Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ عَنْ أَبِي الصِّدِّيقِ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ إِنَّ رَجُلًا قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا فَسَأَلَ عَنْ أَعْلَمِ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ فَدُلَّ عَلَى رَجُلٍ فَأَتَاهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا فَهَلْ لَهُ مِنْ تَوْبَةٍ قَالَ لَقَدْ قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا فَلَيْسَتْ لَهُ تَوْبَةٌ قَالَ فَانْتَضَى سَيْفَهُ فَقَتَلَهُ فَكَمَّلَ مِائَةً ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ مَكَثَ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ سَأَلَ عَنْ أَعْلَمِ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ فَدُلَّ عَلَى رَجُلٍ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ قَدْ قَتَلَ مِائَةَ نَفْسٍ فَهَلْ لَهُ مِنْ تَوْبَةٍ فَقَالَ وَمَنْ يَحُولُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ التَّوْبَةِ اخْرُجْ مِنْ الْقَرْيَةِ الْخَبِيثَةِ الَّتِي أَنْتَ بِهَا إِلَى قَرْيَةِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهَا قَالَ فَخَرَجَ وَعَرَضَ لَهُ أَجَلُهُ فَاخْتَصَمَ فِيهِ مَلَائِكَةُ الْعَذَابِ وَمَلَائِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ قَالَ إِبْلِيسُ إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَعْصِنِي سَاعَةً قَطُّ قَالَتْ مَلَائِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ إِنَّهُ خَرَجَ تَائِبًا فَزَعَمَ حُمَيْدٌ أَنَّ بَكْرًا حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ أَبِي رَافِعٍ قَالَ فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ مَلَكًا فَاخْتَصَمَا إِلَيْهِ رَجَعَ الْحَدِيثُ إِلَى حَدِيثِ قَتَادَةَ قَالَ انْظُرُوا إِلَى أَيِّ الْقَرْيَتَيْنِ كَانَ أَقْرَبَ فَأَلْحِقُوهُ بِهَا قَالَ قَتَادَةُ فَقَرَّبَ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ الْقَرْيَةَ الصَّالِحَةَ وَبَاعَدَ عَنْهُ الْقَرْيَةَ الْخَبِيثَةَ فَأَلْحَقُوهُ بِأَهْلِهَا.
English Translation
Affan narrated to us: Hammam narrated to us: Qatadah narrated to us, from Abu al-Siddiq, from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "There was a man who had killed ninety-nine people. He asked about the most learned person on earth, and was directed to a man. He went to him and said, 'I have killed ninety-nine people; is there repentance for me?' He said, 'You have killed ninety-nine people, and there is no repentance for you.' So he drew his sword and killed him, completing a hundred. Then he remained as long as Allah willed, then asked about the most learned person on earth, and was directed to a man. He said, 'I have killed a hundred people; is there repentance for me?' He said, 'Who can stand between you and repentance? Leave this evil town in which you live and go to such-and-such town, and worship your Lord, Mighty and Majestic, there.' So he set out, and death overtook him along the way, and the angels of punishment and the angels of mercy disputed over him. Iblis said, 'He never disobeyed me for a moment.' The angels of mercy said, 'He set out repentant.'" Humayd claimed that Bakr told him, from Abu Rafi', that Allah sent an angel and the two disputed before him — the narration returns to the hadith of Qatadah — he said: "Look which of the two towns is nearer, and attach him to it." Qatadah said: "So Allah brought the righteous town nearer to him and made the evil town further from him, and they attached him to the people of the righteous one."