Hadith: If a man intended to commit deviation in it while being in Adan of Abyan (a city in Yemen), Allah would make him taste a painful punishment

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ رَفَعَهُ:
فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: {وَمَنْ يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ بِظُلْمٍ نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ} [الحج: 25] قَالَ: «لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلًا هَمَّ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ وَهُوَ بِعَدَنِ أَبْيَنَ لَأَذَاقَهُ اللَّهُ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا».
[صحيح] - [رواه أحمد والحاكم] - [المستدرك على الصحيحين: 3461]

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported the following as Marfū‘ Hadīth:
Regarding the statement of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic: {And whoever intends to deviate therein by evildoing, We will cause him to taste a painful punishment} [Surat al-Hajj: 25], he said: "If a man intended to commit deviation in it while being in Adan of Abyan (a city in Yemen), Allah would make him taste a painful punishment."
[Authentic hadith] - - [Al-Mustadrak ala As-Sahihayn - 3461]

Explanation

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned regarding the statement of Allah Almighty: {And whoever intends to deviate therein by evildoing, We will cause him to taste a painful punishment} [Surat al-Hajj: 25]. He said: If anyone intended and resolved to commit an evil deed in the sacred sanctuary of Makkah—violating its sanctity by words or intentional killing that Allah has forbidden—this is considered wrongdoing. Even if this intention and resolve occurred in the city of ‘Adan in Yemen, he deserves Allah's painful punishment because of it, even if he does not carry it out. It is enough that he made the resolve.

Benefits from the Hadith

1. Emphasizing the unique status of the Haram (Sacred Sanctuary) and reverence for it.
2. As-Sa‘di said: This noble verse emphasizes the obligation to respect the Sacred Sanctuary, the necessity of deeply venerating it, and the warning against intending or committing sins therein.
3. Ad-Dahhāk said: A man may intend to sin in Makkah while being in another land, and it will be recorded against him, even if he does not carry it out.