Riyāḍ uṣ-Ṣāliḥīn · Chapter 350 of 372
Undesirability of Intercession in Hudud
The Book of the Prohibited Actions – Chapter 350 : Ahadith 1770
Imam Abu Zakariyya Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi (d. 676 AH)
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Allah, the Exalted says:
ٱلزَّانِيَةُ وَٱلزَّانِي فَٱجۡلِدُواْ كُلَّ وَٰحِدٖ مِّنۡهُمَا مِاْئَةَ جَلۡدَةٖۖ وَلَا تَأۡخُذۡكُم بِهِمَا رَأۡفَةٞ فِي دِينِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمۡ تُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡأٓخِرِ
“The woman and the man guilty of illegal sexual intercourse, flog each of them with a hundred stripes. Let not pity withhold you in their case, in a punishment prescribed by Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day.”
[An-Nūr 24:2]
1770 `Aishah (radiyallahu anha) reported: The Quraish were anxious about a woman from Banu Makhzum who had committed theft and asked : “Who will speak to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about her?” Then they said: “No one will be bold enough to do so except Usamah bin Zaid, the (Companion who was) dearly loved by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” So Usamah (radiyallahu anhu) spoke to him and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (angrily) said, “Are you interceding regarding one of the punishments prescribed by Allah?” He then got up and delivered an address in which he said, “Indeed what destroyed the people before you was just that when a person of high rank among them committed a theft, they spared him; but if the same crime was done by a poor person they inflicted the prescribed punishment on him. I swear by Allah that if Fatimah daughter of Muhammad should steal, I would have her hand cut off.”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
In another narration `Aishah (radiyallahu anha) said: (Upon hearing the intercession of Usamah), the face of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ changed color (because of anger) and he said, “Do you dare to intercede in matters prescribed by Allah?” Usamah pleaded: “O Messenger of Allah! Pray for my forgiveness.” `Aishah (radiyallahu anha) added: Thereafter the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave orders to have that woman’s hand cut off.