Fighting for the Cause of Allah (Jihaad)

Musaddad narrated to us; Abu al-Ahwas narrated to us; Abu Ishaq narrated to us from al-Bara' (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) on the day of the Trench, carrying earth until the earth covered the hair on his chest. He was a very hairy man, and he was reciting the rajaz verses of 'Abdullah: ‘O Allah, were it not for You, we would not have been guided, given charity, or prayed. Send down tranquility upon us, and make our feet firm when we meet the enemy. The enemies have transgressed against us; whenever they seek to stir up turmoil, we refuse.’ He raised his voice as he recited them.

Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah ibn Numayr narrated to me; Ibn Idris narrated to us from Isma'il, from Qays, from Jarir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Prophet (ﷺ) never kept himself away from me after I embraced Islam, and whenever he saw me, he would smile at me. I complained to him that I could not stay firm on horses. He struck my chest with his hand and said, ‘O Allah, make him steadfast and make him a guide, rightly guided.’

'Ali ibn 'Abdullah narrated to us; Sufyan narrated to us; Abu Hazim narrated to us and said: They asked Sahl ibn Sa'd al-Sa'idi (may Allah be pleased with him), ‘What was used to treat the wound of the Prophet (ﷺ)?’ He said: No one remains who knows this better than I do. 'Ali used to bring water in his shield, and Fatima—meaning [the Prophet's daughter]—used to wash the blood from his face. A reed mat was taken, burned, and its ash packed into the wound of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

Yahya narrated to us; Waki' narrated to us from Shu'ba, from Sa'id ibn Abi Burda, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Prophet (ﷺ) sent Mu'adh and Abu Musa to Yemen and said: ‘Make things easy and do not make them difficult; give glad tidings and do not drive people away; cooperate with one another and do not differ.’

'Amr ibn Khalid narrated to us; Zuhayr narrated to us; Abu Ishaq narrated to us and said: I heard al-Bara' ibn 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with them both) relate: On the day of Uhud, the Prophet (ﷺ) placed 'Abdullah ibn Jubayr over the foot soldiers—fifty men—and said, ‘If you see birds snatching us away, do not leave this position until I send for you. And if you see us defeat the people and trample them, do not leave until I send for you.’ They defeated them. By Allah, I saw the women running, their anklets and lower legs exposed as they lifted their garments. The companions of 'Abdullah ibn Jubayr said, ‘The booty, people! The booty! Your companions have prevailed, so what are you waiting for?’ 'Abdullah ibn Jubayr said, ‘Have you forgotten what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) told you?’ They said, ‘By Allah, we will go to the people and take our share of the booty.’ When they went to them, their faces were turned back, and they came fleeing in defeat. That was when the Messenger was calling to them from their rear. Only twelve men remained with the Prophet (ﷺ), and they inflicted seventy casualties among us. On the day of Badr, the Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions had inflicted one hundred and forty casualties on the polytheists: seventy captives and seventy killed.

Abu Sufyan said three times, ‘Is Muhammad among the people?’ The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade them to answer him. Then he said three times, ‘Is Ibn Abi Quhafa among the people?’ Then he said three times, ‘Is Ibn al-Khattab among the people?’ Then he returned to his companions and said, ‘As for these, they have been killed.’ 'Umar could not contain himself and said, ‘You have lied, by Allah, enemy of Allah! All those you named are alive, and what will distress you still remains.’ Abu Sufyan said, ‘A day for a day of Badr; war alternates between sides. You will find mutilation among the people, which I did not order, but it does not grieve me.’ Then he began chanting, ‘Rise high, Hubal! Rise high, Hubal!’ The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘Will you not answer him?’ They said, ‘Messenger of Allah, what should we say?’ He said, ‘Say: Allah is higher and more majestic.’ Abu Sufyan said, ‘We have al-'Uzza, and you have no al-'Uzza.’ The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘Will you not answer him?’ They asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what should we say?’ He said, ‘Say: Allah is our Protector, and you have no protector.’

Qutayba ibn Sa'id narrated to us; Hammad narrated to us from Thabit, from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was the finest of people, the most generous of people, and the bravest of people. One night, the people of Medina were alarmed by a sound. The Prophet (ﷺ) met them on a bareback horse belonging to Abu Talha, with his sword slung over him, and said, ‘Do not be alarmed; do not be alarmed.’ Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, ‘I found it a sea’—meaning the horse.

Al-Makki ibn Ibrahim informed us; Yazid ibn Abi 'Ubayd informed us from Salama, who told him: I left Medina heading toward al-Ghaba. When I reached the mountain pass of al-Ghaba, a young servant of 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf met me. I said, ‘What is the matter with you?’ He said, ‘The Prophet's milch camels have been taken.’ I asked, ‘Who took them?’ He said, ‘Ghatafan and Fazara.’ I shouted three times so loudly that everyone between Medina's two lava tracts could hear me: ‘Raise the alarm! Raise the alarm!’ Then I charged after them and found they had taken the camels. I began shooting arrows at them, saying, ‘I am Ibn al-Akwa'; today is the day of the suckling young!’ I rescued the camels from them before they could drink. I returned, driving them before me. The Prophet (ﷺ) met me, and I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, the people are thirsty. I prevented them from taking their drink, so send men after them.’ He said, ‘Ibn al-Akwa', you have gained control, so be gentle. These people will be received as guests among their own people.’

'Ubayd Allah narrated to us from Isra'il, from Abu Ishaq, who said: A man asked al-Bara' (may Allah be pleased with him), ‘Abu 'Umara, did you turn your backs on the day of Hunayn?’ Al-Bara' said, as I listened: As for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he did not turn back that day. Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith was holding the reins of his mule. When the polytheists swarmed around the Prophet, he dismounted and began saying, ‘I am the Prophet—there is no lie in that. I am the son of 'Abd al-Muttalib.’ No one was seen that day to be more steadfast than him.

Sulayman ibn Harb narrated to us; Shu'ba narrated to us from Sa'd ibn Ibrahim, from Abu Umama—meaning Ibn Sahl ibn Hunayf—from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: When Banu Qurayza submitted to the judgment of Sa'd—meaning Sa'd ibn Mu'adh—the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent for him, as he was nearby. Sa'd came on a donkey. When he approached, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, ‘Stand up for your leader.’ Sa'd came and sat beside the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who said to him, ‘These people have submitted to your judgment.’ He said, ‘I judge that their fighting men be killed and their offspring taken captive.’ He said, ‘You have judged them with the judgment of the King.’

Isma'il narrated to us and said: Malik narrated to me from Ibn Shihab, from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) entered Mecca in the year of the Conquest with a helmet on his head. When he took it off, a man came and said, ‘Ibn Khatal is clinging to the curtains of the Ka'ba.’ He said, ‘Kill him.’

Abu al-Yaman narrated to us: Shuʿayb informed us, from al-Zuhri, who said: ʿAmr ibn Abi Sufyan ibn Asid ibn Jariya al-Thaqafi—an ally of Banu Zuhra and one of Abu Hurayra’s companions—told me that Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent out a detachment of ten men as scouts and appointed ʿAsim ibn Thabit al-Ansari, the grandfather of ʿAsim ibn ʿUmar, as their commander. They set out and, when they were at al-Hada’a, between ʿUsfan and Mecca, news of them reached a clan of Hudhayl called Banu Lihyan. Nearly two hundred men—all archers—set out after them and followed their tracks until they found where they had eaten dates they had brought from Medina. They said, “These are the dates of Yathrib.” They continued following their tracks. When ʿAsim and his companions saw them, they took refuge on a rocky rise, and the group surrounded them. They said, “Come down and surrender to us; you have our pledge and covenant that we will kill none of you.” ʿAsim ibn Thabit, the commander of the detachment, said, “As for me, by Allah, I will not come down today under the protection of a disbeliever. O Allah, inform Your Prophet about us.” They shot arrows at them and killed ʿAsim and six others. Three men came down to them under the pledge and covenant; among them were Khubayb al-Ansari, Ibn Dathina, and another man. When the pursuers had secured them, they loosened their bowstrings and bound them. The third man said, “This is the first act of treachery. By Allah, I will not go with you. In these men there is an example for me”—meaning those who had been killed. They dragged him and tried to make him go with them, but he refused, so they killed him. They took Khubayb and Ibn Dathina and sold them in Mecca after the battle of Badr. The sons of al-Harith ibn ʿAmir ibn Nawfal ibn ʿAbd Manaf bought Khubayb. Khubayb was the one who had killed al-Harith ibn ʿAmir on the day of Badr, and Khubayb remained a prisoner with them. ʿUbayd Allah ibn ʿIyad told me that the daughter of al-Harith had told him: When they had gathered, Khubayb borrowed a razor from me to shave himself, and I lent it to him. He took a son of mine while I was unaware; when he came upon him, she said, “I found him seated with my son on his thigh and the razor in his hand. I was overcome with fear, and Khubayb recognized it in my face. He said, ‘Are you afraid that I will kill him? I would never do that.’ By Allah, I have never seen a prisoner better than Khubayb. By Allah, one day I found him eating from a bunch of grapes in his hand while he was shackled in iron, although there was no fruit in Mecca. She used to say, ‘It was provision from Allah, which He provided for Khubayb.’ When they left the sanctuary to kill him outside its bounds, Khubayb said to them, ‘Let me pray two rakʿas.’ They let him, and he prayed two rakʿas. Then he said, ‘Were it not that you might think my state was one of fear, I would have made them longer. O Allah, count them one by one.’ He then recited: ‘I do not care, when I am killed as a Muslim, / On which side I fall for Allah; / This is for the sake of the One God, / And, if He wills, He will bless the limbs of a torn body.’ Then the son of al-Harith killed him. Khubayb was the one who established the practice of praying two rakʿas for every Muslim executed while held captive. Allah answered ʿAsim ibn Thabit’s prayer on the day he was struck down. The Prophet (ﷺ) informed his Companions of what had happened to them and how they had been afflicted. Some unbelievers of Quraysh, when they heard that ʿAsim had been killed, sent for something of him by which he could be identified, for he had killed one of their chiefs on the day of Badr. A swarm of wasps, like a canopy, was sent over ʿAsim and protected him from their emissary, so they could not cut any flesh from him.

Qutayba ibn Saʿid narrated to us: Jarir narrated to us, from Mansur, from Abu Waʾil, from Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Release the captive, feed the hungry, and visit the sick.”

Ahmad ibn Yunus narrated to us: Zuhayr narrated to us: Mutarrif narrated to us that ʿAmir reported to them from Abu Juhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I said to ʿAli (may Allah be pleased with him), “Do you have anything of revelation apart from what is in the Book of Allah?” He replied, “By Him who split the seed and brought the soul into being, I know of nothing except an understanding of the Qur’an that Allah grants to a man, and what is in this scroll.” I asked, “What is in the scroll?” He said, “The blood-money, the freeing of a captive, and that a Muslim is not to be killed in retaliation for a disbeliever.”

Ismaʿil ibn Abi Uways narrated to us: Ismaʿil ibn Ibrahim ibn ʿUqba narrated to us, from Musa ibn ʿUqba, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) told me that some men from the Ansar asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for permission. They said, “Messenger of Allah, allow us to forgo the ransom for our nephew, al-ʿAbbas.” He replied, “Do not leave a single dirham of it.”

Ibrahim said, from ʿAbd al-ʿAziz ibn Suhayb, from Anas: Wealth from Bahrain was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ). Al-ʿAbbas came to him and said, “Messenger of Allah, give me, for I paid my own ransom and ʿAqil’s ransom.” He said, “Take,” and gave it to him in his garment.

Mahmud narrated to me: ʿAbd al-Razzaq narrated to us: Maʿmar informed us, from al-Zuhri, from Muhammad ibn Jubayr, from his father—who had been among the captives of Badr—who said: I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) reciting Surat al-Tur in the Maghrib prayer.

Abu Nuʿaym narrated to us: Abu al-ʿUmais narrated to us, from Iyas ibn Salama ibn al-Akwaʿ, from his father, who said: A spy from among the polytheists came to the Prophet (ﷺ) while he was on a journey. He sat with the Prophet’s Companions, talking, then slipped away. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Pursue him and kill him.” They killed him, and he awarded his belongings as a bonus.

Musa ibn Ismaʿil narrated to us: Abu ʿAwana narrated to us, from Husayn, from ʿAmr ibn Maymun, from ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: “I enjoin him, by Allah’s covenant and the covenant of His Messenger (ﷺ), to fulfill their treaty, to fight on their behalf, and not to burden them beyond their capacity.”

Qabisa narrated to us: Ibn ʿUyayna narrated to us, from Sulayman al-Ahwal, from Saʿid ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ʿAbbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: Thursday—and what a Thursday it was! Then he wept until his tears stained the gravel. He said: The Messenger of Allah’s (ﷺ) pain became severe on Thursday, and he said, “Bring me writing materials so I may write something for you after which you will never go astray.” They disputed, though dispute is not fitting in the presence of a Prophet. They said, “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is speaking incoherently.” He said, “Leave me; the state I am in is better than what you are calling me to.” As death approached, he instructed three things: “Expel the polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula, and grant delegations hospitality in the way I used to grant them.” I forgot the third. Yaʿqub ibn Muhammad said: I asked al-Mughira ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman about the Arabian Peninsula. He said, “Mecca, Medina, al-Yamama, and Yemen.” Yaʿqub said: “Al-ʿArj is at the beginning of Tihama.”

Yahya ibn Bukayr narrated to us: al-Layth narrated to us, from ʿUqayl, from Ibn Shihab, from Salim ibn ʿAbd Allah, that Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: ʿUmar saw a brocade garment being sold in the market. He brought it to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said, “Messenger of Allah, buy this garment and adorn yourself with it for the Eid and when receiving delegations.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “This is the clothing of one who has no share [in the Hereafter]”—or, “Only one who has no share [in the Hereafter] wears this.” Some time passed, then the Prophet (ﷺ) sent ʿUmar a brocade robe. ʿUmar brought it to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said, “Messenger of Allah, you said, ‘This is the clothing of one who has no share [in the Hereafter]’”—or, “Only one who has no share [in the Hereafter] wears this”—“and then you sent this to me?” He said, “Sell it, or use it to meet some of your needs.”