Hadithcore
Sahih Muslim, 1498 a
sahih

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Sa'd b. 'Ubada al-Ansari said:

Messenger of Allah, tell me if a man finds his wife with another person, should he kill him? Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: No. Sa'd said: Why not? I swear by Him Who has honored you with the Truth. There upon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Listen to what your chief says.

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ، - يَعْنِي الدَّرَاوَرْدِيَّ - عَنْ سُهَيْلٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ سَعْدَ بْنَ عُبَادَةَ الأَنْصَارِيَّ، قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَرَأَيْتَ الرَّجُلَ يَجِدُ مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ رَجُلاً أَيَقْتُلُهُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ لاَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ سَعْدٌ بَلَى وَالَّذِي أَكْرَمَكَ بِالْحَقِّ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ اسْمَعُوا إِلَى مَا يَقُولُ سَيِّدُكُمْ ‏"‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 19, Hadith 19
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Book 9, Hadith 3569 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
The Shariah has clarified the rulings of marriage between the man and the woman and has explained the rulings of the husband's accusation of his wife for committing adultery without evidence and the consequent practice of Li‘ān, besides other rulings of separation, to protect lineages, repel shame from the spouses, ward off the legally prescribed punishment of Qadhf (false accusation of adultery), and prevent strife and bloodshed. In this Hadīth, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when the following verse was revealed: {As for those who accuse chaste women [of adultery] but fail to produce four witnesses.} [Surat an-Nūr: 4], as mentioned in Musnad Ahmad Collection from the Hadīth of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), and he said: "O Messenger of Allah, what if," i.e., tell me and inform me what is the ruling? "A man finds his wife with another man, should he kill him?" That is to say, and the killer would, thus, be killed by way of legal retribution, or should he go bring four witnesses and he would, thus, escape after fulfilling his need? The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No," i.e., he should not be killed; rather, witnesses should be brought, and the legally prescribed punishment should be inflicted on him; otherwise, the one who is drunk, angry, or jealous would dare to kill then claim that his wife was committing adultery and chaos would, thus, prevail. Sa‘d said: "Yes" and he swore to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) by the God Who honored and privileged him by sending him with the truth and the Shariah that whoever sees this happening to his wife will be overcome by anger and jealousy and will, thus, strike him with the sword. This was not meant as an objection to the Prophet's words; rather, it was said out of jealousy and seeking the concession to kill the adulterer when caught red-handed. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said in wonder: "Listen to what your master is saying!" Master: the chief and leader, as Sa‘d was the master of the Khazraj from the Ansār. This means: Look at his jealousy! The end of Muslim's version reads: "Indeed, he is jealous, and I am more jealous than he is, and Allah is more jealous than I am," i.e., the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) lauded Sa‘d's feeling of jealousy and clarified that it is from the attributes of the honorable and the eminent. The explanation of the jealousy of Allah Almighty was mentioned in the two Sahīh Collections: "The jealousy of Allah is when the believer commits what Allah has prohibited." Despite the great significance of this matter - a man seeing his wife with a strange man - and its gravity, a Muslim is required to abide by the commands of Allah Almighty and His prohibitions, even if they contradict his opinion and personal desires. Had this matter been left to the likes of what Sa‘d had said, the consequent evil would have been much graver and it would have paved the way for false accusations and other evil consequences. The Hadīth shows that jealousy and chivalry must not prevent one from carrying out Allah's commands and executing His prescribed punishments. It points out the necessity of having witnesses in adultery cases..
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