حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ بْنُ نَجْدَةَ حَدَّثَنَا بَقِيَّةُ حَدَّثَنَا صَفْوَانُ حَدَّثَنَا أَزْهَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْحَرَازِيُّ أَنَّ قَوْمًا مِنْ الْکَلَاعِيِّينَ سُرِقَ لَهُمْ مَتَاعٌ فَاتَّهَمُوا أُنَاسًا مِنْ الْحَاکَةِ فَأَتَوْا النُّعْمَانَ بْنَ بَشِيرٍ صَاحِبَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَحَبَسَهُمْ أَيَّامًا ثُمَّ خَلَّی سَبِيلَهُمْ فَأَتَوْا النُّعْمَانَ فَقَالُوا خَلَّيْتَ سَبِيلَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ ضَرْبٍ وَلَا امْتِحَانٍ فَقَالَ النُّعْمَانُ مَا شِئْتُمْ إِنْ شِئْتُمْ أَنْ أَضْرِبَهُمْ فَإِنْ خَرَجَ مَتَاعُکُمْ فَذَاکَ وَإِلَّا أَخَذْتُ مِنْ ظُهُورِکُمْ مِثْلَ مَا أَخَذْتُ مِنْ ظُهُورِهِمْ فَقَالُوا هَذَا حُکْمُکَ فَقَالَ هَذَا حُکْمُ اللَّهِ وَحُکْمُ رَسُولِهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُد إِنَّمَا أَرْهَبَهُمْ بِهَذَا الْقَوْلِ أَيْ لَا يَجِبُ الضَّرْبُ إِلَّا بَعْدَ الِاعْتِرَافِ
سنن ابودوٗد · Hadith 4382
Azhar ibn Abdullah al-Harari said: Some goods of the people of Kila' were stolen. They accused some men of the weavers (of theft). They came to an-Numan ibn Bashir, the companion of the Prophet ﷺ. He confined them for some days and then set them free. They came to an-Numan and said: You have set them free without beating and investigation. An-Numan said: What do you want? You want me to beat them. If your goods are found with them, then it is all right; otherwise, I shall take (retaliation) from your back as I have taken from their backs. They asked: Is this your decision? He said: This is the decision of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. Abu Dawud said: By this statement he frightened them ; that is, beating is not necessary except after acknowledgement.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020