Hadith on Harm: Avoiding Repeated Harm

Avoiding Repeated Harm

Table of Contents

📖Sahih al-Bukhari 6133
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “A believer is not stung twice (by something) out of one and the same hole.”

Understanding the Hadith

This hadith teaches an essential principle: a true believer learns from their mistakes and does not allow themselves to be harmed in the same way twice.

The phrase “same hole” refers to any past mistake, deception, or wrongdoing that a person has already experienced.
Islam encourages believers to be wise, cautious, and avoid being harmed repeatedly by the same cause.
This applies to trust, relationships, business dealings, and personal experiences.

However, Islam distinguishes between honest mistakes and deliberate crimes.

A mistake is something done without intention or due to ignorance. If a person repents sincerely, Allah forgives them.
Crimes like murder, rape, and oppression are not mistakes—they are deliberate acts. Such people cannot escape justice by claiming ignorance or repentance.

Mistakes vs. Intentional Crimes in Islam

While Islam forgives mistakes, it commands severe punishments for intentional crimes such as murder and rape.

Murder and rape are not ‘mistakes’; they are premeditated actions that destroy lives.
The punishment for these crimes in Islam is death, unless the victim’s family chooses to forgive.

📖Surah Al-An’am (6:164)
“And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another…”

🔹 This means that each person is responsible for their own actions. A criminal cannot justify their evil deeds as ‘mistakes’ and expect to escape consequences.

Islamic Ruling on Rape and Murder – No Automatic Forgiveness

Islam does not consider rape and murder as simple “mistakes” that can be overlooked.

Both are intentional crimes that violate the rights of others.
Punishment for such crimes is death, unless the victim’s family chooses to forgive the murderer.
Even if forgiven by the family, their ultimate judgment is with Allah, who may or may not forgive them.

📖Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:32)
“Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul (in legal retribution) or for corruption done in the land—it is as if he had killed all of mankind.”

🔹 This verse shows that murder is one of the gravest sins in Islam. It is not a “mistake” but a deliberate crime that disrupts society.

Correct Punishment for Rape in Islam

📖Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:33)
“Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off on opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land…”

🔹 Rape falls under “corruption (fasad) on earth” because it is a crime that spreads immorality and injustice. The Islamic punishment for a rapist is execution, as established by hadith.

📖Sunan Abu Dawud 4379
A woman went out to pray and a man attacked her and raped her. The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered that the rapist be executed but did not apply any punishment to the woman (victim).

🔹 This hadith proves that rape is not treated as fornication or adultery, but as a major crime deserving capital punishment.

Lessons from the Hadith

1️⃣ A believer should not fall into the same mistake twice.

Islam teaches awareness and wisdom in dealing with people and situations.
One should learn from past errors and not trust or repeat actions that led to harm.

2️⃣ There is a difference between a mistake and an intentional crime.

Mistakes can be forgiven through repentance and learning.
Crimes like murder and rape are deliberate acts, and the Islamic punishment is severe.

3️⃣ Justice in Islam is balanced.

A murderer or rapist deserves death, but if the victim’s family forgives them, Islam allows mercy in the case of murder.
Rape cannot be pardoned by the victim’s family—justice must be carried out.
Forgiveness in this world does not guarantee forgiveness in the Hereafter. Only Allah will decide their final fate.

📖Surah Ash-Shura (42:30)
“And whatever affliction befalls you is because of what your hands have earned, yet He pardons much.”

🔹 If people allow criminals to escape justice, they will suffer as a result. It is their own negligence that invites harm upon them.