Sahih al-Bukhari 3845

Hadith text

Narrated Ibn `Abbas:The first event of Qasama in the pre-Islamic period of ignorance was practiced by us (i.e. Banu Hashim). A man from Banu Hashim was employed by a Quraishi man from another branch-family. The (Hashimi) laborer set out with the Quraishi driving his camels. There passed by him another man from Banu Hashim. The leather rope of the latter's bag had broken so he said to the laborer, "Will you help me by giving me a rope in order to tie the handle of my bag lest the camels should run away from me?" The laborer gave him a rope and the latter tied his bag with it. When the caravan halted, all the camels' legs were tied with their fetters except one camel. The employer asked the laborer, "Why, from among all the camels has this camel not been fettered?" He replied, "There is no fetter for it." The Quraishi asked, "Where is its fetter?" and hit the laborer with a stick that caused his death (later on Just before his death) a man from Yemen passed by him. The laborer asked (him), "Will you go for the pilgrimage?" He replied, "I do not think I will attend it, but perhaps I will attend it." The (Hashimi) laborer said, "Will you please convey a message for me once in your life?" The other man said, "yes." The laborer wrote: 'When you attend the pilgrimage, call the family of Quraish, and if they respond to you, call the family of Banu Hashim, and if they respond to you, ask about Abu Talib and tell him that so-and-so has killed me for a fetter." Then the laborer expired. When the employer reached (Mecca), Abu Talib visited him and asked, "What has happened to our companion?" He said, "He became ill and I looked after him nicely (but he died) and I buried him." Then Abu Talib said, "The deceased deserved this from you." After some time, the messenger whom the laborer had asked to convey the message, reached during the pilgrimage season. He called, "O the family of Quraish!" The people replied, "This is Quraish." Then he called, "O the family of Banu Hashim!" Again the people replied, "This is Banu Hashim." He asked, "Who is Abu Talib?" The people replied, "This is Abu Talib." He said, "'So-and-so has asked me to convey a message to you that so-and-so has killed him for a fetter (of a camel)." Then Abu Talib went to the (Quraishi) killer and said to him, "Choose one of three alternatives: (i) If you wish, give us one-hundred camels because you have murdered our companion, (ii) or if you wish, fifty of your men should take an oath that you have not murdered our companion, and if you do not accept this, (iii) we will kill you in Qisas." The killer went to his people and they said, "We will take an oath." Then a woman from Banu Hashim who was married to one of them (i.e.the Quraishis) and had given birth to a child from him, came to Abu Talib and said, "O Abu Talib! I wish that my son from among the fifty men, should be excused from this oath, and that he should not take the oath where the oathtaking is carried on." Abu Talib excused him. Then another man from them came (to Abu Talib) and said, "O Abu Talib! You want fifty persons to take an oath instead of giving a hundred camels, and that means each man has to give two camels (in case he does not take an oath). So there are two camels I would like you to accept from me and excuse me from taking an oath when the oaths are taken. Abu Talib accepted them from him. Then 48 men came and took the oath. Ibn `Abbas further said: By Him in Whose Hand my life is, before the end of that year, none of those 48 persons remained alive

Ibn Abbas bataate hain: Qasama (yaani ek qasam-aadharit nyaya-prakriya) ki pahli ghatna jahiliyat ke daur mein humare (yaani Banu Hashim ke) dwaara ki gaee thi. Banu Hashim ke ek shaks ko Quraish ki ek doosri shaakha ke ek shaks ne mazdoori par rakha. (Hashimi) mazdoor Quraishi ke saath unke unton ko hankate huye nikla. Wahaan se Banu Hashim ka ek doosra shaks guzra. Uski thaili ki chamde ki rassi toot gaee thi, isliye usne mazdoor se kaha, "Kya tum mujhe ek rassi dekar madad karoge taake main apni thaili ka handle baandh sakun, kahin unt mujhse bhaag na jaen?" Mazdoor ne unhe ek rassi di aur usne apni thaili usse baandhi. Jab caravan ruka, sab unton ke paanv unke bandhan se baandhe gaye siwaye ek unt ke. Malik ne mazdoor se pucha, "Sab unton mein se yeh unt kyun nahi baandha gaya?" Usne jawab diya, "Iske liye koi bandhan nahi hai." Quraishi ne pucha, "Iska bandhan kahaan hai?" aur mazdoor ko ek lakdi se maara jisse uski maut ho gaee (baad mein, maut se pahle) Yemen ka ek shaks unke paas se guzra. Mazdoor ne (unse) pucha, "Kya aap Hajj karne jaenge?" Usne jawab diya, "Mujhe nahi lagta main us mein shaamil hounga, magar shaayad main shaamil ho jaaun." (Hashimi) mazdoor ne kaha, "Kya aap kripya apni zindagi mein ek baar mera ek paighaam pahunchaenge?" Doosre shaks ne kaha, "Haan." Mazdoor ne likha: 'Jab aap Hajj mein shaamil hon, Quraish ke pariwara ko bulaiye, aur agar woh aapko jawab den, Banu Hashim ke pariwara ko bulaiye, aur agar woh aapko jawab den, Abu Talib ke baare mein puchiye aur unhe bataiye ke falaan-falaan ne mujhe ek bandhan ke liye qatl kiya hai." Phir mazdoor ka intiqal ho gaya. Jab malik (Mecca) pahuncha, Abu Talib unse milne gaye aur pucha, "Humare sathi ko kya hua?" Usne kaha, "Woh bimar pad gaye aur maine unki achhi dekhbhaal ki (magar unka intiqal ho gaya) aur maine unhe dafanaya." Phir Abu Talib ne kaha, "Marne wale ko yeh tumse milna hi tha." Kuch waqt baad, jis sandeshvaahak se mazdoor ne apna paighaam pahunchane ko kaha tha, woh Hajj ke mausam ke dauran pahuncha. Usne pukara, "Aye Quraish ke pariwara!" Logon ne jawab diya, "Yeh Quraish hai." Phir usne pukara, "Aye Banu Hashim ke pariwara!" Phir logon ne jawab diya, "Yeh Banu Hashim hai." Usne pucha, "Abu Talib kaun hain?" Logon ne jawab diya, "Yeh Abu Talib hain." Usne kaha, "Falaan-falaan ne mujhe aapko ek paighaam pahunchane ko kaha hai ke falaan-falaan ne unhe ek (unt ke) bandhan ke liye qatl kiya hai." Phir Abu Talib (Quraishi) qaatil ke paas gaye aur unse kaha, "Teen vikalpon mein se ek chuniye: (i) Agar aap chahen, humein sau unt dijiye kyunke aapne humare sathi ko qatl kiya hai, (ii) ya agar aap chahen, aapke pachaas log qasam khaen ke aapne humare sathi ko qatl nahi kiya, aur agar aap yeh qubool nahi karte, (iii) hum aapko Qisas mein qatl kar denge." Qaatil apni qaum ke paas gaya aur unhone kaha, "Hum qasam lenge." Phir Banu Hashim ki ek aurat jiski shaadi unmein se ek (yaani Quraishi) se hui thi aur uska ek bachcha bhi tha, Abu Talib ke paas aee aur kaha, "Aye Abu Talib! Main chahti hoon ke mera beta un pachaas logon mein se is qasam se bacha liya jaaye, aur woh us jagah qasam na le jahaan qasam li ja rahi hai." Abu Talib ne unhe chhoot di. Phir unmein se ek doosra shaks (Abu Talib ke paas) aaya aur kaha, "Aye Abu Talib! Aap chahte hain pachaas log qasam len sau unt dene ki jagah, iska matlab hai har shaks ko do unt dene honge (agar woh qasam nahi leta). Isliye mere paas do unt hain jo main chahta hoon aap mujhse qubool karen aur mujhe qasam lene se chhoot den jab qasam li jaaye." Abu Talib ne unhe unse qubool kiya. Phir 48 log aaye aur qasam li. Ibn Abbas ne aage kaha: Us Zaat ki qasam jiske haath mein meri zindagi hai, us saal ke khatam hone se pahle, un 48 logon mein se koi bhi zinda nahi bacha.

Sahih al-Bukhari 3845 · Book 63, Hadith 70