A BURNING PIECE OF FIRE

Narrated by Umm Salamah, the Prophet of Islam said: “I am only a human being, and you bring your disputes to me. It may be that one of you presents their case more persuasively than the other, and I issue a ruling in their favour based on what I hear. But if I give someone what rightfully belongs to their brother, then I have actually given them a piece of fire.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 7169; Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1713)

Through this statement, the Prophet of Islam makes it clear that wrongful ownership leads to eternal consequences. Property rightfully belongs only to its true owner—even if, due to human limitations, a judgment is mistakenly passed in favour of someone who is not entitled to it. Even if the Prophet of Islam were to issue a ruling based on the arguments presented before him, that property would still not become lawfully theirs. In the Hereafter, it would amount to nothing more than a burning piece of fire.

In today’s world, illegal occupation and land grabbing have become widespread. A corrupt system allows people to achieve their goals through bribery and manipulation. As a result, in almost every town and village, there are people who have seized others’ land or property through dishonest means.

This hadith is a severe warning for such people. If even the decision of the Prophet does not transfer ownership from the rightful owner to the false claimant, then how can it ever be justified for someone to use forged documents or fake registries to take over another person’s property?

People might feel satisfied when they unlawfully occupy someone’s house in this world. But what will happen in the Hereafter, when that same house becomes a structure of fire—and they are locked inside it?