Sahih Muslim Hadith 7008 – The Acceptance Of

English

[7008] 46 – (2766) It was [V- -A] narrated from Abü Sa'eed Al- , Khudri that the Prophet of Allah said: "Among those who came :U —'I before you there was a man who killed ninety-nine people, then he asked who the most knowledgeable man on earth was, and he was directed to a monk. He went to him and told him that he had killed ninety-nine people; could he repent? The monk said no, so he killed him, thus completing one hundred. Then he asked who the most knowledgeable man on earth was, and he was directed to a man of knowledge, and said that he had killed one hundred people; could he repent? He said: 'Yes, who could stand between him and repentance? Go to such and such a land, for therein there are people who worship Allah, so go and worship Allah with them, and do not go back to your own land for it is a bad land.' So he set out, then when he was halfway there, death came upon him. The Angels of mercy and the Angels of torment disputed over him. The Angels of mercy said: 'He came repenting and turning whole-heartedly towards Allah.' The Angels of torment said: 'He never did anything good.' Then an angel in the form of a man came to them and they appointed him (to decide) between them. He said: 'Measure the distance between the two lands, and whichever is closer, that is where he belongs.' So they measured it and they found that he was closer to the land that he was heading for, so the Angels of mercy took him." Qatâdah said: "Al-Hasan said: 'We were told that when death came to him, he leaned forward (towards the land he was heading for)."