Sunan an-Nasa'i
The Book of Jihad
كتاب الجهاد
Chapter 45
فَضْلِ النَّفَقَةِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى .
Ismail ibn Masud reported to us; he said: Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal narrated to us, from Yunus, from al-Hasan, from Sa'sa'ah ibn Mu'awiyah, who said: I met Abu Dharr and said, ‘Tell me something.’ He said, ‘Yes.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: No Muslim servant gives two of every kind of wealth he owns in the cause of Allah without all the keepers of Paradise meeting him, each calling him to what is with him.’ I asked, ‘How is that?’ He said: ‘If they are camels, then two camels; and if they are cattle, then two cows.’
Translation notes
Zawjayn means a pair. The following clarification gives a pair of camels or a pair of cattle as examples.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi al-Nadr reported to us; he said: Abu al-Nadr narrated to us; he said: Ubayd Allah al-Ashja'i narrated to us, from Sufyan al-Thawri, from al-Rukayn al-Fazari, from his father, from Yusayr ibn Amilah, from Khuraym ibn Fatik, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Whoever spends an expenditure in the cause of Allah, it is recorded for him as seven hundred times its amount.
Chapter 46
فَضْلِ الصَّدَقَةِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ .
Bishr ibn Khalid reported to us; he said: Muhammad ibn Ja'far narrated to us; he said: Shu'bah narrated to us, from Sulayman, who said: I heard Abu Amr al-Shaybani, from Abu Masud, that a man gave a she-camel with a halter in the cause of Allah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: On the Day of Resurrection, he will surely come with seven hundred she-camels, each with a halter.
Translation notes
The narration repeats the description of the donated animal: a she-camel fitted with a halter.
Amr ibn Uthman reported to us; he said: Baqiyyah narrated to us, from Buhayr, from Khalid, from Abu Bahriyyah, from Muadh ibn Jabal, from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said: Campaigning is of two kinds. As for the one who seeks Allah’s pleasure, obeys the leader, spends generously of his valuable property, treats his companion gently, and avoids corruption, his sleep and wakefulness are all reward. As for the one who campaigns for show and reputation, disobeys the leader, and spreads corruption in the land, he returns with nothing to show for it.
Translation notes
The Arabic contrasts two kinds of military campaigning by intention and conduct. Al-karimah refers to valuable property; yasar al-sharik is rendered as treating one’s companion gently.
عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ قَالَ " الْغَزْوُ غَزْوَانِ فَأَمَّا مَنِ ابْتَغَى وَجْهَ اللَّهِ وَأَطَاعَ الإِمَامَ وَأَنْفَقَ الْكَرِيمَةَ وَيَاسَرَ الشَّرِيكَ وَاجْتَنَبَ الْفَسَادَ كَانَ نَوْمُهُ وَنُبْهُهُ أَجْرًا كُلُّهُ وَأَمَّا مَنْ غَزَا رِيَاءً وَسُمْعَةً وَعَصَى الإِمَامَ وَأَفْسَدَ فِي الأَرْضِ فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَرْجِعُ بِالْكَفَافِ " .
The final phrase لا يرجع بالكفاف is idiomatic; its precise image may be returning merely even or with no gain.
Does the phrase mean he returns with no reward or benefit at all?
Chapter 47
حُرْمَةِ نِسَاءِ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ .
Husayn ibn Hurayth and Mahmud ibn Ghaylan reported to us—and the wording is that of Husayn. They said: Waki narrated to us, from Sufyan, from Alqamah ibn Marthad, from Sulayman ibn Buraydah, from his father, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The inviolability of the wives of those striving in Allah’s cause for those who remain behind is like the inviolability of their own mothers. Any man who is left in charge of the wife of a man striving in Allah’s cause and betrays him concerning her will be made to stand on the Day of Resurrection, and the man will take from his deeds whatever he wishes. So what do you think?
Translation notes
The opening compares the inviolability of fighters’ wives for those remaining behind to that of their mothers. The final question is a rhetorical warning about the gravity of betrayal.
قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " حُرْمَةُ نِسَاءِ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ كَحُرْمَةِ أُمَّهَاتِهِمْ وَمَا مِنْ رَجُلٍ يَخْلُفُ فِي امْرَأَةِ رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ فَيَخُونُهُ فِيهَا إِلاَّ وُقِفَ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَأَخَذَ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ مَا شَاءَ فَمَا ظَنُّكُمْ " .
The wording فيخونه فيها is elliptical and does not explicitly state the form of betrayal; rendered generally as betraying him concerning her.
Should the betrayal here be understood specifically as sexual misconduct, or kept general as in this translation?
Chapter 48
مَنْ خَانَ غَازِيًا فِي أَهْلِهِ .
Harun ibn Abd Allah informed me; he said: Harmi ibn Umarah narrated to us; he said: Shu'bah narrated to us, from Alqamah ibn Marthad, from Sulayman ibn Buraydah, from his father, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The inviolability of the wives of those striving in Allah’s cause for those who remain behind is like the inviolability of their own mothers. If a man is left behind to care for someone’s family and betrays him, he will be told on the Day of Resurrection: This man betrayed you concerning your family, so take whatever you wish from his good deeds. So what do you think?
Translation notes
This wording explicitly says to take from the betrayer’s good deeds whatever one wishes; the closing question is a rhetorical warning.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " حُرْمَةُ نِسَاءِ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ كَحُرْمَةِ أُمَّهَاتِهِمْ وَإِذَا خَلَفَهُ فِي أَهْلِهِ فَخَانَهُ قِيلَ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ هَذَا خَانَكَ فِي أَهْلِكَ فَخُذْ مِنْ حَسَنَاتِهِ مَا شِئْتَ فَمَا ظَنُّكُمْ " .
The expression خَلَفَهُ فِي أَهْلِهِ refers to being left in charge of a person’s family; the exact scope of the betrayal is not specified in the wording.
Should the betrayal be rendered generally, without specifying a particular form of misconduct?
Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman reported to us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us; he said: Qa'nab—a Kufan—narrated to us, from Alqamah ibn Marthad, from Ibn Buraydah, from his father, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said: The inviolability of the wives of those striving in Allah’s cause for those who remain behind is like that of their mothers. Any man among those who remain behind who is left in charge of a man’s family while he is striving in Allah’s cause will be made to stand on the Day of Resurrection, and it will be said: So-and-so, this is the man; take whatever you wish from his good deeds. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) turned to his Companions and said: What do you think? Do you suppose he will leave him any of his good deeds?
Translation notes
The narration repeats the comparison to mothers and describes the betrayed person taking from the caretaker’s good deeds.
The Prophet’s closing question is rhetorical and underscores the severity of the warning.
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " حُرْمَةُ نِسَاءِ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ فِي الْحُرْمَةِ كَأُمَّهَاتِهِمْ وَمَا مِنْ رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْقَاعِدِينَ يَخْلُفُ رَجُلاً مِنَ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ فِي أَهْلِهِ إِلاَّ نُصِبَ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَيُقَالُ يَا فُلاَنُ هَذَا فُلاَنٌ فَخُذْ مِنْ حَسَنَاتِهِ مَا شِئْتَ " .
The phrase يَخْلُفُ رَجُلاً ... فِي أَهْلِهِ indicates being left in charge of a man’s family; the form of betrayal is not specified.
Should the betrayal remain general rather than be made more specific in English?
Amr ibn Ali reported to us; he said: Abd al-Rahman narrated to us; he said: Hammad ibn Salamah narrated to us, from Humayd, from Anas, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Strive with your hands, your tongues, and your wealth.
Translation notes
The verb conveys striving or exertion in Allah’s cause; the narration names hands, tongues, and wealth as means.
Abu Muhammad Musa ibn Muhammad—the Syrian—reported to us; he said: Maymun ibn al-Asbagh narrated to us; he said: Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us; he said: Sharik informed us, from Abu Ishaq, from al-Qasim ibn Abd al-Rahman, from his father, from Abd Allah, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), that he commanded the killing of snakes and said: Whoever fears their vengeance is not one of us.
Translation notes
The narration reports a command to kill snakes and uses an emphatic warning about fearing their retaliation.
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ أَمَرَ بِقَتْلِ الْحَيَّاتِ وَقَالَ " مَنْ خَافَ ثَأْرَهُنَّ فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا " .
The phrase ثأرهن literally refers to their vengeance or retaliation, with the precise implication left unstated.
Should this be understood as fearing retaliation from the snakes, or a more specific belief about them?
Ahmad ibn Sulayman reported to us; he said: Ja'far ibn Awn narrated to us, from Abu Umays, from Abd Allah ibn Abd Allah ibn Jabr, from his father, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) visited Jabr. When he entered, he heard women weeping and saying, ‘We thought your death was a killing in Allah’s cause.’ He said: ‘What do you count as martyrdom? Only one who is killed in Allah’s cause? In that case, your martyrs would be few. Being killed in Allah’s cause is martyrdom; abdominal illness is martyrdom; burning is martyrdom; drowning is martyrdom; being crushed—meaning, by a collapse—is martyrdom; pleurisy is martyrdom; and a woman who dies while pregnant is a martyr.’ A man said, ‘Are you weeping while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is sitting here?’ He said: ‘Leave them. When it has come to pass, let no woman weep over him.’
Translation notes
The list names several forms of death as martyrdom. The parenthetical “meaning, by a collapse” explains al-hadm. The expression بجمْع is rendered as dying while pregnant.
The final instruction uses وجب, here rendered “when it has come to pass,” referring to death.
فَقَالَ " وَمَا تَعُدُّونَ الشَّهَادَةَ إِلاَّ مَنْ قُتِلَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ شُهَدَاءَكُمْ إِذًا لَقَلِيلٌ الْقَتْلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ شَهَادَةٌ وَالْبَطْنُ شَهَادَةٌ وَالْحَرَقُ شَهَادَةٌ وَالْغَرَقُ شَهَادَةٌ وَالْمَغْمُومُ - يَعْنِي الْهَدِمَ - شَهَادَةٌ وَالْمَجْنُوبُ شَهَادَةٌ وَالْمَرْأَةُ تَمُوتُ بِجُمْعٍ شَهِيدَةٌ " .
المجنوب is an uncommon term in this list; it is rendered as pleurisy, while بجمْع is interpreted as dying pregnant.
Are both the disease term and the description of the woman’s death correctly understood in these senses?
Ahmad ibn Yahya reported to us; he said: Ishaq ibn Mansur narrated to us; he said: Dawud—meaning al-Ta'i—narrated to us, from Abd al-Malik ibn Umayr, from Jabr, that he entered with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to visit a dead person. The women began to weep, and Jabr said: ‘Are you weeping while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is sitting here?’ He said: ‘Let them weep while he is among them; when death has come to pass, let no woman weep.’
Translation notes
The final instruction uses وَجَبَ, rendered here as death having come to pass. The speech permits weeping while the Prophet is present, then prohibits it after death.
أَنَّهُ دَخَلَ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى مَيِّتٍ فَبَكَى النِّسَاءُ فَقَالَ جَبْرٌ أَتَبْكِينَ مَا دَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم جَالِسًا قَالَ " دَعْهُنَّ يَبْكِينَ مَا دَامَ بَيْنَهُنَّ فَإِذَا وَجَبَ فَلاَ تَبْكِيَنَّ بَاكِيَةٌ " .
The idiomatic expression فَإِذَا وَجَبَ refers to the point at which death occurs or becomes certain.
Is “when death has come to pass” the intended sense here?