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Seerah / Conquest of Makkah

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"Even if Fatima…" — no favouritism in justice

Date
8 AH · approximate
Location
Madinah / Makkah
People
Usama ibn Zayd (RA), Aisha (RA)

Aisha (RA) narrates in Sahih al-Bukhari that when Usama (RA) interceded for a noblewoman of Makhzum who had stolen, the Prophet ﷺ rebuked him and said nations before were destroyed for exempting the powerful — and that he would apply the law even to his own daughter.

As it was narrated

The story, in the words of those who were there

Read slowly. These are the Companions' own words, from the verified hadith collections.

Hadith
Hadith collection

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها أَنَّ قُرَيْشًا، أَهَمَّهُمْ شَأْنُ الْمَرْأَةِ الْمَخْزُومِيَّةِ الَّتِي سَرَقَتْ، فَقَالَ وَمَنْ يُكَلِّمُ فِيهَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالُوا وَمَنْ يَجْتَرِئُ عَلَيْهِ إِلاَّ أُسَامَةُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، حِبُّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَكَلَّمَهُ أُسَامَةُ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ …

Narrated `Aisha:The people of Quraish worried about the lady from Bani Makhzum who had committed theft. They asked, "Who will intercede for her with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)?" Some said, "No one dare to do so except Usama bin Zaid the beloved one to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ." When Usama spoke about that to Allah's Apostle Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, (to him), "Do you try to intercede for somebody in a case connected with Allah's Prescribed Punishments?" Then he got up and delivered a sermon saying, "What destroyed the nations preceding you, was that if a noble amongst them stole, they would forgive him, and if a poor person amongst them stole, they would inflict Allah's Legal punishment on him. B…

Sahih al-Bukhari · Hadith 3475 · Prophets
Translation: Sahih al-Bukhari — English. Hadith data: fawazahmed0/hadith-api (numbering and gradings as published there).

Grading information unavailable in source data · from a collection regarded as sahih

Open source

Lessons

  • Justice that bends for status is injustice.
  • Sometimes love means refusing a request.

Lessons are editorial reflections drawn from the event and its sources.

Pause for a moment

Which moment of your own life does this remind you of? Sit with it for a minute, then send salawat on the one who lived it ﷺ.

Send salawat ﷺ

Bibliography

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 3475 (Aisha) · primary source
  • Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum (further reading)

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