Book 19: Jihad

Abu Umama reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, “God has given me superiority over the prophets,” or as saying, “has given my people superiority over other peoples and made spoils lawful to us.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Anas reported God’s Messenger as saying on that day, meaning the day of Hunain, “He who kills an infidel gets what he takes from him.” Abu Talha killed twenty men that day and got what was taken from them. Darimi transmitted it.

‘Auf b. Malik al-Ashja‘i and Khalid b. al-Walid told that God’s Messenger gave judgment that the killer should have what was taken from the man he killed, and did not make this subject to division into fifths. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. Mas'ud said that at the battle of Badr God’s Messenger gave him Abu Jahl’s sword, as he had killed him. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘Umair client of Abul Lahm said: I was present at Khaibar along with my masters who spoke about me to God's Messenger, telling him that I was a slave. He ordered that I should have a sword girded on me, and I was trailing it.* He then ordered that I should be given some inferior goods. I submitted to him an invocation with which I used to treat people who were possessed and he ordered me to reject part of it and retain part. *Either because he was a small man, or because he was young. Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it, but the latter's version ended at “goods”.

Mujammi' b. Jariya said: Khaibar was divided among those who had been at al-Hudaibiya, and God’s Messenger divided it into eighteen portions. The army was one thousand five hundred of which three hundred were cavalry, and he gave two shares to a horseman and one to a footman. Abu Dawud transmitted it, saying Ibn ‘Umar’s tradition¹ is sounder, and it is the one which is followed. The error in the tradition of Mujammi’ was because he said three hundred horsemen when there were only two hundred. Habib b. Maslama al-Fihri said he saw the Prophet (ﷺ) give a quarter of the spoil on the outward journey and a third on the return journey.² 1. I have available two editions of Abu Dawud’s Sunan (Cairo, 1280 and 1348 A .H.). Both give Ibn Mu'awiya in place of Ibn 'Umar. See Jihad, 144. 2. This tradition and the following one are explained as referring to a section of the army which comes in contact with the enemy. The greater amount granted them when this happens on the return journey is because there is more difficulty and danger in fighting after having gone through the campaign. The second tradition is more explicit by making it clear that the fifth was deducted. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

He said that God’s Messenger used to give a quarter as booty after the fifth had been kept off, and a third after the fifth had been kept off when he returned. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abul Juwairiya al-Jarmi said: In the period when Mu'awiya was governor he got a red jar containing dinars in the land of the Byzantines. A man of the B. Sulaim called Ma'n b. Yazid who was a companion of God’s Messenger was in charge of us, and when I took it to him he divided it among the Muslims giving me the same as he gave the others. He then said that if he had not heard God’s Messenger say, “Booty is granted only after the fifth has been kept off,” he would have given it to me. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari said: We arrived just at the moment when God’s Messenger had conquered Khaibar and he appointed us a portion (or he said he gave us some of it). He allotted nothing to anyone who was not present at the conquest of Khaibar, giving shares only to those who were present with him, except for those who were in our ship,* Ja'far and his companions to whom he appointed something along with them. *The party to which reference is made is that of people who had emigrated from Mecca to Abyssinia and were now returning. Aba Dawud transmitted it.

Yazid b. Khalid told that when one of God’s Messenger’s companions died at the battle of Khaibar they mentioned the matter to him and he replied, “Pray over your companion.” When the people looked perplexed at that he said, “Your companion was dishonest about booty in God’s path.” They searched his belongings and found some Jewish beads not worth two dirhams. Malik, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr told that when God’s Messenger gained booty he ordered Bilal to make a public announcement, and when the people brought their booty he would take a fifth and divide it. One day a man brought a halter of hair after that and said, “Messenger of God, this is part of the booty we got.” He asked whether he had heard Bilal making announcement three times, and when he replied that he had, he asked what had prevented him from bringing it. He made some excuse, so he said, “You must bring it yourself on the day of resurrection, for I shall never accept it from you.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘Amr b. Shu'aib, on his father’s authority, said that his grandfather told that God’s Messenger, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar burned the belongings of anyone who was dishonest about booty and beat him. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Samura b. Jundub told that God’s Messenger used to say, “Anyone who conceals one who has been dishonest about booty is like him. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Aba Sa'id told that God’s Messenger forbade selling booty before it was divided. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Umama told that the Prophet (ﷺ) forbade the sale of portions before they were divided. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Khaula, daughter of Qais, told of hearing God’s Messenger say, “This property is fresh and sweet and he who gets it in a proper way will be blessed in it, but he who improperly acquires such property of God and His Messenger as his soul wishes will have nothing but hell on the day of resurrection.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Ibn 'Abbas said that the Prophet (ﷺ) got his sword Dhul Fiqar as private booty at the battle of Badr. Ibn Majah transmitted it, and Tirmidhi added that it was that about which he had the vision at the battle of Uhud.

Ruwaifi' b. Thabit reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, “He who believes in God and the last day must not ride a packhorse belonging to the booty of the Muslims and put it back when he has emaciated it; and he who believes in God and the last day must not wear a garment belonging to the booty of the Muslims and put it back when he has made it threadbare.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Muhammad b. Abul Mujalid reported ‘Abdallah b. Abu Aufa as saying he asked whether they set aside the fifth of food in the time of God’s Messenger and received the reply that on the day of Khaibar they captured food and a man would come and take as much of it as he needed and then go away. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar said that in the time of God’s Messenger an army got food and honey in booty and a fifth was not taken from them. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Al-Qasim the client of ‘Abd ar-Rahman quoted one of the Prophet’s companions as saying: We would eat a camel on an expedition without dividing it, and when we returned to our dwellings our saddle-bags would be full with its flesh. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘Ubada b. as-Samit told that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to say, “Hand over threads and needles and avoid dishonesty about booty, for it will be a reproach to those who are guilty of it on the day of resurrection.” Darimi transmitted it, and Nasa’i transmitted on the authority of ‘Amr b. Shu'aib who gave it on his father’s authority as coming from his grandfather.

‘Amr b. Shu'aib, on his father’s authority, said his grandfather told that, the Prophet (ﷺ) approached a camel, and taking a hair from its hump said, “O people, I get nothing of this booty, not even this (meanwhile raising his finger), but the fifth, and the fifth is returned to you, so hand over threads and needles." A man got up with a ball of hair in his hand and said, “I took this to repair the cloth under a pack-saddle." The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, “You can have what belongs to me and to the B. ‘Abd al-Muttalib," but the man said, "If it produces the result I now realise,* I have no desire for it," and he threw it away. *Literally "If it reaches what I see." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘Amr b. ‘Abasa said: God’s Messenger led us in prayer facing a camel which had been taken in booty, and when he had given the salutation he took a hair from the camel’s side and said, "I have no right to as much as this of your booty, but only to the fifth, and the fifth is returned to you." Abu Dawud transmited it.

Jubair b. Mut'im said: When God’s Messenger divided the portion of the relatives among the B. Hashim and the B. al-Muttalib, ‘Uthman b. ‘Affan and I came to him and said, "Messenger of God, these are our brethren of the B. Hashim whose superiority we do not deny because of the position in which God has placed you in relation to them, but tell us about our brethren of the B. al-Muttalib to whom you have given something while omitting us though our relationship is the same as theirs."* God’s Messenger replied, "The B. Hashim and the B. al- Muttalib are one body like this," and he intertwined his fingers. * Cf. Chapter 8a Shafi'i transmitted it, and there is something to the same effect in the version of Abu Dawud and Nasa'i. It says, "I and the B. al-Muttalib have not been separate in the pre-Islamic or in the Islamic period and they and we are one," intertwining his fingers.