None of you should point a weapon at his brother, for he does not know; perhaps the devil causes his hand to slip, and then he falls into a pit of the Fire

Arabic text

عَن أَبي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «لاَ يُشِيرُ أَحَدُكُمْ عَلَى أَخِيهِ بِالسِّلاَحِ، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَدْرِي، لَعَلَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَنْزِعُ فِي يَدِهِ، فَيَقَعُ فِي حُفْرَةٍ مِنَ النَّارِ».

Translation

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "None of you should point a weapon at his brother, for he does not know; perhaps the devil causes his hand to slip, and then he falls into a pit of the Fire."

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned that a Muslim should not point any type of weapon at his fellow Muslim, as he does not know; perhaps the devil incites him to move the weapon in his hand, thus, will kill or harm his brother. This would result in committing a sin that would cause him to fall into a pit of the Fire.

Benefits

• Clarifying the inviolability of a Muslim's life.
• It is obligatory to respect a Muslim and to avoid causing him harm through actions or words, including pointing a piece of iron or a weapon at him, even if jokingly; for the devil may cause his hand to slip and incite him to strike his brother, or take the weapon from his hand and, thus, cause it to happen unintentionally and harm his brother.
• Blocking the means by prohibiting whatever leads to a forbidden outcome.
• Keenness on keeping society safe and preserving relationships among the people, avoiding intimidating or frightening them, even through gestures or threats.

Topics

• Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles
• Crimes