Hadith 2.2
The Offices of Commander and Qadi
Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “He who has been appointed a <i>qadi</i> among the people has been killed without a knife.”* Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it. *This phrase has troubled commentators. Perhaps the best explanation is that he will have reason to repent of his manner of life, for there are many traditions which express disapproval of undertaking such an office. A somewhat ingenious explanation is that his evil characteristics must be cut away, this being a kind of slaughter.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مِنْ جُعِلَ قَاضِيًا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ فَقَدْ ذُبِحَ بِغَيْرِ سِكِّينٍ» . رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ وَالتِّرْمِذِيُّ وَأَبُو دَاوُدَ وَابْنُ مَاجَهْ
Hadith gradings, numbering and translations can differ between editions. For legal rulings or detailed interpretation, consult qualified scholarship and the referenced edition.