Volume 5, Book 58, Number 185:
Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas:
The first event of Qasama in the pre-lslamic 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 cara –
van 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 oth –
er 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 em –
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SAHIH BUKHARI VOLUME 5 > BOOK 58: MERITS OF THE HELPERS IN MADINAH (ANSAAR)
ployer 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 has
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 oath-taking 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 ex –
cuse me from taking an oath where 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.