Book 19: Jihad

‘Abdar-Rahman b. ‘Auf said: When I stood in the rank at the battle of Badr I looked to my right and my left, and when I saw that I was between two young men of the Ansar I wished that I had been between men who were stronger than they. One of them pinched me and said, "Do you know Abu Jahl, uncle?" and I replied, "Yes, but what do you want with him, nephew?” He said, “I have been told that he reviles God's Messenger. By Him in whose hand my soul is, if I see him I shall not leave him till the one of us who is to die first dies.” I was astonished at that, and then the other pinched me and said the same to me. Before long I saw Abu Jahl going round among the people and I said, “Look, this is the man about whom you were asking.” They then hastened to him with their swords and struck him till they killed him, after which they went to God’s Messenger and informed him. He asked which of them had killed him and they both claimed to have done so. He then asked if they had wiped their swords, and when they replied that they had not he looked at the swords and said, “Both of you killed him.” God’s Messenger then decided that what was taken from him should go to Mu'adh b. ‘Amr b. al-Jamuh. The two men were Mu'adh b. ‘Amr b. al-Jamah and Mu'adh b. ‘Afra’.* *’Afra’ was his mother. His father was al-Harith. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Anas reported God’s Messenger as saying at the battle of Badr, “Who will find out for us what has happened to Abu Jahl?” Ibn Mas'ud went and. found that the two sons of ‘Afra,’ had struck him till he was almost dead, so he seized him by his beard and said, “Are you Abu Jahl?” He replied, “Have you killed more than a man?” In a version he said, “I wish someone other than a tiller of the ground had killed me.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Sa‘d b. Abu Waqqas said: While I was sitting God’s Messenger gave a company something but omitted the one who was most attractive to me. I therefore got up and said, ‘Why have you omitted so and so? I swear by God that I consider him to be a believer.” God’s Messenger replied, “No, a Muslim.” Sa'd mentioned that three times and he gave him the same reply, then said, “I give a man something although I like someone else better, from fear he may be thrown face downwards in hell.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) In a version by both of them Zuhri said be considered that Islam is the attestation of belief and faith is good action.

Ibn ‘Umar told that God's Messenger stood up, i.e. on the day of Badr, and said, ‘Uthman has gone off on the business of God and His Messenger and I shall take the oath of allegiance on his behalf. God’s Messenger then appointed him a share, but did not do so for anyone else who was absent. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Rafi' b. Khadij said that in the division of the booty God’s Messenger used to treat ten sheep as equivalent to a camel. Nasa’i transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “A prophet who went out on an expedition told his people that no man should follow him who had married a woman with whom he wished to cohabit but had not yet done so, or who had built houses on which he had not yet put the roofs, or who had bought sheep or pregnant she-camels and was expecting them to produce young. He then went on the expedition and approached the town at the time of the afternoon prayer or thereabouts. He then told the sun that both it and he were under command and prayed God to keep it back for them, so it was kept back till God gave him victory. He collected the spoils and it (meaning fire) came to devour them, but did not do so. Saying that there was dishonesty about spoil among them he told them that a man from every tribe must swear allegiance to him, and when a man’s hand stuck in his he said there was dishonesty about spoil among them. They brought him a head of gold like a cow’s head an when he had laid it down the fire came and devoured the spoil.* A version has, "Spoils were not allowable to anyone before us .Then God allowed spoils to us. He saw our weakness and incapacity and allowed them to us.” *This tradition combines elements of the story of Joshua commanding the sun to stand still (Joshua, 10:12) and the story of Achan’s sin (Joshua, 7:10 ff ). (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Abbas said he was told by ‘Umar that on the day of Khaibar some of the Prophet’s companions came and said, So and so is a martyr and so and so is a martyr,” but when they came to a man about whom they said, "So and so is a martyr” God’s Messenger declared, "By no means, I have seen him in hell in a mantle (or cloak) which he took dishonestly.” God's Messenger then said, "Go, Ibn al-Khattab, and announce among the people three times that only the believers will enter paradise.” He said he went out and announced three times, "Only the believers will enter paradise.” Muslim transmitted it.