—namely al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah—from the narration of Sulayman ibn Mihran al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Abu Waʾil Shaqiq ibn Salamah, from ʿAbdullah ibn Masʿud, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The very first matter to be adjudicated among people on the Day of Resurrection will be blood-shedding.” (1)
It has already been noted in the ḥadith of the Trumpet that the murdered person will come on the Day of Resurrection with his jugular veins pouring forth blood—and, in some reports, with his head in his hand (2). He will seize the killer, even if the latter was slain in the path of Allah, and will say, “My Lord, ask this man: why did he kill me?” Allah, Exalted be He, will ask, “Why did you kill him?” He will answer, “My Lord, I killed him so that might might be Yours.” Allah, Exalted is He, will reply, “You have spoken the truth.”
But the one who was killed unjustly will say, “My Lord, ask this man: for what reason did he slay me?” Allah will ask, “Why did you kill him?” He will say, “So that might might be mine”—and in another wording: “so that might might belong to so-and-so” (3). Allah, Exalted be He, will then declare, “Perish!” He will exact retaliation from him for everyone he killed unjustly. After that, the murderer will remain under the will of Allah: if He wills, He will punish him, and if He wills, He will show him mercy. This shows that the killer is not necessarily destined for punishment in Hell—[much less to abide therein forever]—as is reported from Ibn ʿAbbas and others among the early generations. Some even quoted him as saying that the murderer has no repentance (4). If this is understood with respect to the rights of human beings—which are not cancelled by repentance—then it is correct; but if it is taken to mean that punishment is inevitable, that is not required, as proven by the ḥadith of the man who killed ninety-nine people, completed one hundred, and then asked a scholar from the Children of Israel whether he had any chance of repentance. The scholar replied, “Who can stand between you and repentance? Go to such-and-such a town, for Allah is worshiped there; worship Allah with its people.” As he set out and reached midway between the town he left and the one he sought, death overtook him. He inclined his chest toward the town to which he was migrating, and the angels of mercy took his soul… the ḥadith in full (5).
Surat al-Furqan contains an explicit text affirming that the murderer’s repentance is accepted, as the Most High says: “Those who do not invoke another god along with Allah, nor kill a soul that Allah has made sacred—except with right—nor commit fornication; and whoever does so shall meet a penalty (68) the punishment will be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated (69) except for those who repent…” (al-Furqan 68-70).
A detailed treatment of this issue is found in the book al-Ahkam; and Allah’s help is sought.
Al-Aʿmash also narrated, from Shamir ibn ʿAtiyyah, from Shahr ibn Hawshab, [from Umm al-Dardaʾ], from Abu al-Dardaʾ, who said: “The slain person will come on the Day of Resurrection and sit upon the main road; when his killer passes by, he will rise toward him—”