and ninety people. Then he went out seeking guidance and came to a monk, whom he asked, “Is there repentance for me?” He replied, “No.” So he killed him, thereby completing one hundred. Then a man said to him, “Go to such-and-such a town.” But death overtook him, and he turned his chest toward it. The angels of mercy and the angels of punishment disputed over him. Allah Most High commanded one land, “Come closer,” and the other, “Move farther away,” and said, “Measure the distance between them.” He was found to be closer to this one by a handspan, and so he was forgiven.” (1)

Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj also narrated it from Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna al-Anbari, 107/b, from Mu'adh ibn Hisham, from his father, from Qatadah, with this chain of transmission. He said: “He was directed to a monk, so he came to him and said, ‘I have killed ninety-nine people. Is there repentance for me?’ He replied, ‘No.’ So he killed him, completing one hundred. Then he asked for the most learned person on earth, and he was directed to a learned man. He said to him, ‘I have killed one hundred people. Is there repentance for me?’ He replied, ‘Yes. Who could stand between him and repentance? Go to such-and-such a land, for there are people there who worship Allah; so worship Allah with them, and do not return to your land, for it is an evil land.’ He set out, and when he had reached the middle of the journey, death came to him. The angels of mercy and the angels of punishment disputed over him. Then an angel in human form came to them, and they appointed him to judge between them. He said, ‘Measure the distance between the two lands: whichever one he is nearer to, he belongs to it.’ They measured and found him nearer to the land he had intended, so the angels of mercy took his soul.” (2)

Abu al-Hasan al-Sarakhsi informed us; Zahir ibn Ahmad informed us; Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Abd al-Samad al-Hashimi informed us; Abu Mus'ab informed us, from Malik, from Abu al-Zinad, from al-A'raj, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “A man who had never done any good at all said to his family, when he died, ‘Burn me, then scatter half of me over the land and half in the sea. By Allah, if Allah has power over him, He will certainly punish him with a punishment unlike that inflicted on anyone in all the worlds.’ When he died, they did as he had commanded them. Allah then commanded the sea, and it gathered what was in it; and He commanded the land, and it gathered what was in it. Then He said to him, ‘Why did you do this?’ He replied, ‘Out of fear of You, my Lord—and You know best.’ So He forgave him.” (3)

Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Tawbah informed us; Abu Tahir Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Harith informed us; Abu al-Husayn Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kisa'i informed us; Abdullah ibn Mahmud informed us; Ibrahim ibn Abdullah al-Khallal informed us; Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak narrated to us, from Ikrimah ibn Ammar; Damdam ibn Jawsa narrated to us, saying: I entered the mosque of Madinah, and an old man called out to me, saying, “O Yemeni, come here!” I did not know him. He said, “Never say to a man, ‘By Allah, Allah will never forgive you, nor will Allah admit you into Paradise.’” I said, “Who are you, may Allah have mercy on you?” He replied, “Abu Hurayrah.” I said: