5814 - Ibn al-Muqri' narrated to us, Sufyan narrated to us, [who] said: I heard Abu al-Zinad [who] said: I heard a sheikh in the Mosque of Mina narrating to Kharijah ibn Zayd, saying: I heard your father saying: The severe [verse] was revealed—meaning His saying: "And whoever kills a believer intentionally"—the verse, six months after the lenient [verse]—meaning: "And they do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right"—the verse.

5815 - My father narrated to me, al-Nufayli narrated to me, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi al-Zinad narrated to us, from his father, from Mujalid ibn 'Awf, from Zayd ibn Thabit, similarly.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah, Ibn 'Umar, Abu Salamah, 'Ubayd ibn 'Umayr, al-Hasan, al-Dahhak, and Qatadah [that] they said: There is no repentance for him, and the verse is immutable (muhkamah).

[The Second View]

5816 - Abu Zur'ah narrated to us, Yahya ibn 'Abd Allah narrated to us, Ibn Lahi'ah narrated to me, 'Ata' ibn Dinar narrated to me, from Sa'id ibn Jubayr regarding His saying: "And whoever kills a believer intentionally, then his recompense is Hell," [who] said: It was revealed concerning Maqis ibn Dhababah al-Kinani. This is because he and his brother, Hisham ibn Dhababah, had accepted Islam and were in Medina. One day, Maqis found his brother Hisham killed by the Ansar, [specifically] among the Banu al-Najjar. He went to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and informed him of that. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sent a man from the Quraysh, from the Banu Fihr, with Maqis to the Banu al-Najjar—and their dwellings were in Quba' at that time—[ordering them]: If you know [who did it], hand over the killer of his brother to Maqis; otherwise, pay him the blood money. When the messenger came to them, they said: Hearing and obedience to Allah and His Messenger. By Allah, we do not know who his killer is, but we will pay the blood money. So they paid Maqis one hundred camels as the blood money for his brother. When Maqis and the Fihri departed, returning from Quba' to Medina—and there was an hour's distance between them—Maqis intended [to attack] the Fihri, the messenger of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and killed him. He [then] apostatized from Islam, mounted one of the camels, drove the rest with him, and reached Mecca, while he was reciting in a poem of his:

I killed Fihr in his stead, and left its blood money to be borne By the notables of the Banu al-Najjar, the lords of Fari'.

And I attained my vengeance and laid down [to sleep] securely, And I was the first to return to the idols.

So it was revealed regarding him after the killing of the soul, taking the blood money, and apostatizing from Islam, and joining Mecca as a disbeliever: "And whoever kills a believer intentionally."

It was narrated from 'Ikrimah that he said: He has repentance.