Wail bin Hujr reported, "I was sitting with the Prophet ﷺ when a man came leading another by a rope. He said, 'Messenger of Allah, this man killed my brother.'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked, 'Did you kill him?'The man replied, 'Yes, I killed him.'The Prophet asked, 'How did you kill him?'He answered, 'He and I were striking leaves from a tree together. He insulted me and angered me, so I struck him on the side of his head with an axe and killed him.'The Prophet ﷺ said to him, 'Do you have anything with which to ransom yourself?'He replied, 'I have nothing but my cloak and my axe.'The Prophet asked, 'Do you think your people would buy your freedom?'He said, 'I am of less worth to my people than that.'So the Prophet tossed the rope to the brother and said, 'Take your man.' The man led him away.When he turned to go, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'If he kills him, he will be just like him.'So the man returned and said, 'Messenger of Allah, I have heard that you said, "If he kills him, he will be just like him." I only took him by your order.'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Do you not want him to bear your sin and the sin of your companion?'He said, 'Prophet of Allah, yes indeed.'The Prophet said, 'Then that is how it will be.'So the man threw down the rope and let him go."
إني لقاعد مع النبي ﷺ إذ جاء رجل يقود آخر بنسعة فقال: يا رسول الله! هذا قتل أخي. فقال رسول الله ﷺ: أقتلته؟ قال: نعم قتلته. قال: كيف قتلته؟ قال: كنت أنا وهو نتخبط من شجرة، فسبني فأغضبني فضربته بالفأس على قرنه فقتلته. فقال له النبي ﷺ: هل لك من شيء تؤديه عن نفسك؟ قال: ما لي إلا كسائي وفأسي. قال: فترى قومك يشترونك؟ قال: أنا أهون على قومي من ذاك. فرمى إليه بنسعته وقال: دونك صاحبك فانطلق به الرجل. فلما ولى قال رسول الله ﷺ: إن قتله فهو مثله فرجع فقال: يا رسول الله إنه بلغني أنك قلت: إن قتله فهو مثله، وأخذته بأمرك. فقال رسول الله ﷺ: أما تريد أن يبوء بإثمك وإثم صاحبك؟ قال: يا نبي الله، بلى. قال: فإن ذاك كذاك قال: فرمي بنسعته وخلى سبيله.
Muslim reported it in the Book of Qasamah (1680), from Ubaydullah bin Muaz Anbari, who said, my father narrated to us, Abu Yunus narrated to us, from Simak bin Harb, from Alqama bin Waail, who narrated that his father told him, and he mentioned it.His saying, "nisah," refers to a rope made of hides. His saying, "natakhabbat," means we gather khabt, which is tree leaves. His saying, "if he kills him, he is his equal," means that neither of the two has any merit or favor over the other, because he has taken his right in full, unlike if he had pardoned him, in which case he would have had the merit, the favor, abundant reward in the hereafter, and fine praise in this world.