the people has been killed without a knife.

Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib: 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.

Narrated Buraidah: The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: "Judges are of three types, one of who 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 judgement accordingly; by a man who knows what is right and acts tyrannically in his judgement will go to Hell; and a man who gives judgement for people when he is ignorant will go to Hell."Abu Dawud said: On this subject this is the soundest tradition, that is m the tradition of Ibn Buraidah: Judges are of three types.

Narrated AbuHurayrah: 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.

Ibn 'Abbas said: "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.

AbdurRahman ibn Bishr al-Ansari al-Azraq said: Two men from the locality of Kindah came while AbuMas'ud al-Ansari was sitting n a circle. They said: Is there any man who decides between us. A man from the circle said: I, AbuMas'ud took a handful of pebbles and threw at him, saying: Hush! It is disapproved to make haste in decision.

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone desires the office of Judge and seeks help for it, he will be left to his own devices; if anyone does not desire it, nor does he seek help for it, Allah will send down an angel who will direct him aright.Waki' said: (This tradition has also been transmitted) by Isra'il, from 'Abd al-A'la, from Bilal bin Abi Musa, from Anas, from the Prophet (ﷺ).Abu 'Awanah said: from 'Abd al-A'la, from Bilal bin Mirdas al-Fazari, from Khaithamah al-Basri from Anas.

Abu Buradah reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: "We will never employ or we shall not employ (the narrator is doubtful) in our work one who wants it."

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) cursed the one who bribes and the one who takes bribe.

Narrated Adi ibn Umayrah al-Kindi: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: O people, if any of you is put in an administrative post on our behalf and conceals from us a needle or more, he is acting unfaithfully, and will bring it on the Day of Resurrection. A black man from the Ansar, as if I am seeing him, stood and said: Messenger of Allah, take back from me my post. He asked: What is that? He replied: I heard you say such and such. He said: And I say that. If we appoint anyone to an office, he must bring what is connected with it, both little and much. What he is given, he may take, and he must refrain from what is kept away from him.

Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent me to the Yemen as judge, and I asked: Messenger of Allah, are you sending me when I am young and have no knowledge of the duties of a judge? He replied: Allah will guide your heart and keep your tongue true. When two litigants sit in front of you, do not decide till you hear what the other has to say as you heard what the first had to say; for it is best that you should have a clear idea of the best decision. He said: I had been a judge (for long); or he said (the narrator is doubtful): I have no doubts about a decision afterwards.

Umm Salamah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: "I am only a human being, and you bring your disputes to me, some perhaps being more eloquent in their plea than others, so that I give judgement on their behalf according to what I hear from them. Therefore, whatever I decide for anyone which by right belongs to his brother, he must not take anything, for I am granting him only a portion of Hell.

Umm Salamah said: Two men came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who were disputing over their inheritance. They had no evidence except their claim. The Prophet (ﷺ) then said in a similar way. Thereupon both the men wept and each of them said: This right of mine go to you. The Prophet (ﷺ) then said: Now you have done whatever you have done ; do divide it up, aiming at what is right, then drew lots, and let each of you consider the other to have what is legitimately his"

Umm Salamah reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying when two men were disputing over inheritance and old things: I decide between you on the basis of my opinion in cases about which no revelation has been sent down to me.

Narrated Umar ibn al-Khattab: Umar said while he was (sitting) on the pulpit: O people, the opinion from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was right, because Allah showed (i.e. inspired) him; but from us it is sheer conjecture and artifice.

Mu'adh bin Mu'adh said: Abu 'Uthman al-Shami, whose name is Hariz bin 'Uthman, told me. I think I did not see anyone from Syria better than him.

Narrated Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave the decision that the two adversaries should be made to sit in front of the judge.

'Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Bakrah reported on the authority of his father that he wrote to his son: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: A judge should not decide between the two while he is in anger.

Ibn 'Abbas said: The Qur'anic verse: "If they do come to thee, either judge between them, or decline to interfere" was abrogated by the verse: "So judge between them by what Allah hath revealed."

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: When this verse was revealed: "If they do come to thee, either judge between them, or decline to interfere....If thou judge, judge in equity between them." Banu an-Nadir used to pay half blood-money if they killed any-one from Banu Qurayzah. When Banu Qurayzah killed anyone from Banu an-Nadir, they would pay full blood-money. So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) made it equal between them.

Some companions of Mu'adh ibn Jabal said: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) intended to send Mu'adh ibn Jabal to the Yemen, he asked: How will you judge when the occasion of deciding a case arises? He replied: I shall judge in accordance with Allah's Book. He asked: (What will you do) if you do not find any guidance in Allah's Book? He replied: (I shall act) in accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He asked: (What will you do) if you do not find any guidance in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and in Allah's Book? He replied: I shall do my best to form an opinion and I shall spare no effort. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then patted him on the breast and said: Praise be to Allah Who has helped the messenger of the Messenger of Allah to find something which pleases the Messenger of Allah.

Mu'adh bin Jabal said that when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent him to the Yemen... He then narrated the rest of the tradition to the same effect.

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Conciliation between Muslims is permissible. The narrator Ahmad added in his version: "except the conciliation which makes lawful unlawful and unlawful lawful." Sulayman ibn Dawud added: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Muslims are on (i.e. stick to) their conditions.

Ka'b bin Malik said that in the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) he made demand in the mosque for payment of a debt due to him from Ibn Abi Hadrad, and their voices rose till the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who was in his house, heard them. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then went out to them and, removing the curtain of his apartment, he called to Ka'b bin Malik, addressing: "Ka'b!" He said: "At your service, Messenger of Allah." Thereupon he made a gesture with is hand indicating: Remit half the debt due to you. Ka'b said: "I shall do so, Messenger of Allah." The Prophet (ﷺ) then said: "Get up and discharge"

Zaid bin Khalid al-Juhani reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: "Shall I not tell you of the best witnesses ? He is the one who produces his deposition or gives his evidence (the narrator is doubtful) before he is asked for it." 'Abd Allah bin Abi Bakr dobted which of them he said.Abu Dawud said: Malis said: This refers to a man gives his evidence, but he does not know for whom it is meant. Al-Hamdani said: "He should inform the authorities. Ibn al-Sarh said: "He should give it to the ruler. The work ikhbar (inform) occurs in the version of al-Hamdani." Ibn al-Sarh said: "Ibn Abi 'Amrah and not 'Abd al-Rahman."

Yahya ibn Rashid said: We were sitting waiting for Abdullah ibn Umar who came out to us and sat. He then said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone's intercession intervenes as an obstacle to one of the punishments prescribed by Allah, he has opposed Allah; if anyone disputes knowingly about something which is false, he remains in the displeasure of Allah till he desists, and if anyone makes an untruthful accusation against a Muslim, he will be made by Allah to dwell in the corrupt fluid flowing from the inhabitants of Hell till he retracts his statement.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Ibn 'Umar from the Prophet (ﷺ) through different chain of narrators to the same effect. In this version he also said: "He who assits in a dispute unjustly deserves the anger of Allah, Most High.

Narrated Khuraym Ibn Fatik: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) offered the morning prayer. When he finished it, he stood up and said three times: False witness has been made equivalent to attributing a partner to Allah. He then recited: "So avoid the abomination of idols and avoid speaking falsehood as people pure of faith to Allah, not associating anything with Him.

'Amr bin Shu'aib on his father's authority told that his grandfather said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) rejected the testimony of a deceitful man and woman, of one who harbours rancour against his brother, and he rejected the testimony of one who is dependent on a family, and he allowed his testimony for other.Abu Dawud said: Ghimr means malice and enimity ; qani (dependant), a subordinate servant like a special servant.