What is the meaning of the hadith, “Expel the mushrikin from the Arabian Peninsula”?
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Question:
May Allah reward you with good, benefit us with your knowledge, and bless you. He says: Honorable Shaykh, we ask you to clarify the meaning of the hadithSunan Abi Dawud 3029Sahih (Al-Albani). It is known that some people cite this hadith as a justification for killing disbelievers?
Answer:
The hadith is about the expulsion of the Jews and the Christians; it is not about the mushrikin in general.Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1606Sahih (Darussalam) This is an address to those in authority, not to every individual. It is the one in authority who expels them if he is able to do so, just as 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) expelled them during his caliphate when Islam had become strong, spread, and the Muslims had grown powerful.
He carried out the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). As for ordinary people, this is not within their authority. They do not have the right to expel anyone; rather, this is for the one in authority, who executes it if he sees the public benefit in it and sees that he has the capability to do so. Also, those who claim to derive evidence from this hadith to kill…
…kill the musta'min (non-Muslims granted safe conduct) and kill those under treaty. The Messenger did not say, “Kill them”; he said, “Expel them,” and he did not say, “Kill them,” because killing them is a betrayal and carries a severe warning, for their blood is inviolable and their wealth is inviolable, just as the blood and wealth of Muslims are. He said (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 3166 Sunan Ibn Majah 2686Sahih (Darussalam). And Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He), when He mentioned accidental killing, said: [An-Nisa 4:92], meaning a covenant and safety. [An-Nisa 4:92] Thus, He made the killing of a disbeliever under treaty like the killing of a Muslim: it is an error for which blood money and expiation are obligatory. It is not permissible to kill them; rather, their expulsion is by the hand of the ruler and the one in authority.
May Allah reward you with good, benefit us with your knowledge, and bless you. He says: Honorable Shaykh, we ask you to clarify the meaning of the hadith
Expel the polytheists from Arabia
أخرجوا المشركين من جزيرة العربAnswer:
The hadith is about the expulsion of the Jews and the Christians; it is not about the mushrikin in general.
the Jews and the Christians from the Arabian Peninsula
اليهود والنصارى من جزيرة العربHe carried out the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). As for ordinary people, this is not within their authority. They do not have the right to expel anyone; rather, this is for the one in authority, who executes it if he sees the public benefit in it and sees that he has the capability to do so. Also, those who claim to derive evidence from this hadith to kill…
…kill the musta'min (non-Muslims granted safe conduct) and kill those under treaty. The Messenger did not say, “Kill them”; he said, “Expel them,” and he did not say, “Kill them,” because killing them is a betrayal and carries a severe warning, for their blood is inviolable and their wealth is inviolable, just as the blood and wealth of Muslims are. He said (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whoever killed a person having a treaty with the Muslims, shall not smell the smell of Paradise
من قتل معاهدا لم يرح رائحه الجنهeven though its fragrance may be detected from a distance of forty years
وان ريحها ليوجد من مسيره اربعينAnd whoever kills a believer by mistake - then the freeing of a believing slave and a compensation payment presented to the deceased's family [is required] unless they give [up their right as] charity. But if the deceased was from a people at war with you and he was a believer - then [only] the freeing of a believing slave; and if he was from a people with whom you have a treaty
وَمَن قَتَلَ مُؤْمِنًا خَطَأً فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مُّؤْمِنَةٍ وَدِيَةٌ مُّسَلَّمَةٌ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِ إِلَّا أَن يَصَّدَّقُوا فَإِن كَانَ مِن قَوْمٍ عَدُوٍّ لَّكُمْ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مُّؤْمِنَةٍ وَإِن كَانَ مِن قَوْمٍ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُم مِّيثَاقٌand if he was from a people with whom you have a treaty - then a compensation payment presented to his family and the freeing of a believing slave
وَإِن كَانَ مِن قَوْمٍ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُم مِّيثَاقٌ فَدِيَةٌ مُّسَلَّمَةٌ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِ وَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مُّؤْمِنَةٍ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما معنى حديث «أخرجوا المشركين من جزيرة العرب»؟ للشيخ الفوزان — youtube.com (0:14)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.