767 – Saʿid ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever appropriates even a handspan of land wrongfully, Allah will fasten it around his neck on the Day of Resurrection, stretched from seven earths.” Agreed upon. (1)

Vocabulary of the ḥadith

• iqtaṭaʿ: to take a portion of another person’s land, no matter how small.
• shibr (span): the distance between the tips of the little finger and the thumb when the hand is splayed; it is grammatically masculine, plural ashbār.
• ẓulman (wrongfully): an adverb describing the doer of iqtaṭaʿ. Linguistically, ẓulm is injustice or transgression—overstepping the proper limit; legally, it is to place something where the Law has not placed it, including disposing of another’s property without permission.
• ṭawwaqahu Allah (Allah will encircle him): Allah will turn those layers of earth into a collar that surrounds his neck like an iron yoke.
• arḍīn (earths): plural of arḍ (earth); the rāʾ may be pronounced with a fatḥa or left quiescent.

Lessons derived from the ḥadith

1. Allah the Exalted and His Messenger ﷺ have greatly magnified human rights. The Almighty says, “And do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly” (Qur’an 2:188). The Prophet ﷺ said, “Your blood and your property are sacrosanct among you” (Muslim 1218). It is therefore unlawful for anyone to take anything from another person except with the owner’s willing consent.
2. Accordingly, the Prophet ﷺ informed us that whoever seizes even a handspan of land will have a collar made for him from seven earths, each portion allotted to him.