What is the source of the Hadith, and is it authentic?
Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) informed us:
“A man from the previous Ummah killed ninety nine (99) people before making tawbah and the Angels stretched out the earth for him just so he could enter Jannah”
Answer:
Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim (rahimahumallah) have recorded this narration. The Hadith is therefore authentic.
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith: 3470, Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 2766)
The full narration as appears in Sahih Bukhari is as follows:
“There was a man from the Bani Israel who had killed ninety nine people. Then he decided to go out inquiring about [repentance]. He went to a monk and asked him, ‘Is there any repentance?’ He said, ‘No,’ so he killed him. He continued to ask and someone said to him, ‘Go to such and such a town.’ Death overtook him en route. The Angels of mercy and the Angels of punishment argued [regarding who should extract his soul]. Allah revealed to this village [the village he was headed to, to repent] to come near and that village to go further from him. He said, ‘Measure the distance between them, and he was a hand-span nearer to this village, and so he was forgiven”
Imam Muslim (rahimahullah) has recorded a more detailed version.
And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.
Answered by: Moulana Suhail Motala
Approved by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar
Checked by: Moulana Haroon Abasoomar