Sahih Muslim Book - 1, Hadith - 274

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ ح و حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رُمْحٍ وَاللَّفْظُ مُتَقَارِبٌ أَخْبَرَنَا اللَّيْثُ عَنْ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ اللَّيْثِيِّ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَدِيِّ بْنِ الْخِيَارِ عَنْ الْمِقْدَادِ بْنِ الْأَسْوَدِ أَنَّهُ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ لَقِيتُ رَجُلًا مِنْ الْكُفَّارِ فَقَاتَلَنِي فَضَرَبَ إِحْدَى يَدَيَّ بِالسَّيْفِ فَقَطَعَهَا ثُمَّ لَاذَ مِنِّي بِشَجَرَةٍ فَقَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِلَّهِ أَفَأَقْتُلُهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ بَعْدَ أَنْ قَالَهَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا تَقْتُلْهُ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ قَدْ قَطَعَ يَدِي ثُمَّ قَالَ ذَلِكَ بَعْدَ أَنْ قَطَعَهَا أَفَأَقْتُلُهُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا تَقْتُلْهُ فَإِنْ قَتَلْتَهُ فَإِنَّهُ بِمَنْزِلَتِكَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَقْتُلَهُ وَإِنَّكَ بِمَنْزِلَتِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَقُولَ كَلِمَتَهُ الَّتِي قَالَ.

It was narrated that Al-Miqdad bin Al-Aswad said: "O Messenger of Allah, what do you think if I meet a man from among the disbelievers, and he fights me and cuts off one of my hands with the sword, then he takes shelter from me behind a tree and says, 'I submit to Allah.' Should I kill him, O Messenger of Allah, after he says that?" The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "Do not kill him." I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, he cut off my hand, then he said that after cutting it off! Should I kill him?' The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "Do not kill him, for if you kill him he will be in the position that you were in before you killed him, and you will be in the position that he was in before he said what he said."'