Abu Bakr on Decapitation: Prohibition of severed heads as trophies

‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir reported: He came to Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, with a severed head, and Abu Bakr condemned it. ‘Uqbah said, “O Caliph of the Messenger of Allah, they do that to us!” Abu Bakr said, “You follow the way of the Persians and the Romans? Rather, do not come to me with a severed head! It is enough for you to write and inform me.”

Source: Sunan Saʻīd ibn Manṣūr 2649

Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Ibn Kathir

Al-Zuhri said, “A severed head was never presented to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and neither on the day of Badr. A severed head was presented to Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and he condemned it. The first to accept the presentation of severed heads was Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr.”

Source: al-Marāsīl 329

عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ أَنَّهُ قَدِمَ عَلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ بِرَأْسِ يَنَّاقِ الْبِطْرِيقِ فَأَنْكَرَ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ يَا خَلِيفَةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَفْعَلُونَ ذَلِكَ بِنَا قَالَ فَاسْتِنَانٌ بِفَارِسَ وَالرُّومِ لا تُحْمَلْ إِلَيَّ رَأْسٌ فَإِنَّمَا يَكْفِي الْكِتَابُ وَالْخَبَرُ

2649 سنن سعيد بن منصور كتاب الجهاد باب ما جاء في حمل الرءوس

2/324 المحدث ابن كثير خلاصة حكم المحدث إسناده صحيح في إرشاد الفقيه

عَنْ الزُّهْرِيِّ قَالَ لَمْ تُحْمَلْ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَأْسٌ قَطُّ وَلا يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ وَحُمِلَ إِلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ رَأْسٌ فَأَنْكَرَهُ وَأَوَّلُ مَنْ حُمِلَتْ إِلَيْهِ الرُّءُوسُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ

329 المراسيل مع الأسانيد لأبي داود مراسيل أبي داود باب في الجهاد باب في فضل الجهاد

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