Jihad (Kitab Al-Jihad)

Sa‘id ibn Mansur narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from ‘Amr, who heard Jabir say that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “War is stratagem.”

Muhammad ibn ‘Ubayd narrated to us: Ibn Thawr narrated to us, from Ma‘mar, from al-Zuhri, from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Ka‘b ibn Malik, from his father, that when the Prophet ﷺ intended to go on an expedition, he would conceal his actual destination and make it appear that he was going somewhere else. He would say: “War is stratagem.” Abu Dawud said: “Only Ma‘mar transmitted it”—meaning the statement “War is stratagem”—“with this chain. It is only narrated through the report of ‘Amr ibn Dinar, from Jabir, and through the report of Ma‘mar, from Hammam ibn Munabbih, from Abu Hurayrah.”

Al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Samad and Abu ‘Amir narrated to us, from ‘Ikrimah ibn ‘Ammar: Iyas ibn Salamah narrated to us, from his father, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ appointed Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, to command us. We raided some people among the polytheists by night, attacking them and killing them. Our watchword that night was: ‘Kill, kill!’ Salamah said: ‘That night, I killed with my own hand people belonging to seven households among the polytheists.’

Al-Hasan ibn Shawkar narrated to us: Isma‘il ibn ‘Ulayyah narrated to us: al-Hajjaj ibn Abi ‘Uthman narrated to us, from Abu al-Zubayr, that Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah related to them, saying: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to remain at the rear while travelling, help the weak keep moving, give someone a ride behind him, and pray for them.

Musaddad narrated to us: Abu Mu‘awiyah narrated to us, from al-A‘mash, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “I have been commanded to fight the people until they say, ‘There is no god but Allah.’ When they say it, they protect their blood and their property from me, except by its due; and their reckoning is with Allah, Exalted.”

Sa‘id ibn Ya‘qub al-Taliqani narrated to us: ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak narrated to us, from Humayd, from Anas, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “I have been commanded to fight the people until they bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger; until they face our qiblah, eat of what we slaughter, and perform our prayer. When they do that, their blood and property become inviolable to us, except by their due. They have what the Muslims have, and they bear what the Muslims bear.”

Sulayman ibn Dawud al-Mahri narrated to us: Ibn Wahb informed us: Yahya ibn Ayyub informed me, from Humayd al-Tawil, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “I have been commanded to fight the polytheists”—[the rest] in a similar sense.

Al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali and ‘Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us—the wording is summarized: Ya‘la ibn ‘Ubayd narrated to us, from al-A‘mash, from Abu Zabyan: Usamah ibn Zayd narrated to us, saying: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent us in a detachment to al-Huraqat. They became aware of us and fled. We caught up with a man; when we closed in on him, he said, “There is no god but Allah.” We struck him until we killed him. I mentioned this to the Prophet ﷺ, and he said: “What will you say when confronted with ‘There is no god but Allah’ on the Day of Resurrection?” I said: “Messenger of Allah, he said it only out of fear of the weapon.” He said: “Did you split open his heart to know whether he said it for that reason or not? What will you say when confronted with ‘There is no god but Allah’ on the Day of Resurrection?” He kept repeating it until I wished that I had not become Muslim before that day.

Qutaybah ibn Sa‘id narrated to us, from al-Layth, from Ibn Shihab, from ‘Ata’ ibn Yazid al-Laythi, from ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Adi ibn al-Khiyar, from al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad, who told him that he said: “Messenger of Allah, what do you think if I meet a man among the unbelievers who fights me and strikes one of my hands with his sword, then takes shelter from me behind a tree and says, ‘I submit to Allah’? May I kill him, Messenger of Allah, after he has said it?” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Do not kill him.” I said: “Messenger of Allah, he cut off my hand.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Do not kill him; for if you kill him, he will be in the position you were in before you killed him, and you will be in the position he was in before he said the words that he said.”

Hannad ibn al-Sari narrated to us: Abu Mu‘awiyah narrated to us, from Isma‘il, from Qays, from Jarir ibn ‘Abd Allah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent a detachment to Khath‘am. Some people among them sought protection through prostration, but killing overtook them swiftly. The Prophet ﷺ was informed, and he ordered that half the blood money be paid for them. He said: “I disavow any Muslim who resides among the polytheists.” They asked: “Why, Messenger of Allah?” He said: “Their two fires should not be visible to one another.” Abu Dawud said: “Hushaym, Mu‘tamir, Khalid al-Wasiti, and a group of narrators transmitted it without mentioning Jarir.”

Abu Tawbah al-Rabi‘ ibn Nafi‘ narrated to us: Ibn al-Mubarak narrated to us, from Jarir ibn Hazim, from al-Zubayr ibn Khirrit, from ‘Ikrimah, from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: “The verse ‘If there are twenty steadfast among you, they will overcome two hundred’ was revealed. This was hard on the Muslims when Allah had prescribed for them that one should not flee from ten. Then relief came, and He said: ‘Now Allah has lightened it for you.’ Abu Tawbah recited up to His words, ‘they will overcome two hundred.’ He said: When Allah Most High lightened the number for them, the required steadfastness was reduced in proportion to what He had lightened for them.”

Ahmad ibn Yunus narrated to us: Zuhayr narrated to us: Yazid ibn Abi Ziyad narrated to us that ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla related to him that ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar related that he was in one of the detachments of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said: The people made a sudden retreat, and I was among those who retreated. When we emerged, we said: “What should we do? We have fled from the advance and incurred wrath.” We said: “Let us enter Medina, stay there, and leave without anyone seeing us.” We entered and said: “If we present ourselves to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, then if there is repentance for us, we will stay; otherwise, we will go.” We waited for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ before the dawn prayer. When he came out, we stood before him and said: “We are the fugitives.” He came toward us and said: “No; rather, you are the ones who return to attack.” We drew near and kissed his hand, and he said: “I am the rallying group for the Muslims.”

Muhammad ibn Hisham al-Misri narrated to us: Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal narrated to us: Dawud narrated to us, from Abu Nadr, from Abu Sa‘id, who said: “It was revealed on the day of Badr: ‘Whoever turns his back to them that day…’”

‘Amr ibn ‘Awn narrated to us: Hushaym and Khalid informed us, from Isma‘il, from Qays ibn Abi Hazim, from Khabbab, who said: We came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while he was reclining on a mantle in the shade of the Ka‘bah. We complained to him and said: “Will you not seek help for us? Will you not pray to Allah for us?” His face reddened as he sat up, and he said: “Among those who came before you, a man would be seized, a pit dug for him in the ground, and then a saw brought and placed on his head, splitting him into two. Nothing would turn him away from his religion. They would comb away the flesh and sinews beneath his bones with iron combs, yet nothing would turn them away from their religion. By Allah, Allah will surely bring this affair to completion, until a rider travels between San‘a and Hadramawt fearing none but Allah and a wolf for his sheep. But you are in haste.”

Musaddad narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from ‘Amr, to whom Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali related it; ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Rafi‘—who was ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib’s secretary—informed him, saying: I heard ‘Ali, peace be upon him, say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent me, al-Zubayr, and al-Miqdad, and said: “Go until you reach the meadow of Khakh. There is a woman travelling there with a letter; take it from her.” We set out, our horses carrying us swiftly, until we reached the meadow. There we found the woman and said: “Hand over the letter.” She said: “I have no letter.” I said: “You must produce the letter, or we will remove your clothes.” She then brought it out from her braided hair. We brought it to the Prophet ﷺ, and it was from Hatib ibn Abi Balta‘ah to some people among the polytheists, informing them of some of the affairs of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said: “What is this, Hatib?” He replied: “Messenger of Allah, do not be hasty with me. I was a man attached to Quraysh, but I was not one of them. The Quraysh have relatives there through whom they protect their families in Mecca. Since I lacked that, I wanted to gain a favor with them by which they would protect my relatives. By Allah, Messenger of Allah, I did not do this out of disbelief or apostasy.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “He has told you the truth.” ‘Umar said: “Let me strike off this hypocrite’s head.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “He witnessed Badr. How do you know? Perhaps Allah looked upon the people of Badr and said: ‘Do whatever you wish, for I have forgiven you.’”

Wahb ibn Baqiyyah narrated to us, from Khalid, from Husayn, from Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubaydah, from Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami, from ‘Ali, with this account. He said: Hatib set out and wrote to the people of Mecca that Muhammad ﷺ had marched toward them. In this version, she said, “I have no letter.” We drew her aside, but found no letter with her. ‘Ali said: “By the One by whom oaths are sworn, I will surely kill you, or you will bring out the letter.” He then related the rest of the report.

Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to me: Muhammad ibn Muhabbab Abu Hammam al-Dallal narrated to us: Sufyan ibn Sa‘id narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq, from Harithah ibn Mudarrib, from Furat ibn Hayyan, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered that he be killed. He had been a spy for Abu Sufyan and an ally of a man from the Ansar. He passed by a gathering of the Ansar and said: “I am a Muslim.” A man from the Ansar said: “Messenger of Allah, he is saying, ‘I am a Muslim.’” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Among you are men whom we leave to their faith; Furat ibn Hayyan is one of them.”

Al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali narrated to us: Abu Nu‘aym said: Abu ‘Umais narrated to us, from Ibn Salamah ibn al-Akwa‘, from his father, who said: A spy among the polytheists came to the Prophet ﷺ while he was travelling. He sat with his Companions, then slipped away. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Look for him and kill him.” I got to him before the others, killed him, and took what he had on him. The Prophet ﷺ awarded it to me.

Harun ibn ‘Abd Allah narrated to us: Hashim ibn al-Qasim and Hisham narrated to them both: ‘Ikrimah ibn ‘Ammar narrated to us, saying: Iyas ibn Salamah narrated to me, saying: my father narrated to me: I went on campaign with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ against Hawazin. While we were having a meal in the forenoon, most of us on foot and some of us weak, a man came on a red camel. He pulled a tether from the camel’s flank and used it to tie up his camel. Then he came to eat with the people. When he saw how weak they were and how few their mounts were, he hurried out to his camel, untied it, made it kneel, mounted it, and rode off at a gallop. A man of Aslam followed him on a gray she-camel, the finest mount among the people. I ran out and caught up with him: the she-camel’s head was beside the camel’s hindquarters, while I was beside the she-camel’s hindquarters. Then I moved ahead until I was beside the camel’s hindquarters, then moved ahead again until I seized its halter and made it kneel. When he put his knee on the ground, I drew my sword and struck his head, which fell off. I brought his riding camel and everything on it, leading it along. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came toward me with the people and asked: “Who killed the man?” They said: “Salamah ibn al-Akwa‘.” He said: “All of his spoils belong to him.” Harun said: “This is Hashim’s wording.”

Musa ibn Isma‘il narrated to us: Hammad narrated to us: Abu ‘Imran al-Jawni informed us, from ‘Alqamah ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Muzani, from Ma‘qil ibn Yasar, that al-Nu‘man—meaning Ibn Muqarrin—said: I was present with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. When he did not fight at the beginning of the day, he delayed the fighting until the sun passed its meridian, the winds blew, and victory descended.