No Paradise for Treaty-Breakers

📖Sahih al-Bukhari 3166
Narrated Abdullah bin Amr: The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever kills a person who has a treaty with the Muslims shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise, even though its fragrance is perceived from a distance of forty years.”

This hadith is a stern warning: taking the life of a non-Muslim under a treaty is one of the gravest sins in Islam. The Prophet ﷺ emphasizes that such a person won’t even smell Paradise — a severe consequence showing how sacred such agreements are in Islam.

What Is a Treaty in This Context?

• A treaty (ʿAhd or Dhimmah) refers to a formal agreement made between the Islamic government and non-Muslim individuals or communities.
• It guarantees safety, security, and mutual peace, either for:
  • Dhimmi: permanent non-Muslim residents under Muslim rule.
  • Mu‘ahid: outsiders or nations who have peace treaties.
  • Musta’min: individuals granted temporary safety (e.g. travelers, visitors).

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Cultural & Political Relevance:

• In the Prophet’s time, treaties were made by Muslim rulers or the Prophet ﷺ himself with other tribes, leaders, or communities.
• Today, treaties can be established through governments, diplomatic agreements, immigration systems, or even visas that grant non-Muslims protection in Muslim lands.
• Breaking these treaties by killing or harming non-Muslims unjustly is considered treasonous and sinful in Islam.

What This Hadith Teaches:

1. Killing a non-Muslim under treaty is haram, and leads to spiritual ruin.
2. Agreements made by rulers must be honored by the Muslim public.
3. Violence is only allowed in cases of legitimate self-defense or open war, not based on personal hatred.
4. Islam values justice and peaceful coexistence with non-Muslims under protection.
5. The hadith applies regardless of personal emotion, even if one dislikes a group or individual, if a treaty exists, it must be upheld.

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Quranic Context:

📖Quran 9:4
Except for those polytheists with whom you made a treaty and who have not broken it nor supported anyone against you. So fulfill your treaty with them to the end of its term. Indeed, Allah loves the righteous.
This verse confirms the obligation of honoring treaties as long as the other party remains peaceful.

📖Quran 5:32
Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land, it is as if he had slain mankind entirely.
Taking an innocent life without legal reason is treated as a crime against all humanity.

📖Quran 60:8
Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes, from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.
Muslims are commanded to act justly and kindly with peaceful non-Muslims.