Chapter: The prohibition of pointing a weapon—or anything comparable—at a fellow Muslim, whether in earnest or in jest, and of handling a sword while it is unsheathed.

1783 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) related that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “None of you is to point a weapon at his brother, for he does not know: perhaps Satan will cause his hand to slip, and he will fall into a pit of the Fire.” Agreed upon.

In another wording recorded by Muslim, Abu al-Qāsim (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Whoever points a piece of iron at his brother, the angels continue to curse him until he puts it down, even if the brother is his full sibling.”

Concerning the word yanzaʿu in the hadith: it is read either with the undotted ʿayn and a kasrah on the zāʾ, or with the dotted ghayn and a fatḥah. The two readings are close in meaning. With the ʿayn it means “to strike,” and with the ghayn it likewise means “to strike and to corrupt.” The root originally conveys stabbing and causing harm.

1784 – Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade handling a sword while it is unsheathed.”

Related by Abu Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī, who graded it ḥasan (sound).