Hadith: Among those who lived before you, there was a man who had killed ninety-nine people. He asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth and was guided to a monk. When he went to him, he informed him that he had killed ninety-nine people and asked if his repentance could be accepted. The monk replied in the negative, so the man killed him

عن أبي سعيد الخدري رضي الله عنه أن نبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: «كان فيمن كان قبلكم رجل قتل تسعة وتسعين نفسًا، فسأل عن أعلم أهل الأرض، فَدُلَّ على راهب، فأتاه فقال: إنه قتل تسعة وتسعين نفسا فهل له من توبة؟ فقال: لا، فقتله فكمَّل به مئة، ثم سأل عن أعلم أهل الأرض، فَدُلَّ على رجل عالم، فقال: إنه قتل مائة نفس فهل له من توبة؟ فقال: نعم، ومَنْ يَحُولُ بينه وبين التوبة؟ انْطَلِقْ إلى أرض كذا وكذا فإن بها أناسا يعبدون الله تعالى فاعبد الله معهم، ولا ترجع إلى أرضك فإنها أرض سوء، فانطلق حتى إذا نَصَفَ الطريقَ أتاه الموت، فاختصمت فيه ملائكة الرحمة وملائكة العذاب، فقالت ملائكة الرحمة: جاء تائبا، مُقْبِلا بقلبه إلى الله تعالى ، وقالت ملائكة العذاب: إنه لم يعمل خيرا قط، فأتاهم ملك في صورة آدمي فجعلوه بينهم -أي حكمًا- فقال: قِيسُوا ما بين الأرضين فإلى أَيَّتِهِمَا كان أدنى فهو له، فقاسوا فوجدوه أدنى إلى الأرض التي أراد، فقبضته ملائكة الرحمة». وفي رواية في الصحيح: «فكان إلى القرية الصالحة أقرب بشبر فجعل من أهلها». وفي رواية في الصحيح: «فأوحى الله تعالى إلى هذه أن تَبَاعَدِي، وإلى هذه أن تَقَرَّبِي، وقال: قيسوا ما بينهما، فوجدوه إلى هذه أقرب بشبر فغُفِرَ له». وفي رواية: «فَنَأَى بصدره نحوها».
[صحيح] - [متفق عليه]

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Among those who lived before you, there was a man who had killed ninety-nine people. He asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth and was guided to a monk. When he went to him, he informed him that he had killed ninety-nine people and asked if his repentance could be accepted. The monk replied in the negative, so the man killed him and made him the hundredth. After that, the man once again asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth and was guided to a scholar. He informed him of his hundred murders and asked if there was a chance for his repentance to be accepted. The scholar replied in the affirmative and said: 'Who can place a barrier between him and the repentance?' He advised him to travel to a certain land where people were worshiping Allah, the Almighty, and asked him to join them in their worship and not to return to his land, which was an evil land. The man listened to the scholar’s advice and set out from his land, when he reached the middle of the way death approached him. The angels of mercy and the angels of torment disputed over the man. The angels of mercy said: 'He came with a repenting heart to Allah, the Almighty.' The angels of torment said: 'He has never done anything good in his life.' Another angel then came in the form of a human being and they agreed to take him as an arbitrator. He said: 'Measure the distance between the man and the two lands and see to which one he is closer.' They did that and found him closer to the land he was traveling to, so the angels of mercy took his soul.” Another authentic narration reads: “He was one span closer to the land of piety, so he was considered one of its people.” The wording of another authentic narration reads: “Allah, the Almighty, ordered this land (evil place) to go far away and the other land (good place) to get closer and on measuring the distances, he was found one span closer to the village to which he intended to go and so he was forgiven.” Another narration reads: “He directed his chest towards it (the village he intended to go to).”
[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim]

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said that among those nations that lived before there was a man who had killed ninety-nine people. He regretted what he had done and asked to be guided to the most knowledgeable of people to see if his repentance could be accepted. He found a worshiper, with little knowledge, who felt that the man’s sin was too serious to be forgiven, so told him: Your repentance is not going to be accepted. The man got angry and killed the monk. Then, he once again asked of the most knowledgeable of people. He found a scholar who assured him that no one could stand between him and repentance. Moreover, he advised him to travel to a certain village, where people were devoted to worshiping Allah, and to leave his own village, which apparently was a land of disbelief. The man listened to the scholar’s advice and started his journey to the of believers, when he was in the middle of the way, death approached him. Here, a dispute arose between the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment. Allah sent them another angel to settle that dispute. He suggested measuring the distance between the man and both villages and if he was found closer to the land of disbelief, then his soul should be taken by the angels of punishment. and if he was found closer to the land of faith, then the angels of mercy should take his soul. Finally, the man was found one span closer to the land of faith and thus his soul was taken by the angels of mercy.