Ibn 'Aun reported: I wrote to Nafi' inquiring from him
whether it was necessary to extend (to the disbelievers)
an invitation to accept (Islam) before m". ing them in
fight. He wrote (in reply) to me that it was necessary in
the early days of Islam. The Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) made a raid upon Banu Mustaliq while they
were unaware and their cattle were having a drink at the
water. He killed those who fought and imprisoned others.
On that very day, he captured Juwairiya bint al-Harith.
Nafi' said that this tradition was related to him by
Abdullah b. Umar who (himself) was among the raiding
troops.
It has been reported from Sulaiman b. Buraid through
his father that when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) appointed anyone as leader of an army or
detachment he would especially exhort him to fear Allah
and to be good to the Muslims who were with him. He would
say: Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah.
Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy
war, do not embezzle the spoils; do not break your pledge;
and do not mutilate (the dead) bodies; do not kill the
children. When you meet your enemies who are polytheists,
invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to
any one of these, you also accept it and withold yourself
from doing them any harm. Invite them to (accept) Islam;
if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist
from fighting against them. Then invite them to migrate
from their lands to the land of Muhairs and inform them
that, if they do so, they shall have all the privileges
and obligations of the Muhajirs. If they refuse to
migrate, tell them that they will have the status of
Bedouin Muilims and will be subjected to the Commands of
Allah like other Muslims, but they will not get any share
from the spoils of war or Fai' except when they actually
fight with the Muslims (against the disbelievers). If they
refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya. If
they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your
hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah's help
and fight them. When you lay siege to a fort and the
besieged appeal to you for protection in the name of Allah
and His Prophet, do not accord to them the guarantee of
Allah and His Prophet, but accord to them your own
guarantee and the guarantee of your companions for it is a
lesser sin that the security given by you or your
companions be disregarded than that the security granted
in the name of Allah and His Prophet be violated When you
besiege a fort and the besieged want you to let them out
in accordance with Allah's Command, do not let them come
out in accordance with His Command, but do so at your
(own) command, for you do not know whether or not you will
be able to carry out Allah's behest with regard to them.
Sulaiman b. Buraida repotted on the authority of his
father that when Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)
sent an Amir with a detachment he called him and advised
him. The rest of the hadith is the same.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Masa that
when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
deputed any of his Companions on a mission, he would say:
Give tidings (to the people) ; do not create (in their
minds) aversion (towards religion) ; show them leniency
and do not be hard upon them.
It has also been narrated by Sa'd b. Abu Burda through
his father through his grandfather that the Prophet of
Allah (may peace be upon him) sent him and Mu'adh (on a
mission) to the Yemen, and said (by way of advising them):
Show leniency (to the people) ; don't be hard upon them;
give them glad tidings (of Divine favours in this world
and the Hereafter) ; and do not create aversion. Work in
collaboration and don't be divided.
The Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) has been
reported by Anas b. Malik to have said: Show leniency; do
not be hard; give solace and do not create aversion.
Chapter 4: PROHIBITION (DENUNCIATION) OF BREACH
OF FAITH
It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Umar that
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: When
Allah will gather together, on the Day of Judgment, all
the earlier and later generations of mankind, a flag will
be raised (to mark off) every person guilty of breach of
faith, and it will be announced that this is the perfidy
of so and so, son of so and so (to attract the attention
of people to his guilt).
This hadith has been narrated by another chain of
transmitters on the authority of the same narrator, with
the wording: Allah will set up a flag for every person
guilty of breach of faith on the Day of Judgment, and it
will be announced: Look, this is the perfidy of so and so.
Ibn Umar reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) saying: There will be a flag for
every perfidious person on the Day of Judgment.
'Abdullah reported Allah's Prophet (may peace be upon
him) as saying: There will be a flag for every perfidious
person on the Day of Judgment, and it would be said: Here
is the perfidy of so and so.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abdullah that
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: There
will be for every perfidious person on the Day of Judgment
a flag by which he will be recognised. It will be
announced: Here is the breach of faith of so and so.
Anas reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)
having said this: There would be a flag for every
perfidious person on the Day of Judgment by which he will
be recognised.
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Sa'id that the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: On the
Day of Judgment there will be a flag fixed behind the
buttocks of every person guilty of the breach of faith.
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Sa'id that the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: On the
Day of Judgment there will be a flag for every person
guilty of the breach of faith. It will be raised in
proportion to the extent of his guilt; and there is no
guilt of treachery more serious than the one committed by
the ruler of men.
Chapter 5: JUSTIFICATION FOR THE USE OF STRATAGEM
IN WAR
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira
that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:
Do not desire an encounter with the enemy; but when you
encounter them, be firm.
It is narrated by Abu Nadr that he learnt from a letter
sent by a man from the Aslam tribe, who was a Companion of
the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) and whose name
was 'Abdullah b. Abu Aufa, to 'Umar b. 'Ubaidullah when
the latter marched upon Haruriyya (Khawarij) informing him
that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) in one
of those days when lie was confronting the enemy waited
until the sun had declined. Then he stood up (to address
the people) and said: O ye men, do not wish for an
encounter with the enemy. Pray to Allah to grant you
security; (but) when you (have to) encounter them exercise
patience, and you should know that Paradise is under the
shadows of the swords. Then the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) stood up (again) and said: O Allah.
Revealer of the Book, Disperser of the clouds, Defeater of
the hordes, put our enemy to rout and help us against
them.
Chapter 7: DESIRABILITY OF PRAYING FOR VICTORY AT
THE TIME OF CONFRONTATION WITH THE ENEMY
It is narrated on the authority of Ibn Abu Aufa that
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) cursed the
tribes (who had marched upon Medina with a combined force
in 5 H) and said: O Allah, Revealer of the Book, swift in
(taking) account, put the tribes to rout. O Lord, defeat
them and shake them.
This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Uyaina
through another chain of transmitters (who added the
words)" the Disperser of clouds" in his narration.
It is narrated on the authority of Anas that the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said on the day
of the Battle of Ubud: O Allah, if Thou wilt (defeat
Muslims), there will be none on the earth to worship Thee.
Chapter 8: PROHIBITION OF KILLING WOMEN AND
CHILDREN IN WAR
It is narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah that a
woman was found killed in one of the battles fought by the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). He disapproved
of the killing of women and children.
It is narrated by Ibn 'Umar that a woman was found
killed in one of these battles; so the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) forbade the killing of women and
children.
Chapter 9: PERMISSIBILITY OF KILLING WOMEN AND
CHILDREN IN THE NIGHT RAIDS, PROVIDED IT IS NOT DELIBERATE
It is reported on the authority of Sa'b b. Jaththama
that the Prophet of Allah (may peace be upon him), when
asked about the women and children of the polytheists
being killed during the night raid, said: They are from
them.
It is narrated by Sa'b b. Jaththama that he said (to
the Holy Prophet): Messenger of Allah, we kill the
children of the polytheists during the night raids. He
said: They are from them.
Sa'b b. Jaththama has narrated that the Prophet (may
peace be upon him) asked: What about the children of
polytheists killed by the cavalry during the night raid?
He said: They are from them.
Chapter 10: JUSTIFICATION FOR CUTTING DOWN THE
TREES AND BURNING THEM
It is narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah that the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) ordered the
date-palms of Banu Nadir to be burnt and cut. These palms
were at Buwaira. Qutaibah and Ibn Rumh in their versions
of the tradition have added: So Allah, the Glorious and
Exalted, revealed the verse:" Whatever trees you have cut
down or left standing on their trunks, it was with the
permission of Allah so that He may disgrace the
evil-doers" (lix. 5).
It is narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar that the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) caused the
date-palms of Banu Nadir to be cut down and burnt. It is
in this connection that Hassan (the poet) said:
It was easy for the nobles of Quraish to barn Buwaira
whose sparks were flying in all directions.
in the same connection was revealed the Qur'anic
verse:" Whatever trees you have cut down or left standing
on their trunks."
It has been narrated by Abu Huraira that the Messenger
of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: One of the Prophets
made a holy war. He said to his followers: One who has
married a woman and wants to consummate to his marriage
but has not yet done so; another who has built a house but
has not yet erected its roof; and another who has bought
goats and pregnantshe-camels and is waiting for their
offspring-will not accommpany me. So he marched on and
approached a village at or about the time of the Asr
prayers. He said to the sun: Thou art subserviant (to
Allah) and so am I. O Allah, stop it for me a little. It
was stopped for him until Allah granted him victory. The
people gathered the spoils of war (at one place). A fire
approached the spoils to devour them, but it did not
devour them. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Some of you have
been guilty of misappropriation. So one man from each
tribe should swear fealty to me. The did so (putting their
hands into his). The hand of one man stuck to his hand and
the Prophet (may peace be upon him) said: Your tribe is
guilty of misappropriation. Let all the members of your
tribe swear fealty to me one by one. They did so, when the
hands of two or three persons got stuck with his hand. He
said: You have misappropriated. So they took out gold
equal in volume to the head of a cow. They-placed it among
the spoils on the earth. Then the fire approached the
spoils and devoured them. The spoils of war were not made
lawful for any people before us, This is because Allah saw
our weakness and humility and made them lawful for us.
A hadith has been narrated by Mus'ab b. Sa'd who heard
it from his father as saying: My father took a sword from
Khums and brought it to the Holy Prophet (may peace be
upon him) and said: Grant it to me. He refused. At this
Allah revealed (the Qur'anic verse):" They ask thee
concerning the spoils of war. Say: The spoils of war are
for Allah and the Apostle" (viii. 1).
A hadith has been narrated by Mus'ab b. Sa'd who heard
it from his father as saying:" Four verses of the Qur'an
have been revealed about me. I found a sword (among the
spoils of war). It was brought to the Holy Prophet (may
peace be upon him). He (my father) said: Messenger of
Allah, bestow it upon me. The Apostle of Allah (may peace
be upon him) said: Place it there. Then he (my father)
stood up and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) said to him: Place it from where you got it. (At
this) he (my father) said again: Messenger of Allah,
bestow it upon me Shall I be treated like one who has no
share in (the booty)? The Apostle of Allah (may peace be
upon him said: Place it from where you got it. At this was
revealed the verse:" They ask thee about the spoils of
war.... Say: The spoils of war are for Allah and the
Messenger"
It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar that
the Prophet (may peace be upon him) sent an expedition to
Najd and I was among the troops. They got a large number
of camels as a booty. Eleven or twelve camels fell to the
lot of every fighter and each of them also got one extra
camel.
Ibn 'Umar reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be
upon him) sent an expedition to Najd and Ibn Umar was also
among the troops, and their share (of the spoils) came to
twelve camels and they were given one camel over and above
that. and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) did
not make any change in it.
It has been narrated by Ibn 'Umar that the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) sent an expedition to Najd,
and I (also) went with the troops. We got camels and goats
as spoils of war, and our share amounted to twelve camels
per head, and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) gave an extra camel to each of us.
Ibn Aun said: I wrote to Nafi' asking him about Nafl
(spoils of war) and be wrote to me that Ibn 'Umar was
among that expedition. (The rest of the hadith is the
same.)
A hadith has been narrated by Salim who learnt it from
his father and said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) gave us an extra (camel) besides our share of
Khums; (and in this extra share) I got a Sharif (and a
Sharif is a big old camel).
Ibn Shihab reported: It reached me through Ibn Umar
that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) gave a
share of spoils to the troop. The rest of the hadith is
the same.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abdullah b. 'Umar
that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used
to give (from the spoils of war) to small troops seat on
expeditions something more than the due share of each
fighter in a large force. And Khums (one-fifth of the
total spoils) was to be reserved (for Allah and His
Apostle) in all cases.
Abu Qatada reported: We accompanied the Messenger of
Allah (my peace be upon him) on an expedition in the year
of the Battle of Hunain. When we encountered the enemy,
(some of the Muslims turned back (in fear). I saw that a
man from the polytheists overpowered one of the Muslims. I
turned round and attacked him from behind giving a blow
between his neck and shoulder. He turned towards me and
grappled with me in such a way that I began to see death
staring me in the face. Then death overtook him and left
me alone. I joined 'Umar b. al-Khattab who was saying:
What has happened to the people (that they are
retreating)? I said: It is the Decree of Allah. Then the
people returned. (The battle ended in a victory for the
Muslims) and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) sat down (to distribute the spoils of war). He said:
One who has killed an enemy and can bring evidence to
prove it will get his belongings. So I stood up and said:
Who will give evidence for me? Then I sat down. Then he
(the Holy Prophet) said like this. I stood up (again) and
said: Who will bear witness for me? He (the Holy Prophet)
made the same observation the third time, and I stood up
(once again). Now the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) said: What has happened to you, O Abu Qatada?
Then I related the (whole) story, to him. At this, one of
the people said: He has told the truth. Messenger of Allah
1 The belongings of the enemy killed by him are with me.
Persuade him to forgo his right (in my favour). (Objecting
to this proposal) Abu Bakr said: BY Allah, this will not
happen. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
will not like to deprive one of the lions from among the
lions of Allah who fight in the cause of Allah and His
Messenger and give thee his share of the booty. So the
Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) said: He (Abu
Bakr) has told the truth, and so give the belongings to
him (Abu Qatada). So he gave them to me. I sold the armour
(which was a part of my share of the booty) and bought
with the sale proceeds a garden in the street of Banu
Salama. This was the first property I acquired after
embracing Islam.
In a version of the hadith narrated by Laith, the words
uttered by Abu Bakr are:" No, never! He will not give it
to a fox from the Quraish leaving aside a lion from the
lions of Allah among...." And the hadith is closed with
the words:" The first property I acquired."
It has been narrated on the authority of 'Abd al-Rahman
b. Auf who said: While I was standing in the battle array
on the Day of Badr, I looked towards my right and my left,
and found myself between two boys from the Ansar quite
young in age. I wished I were between stronger persons.
One of them made a sign to me and. said: Uncle, do you
recognise Abu Jahl? 1 said: Yes. What do you want to do
with him, O my nephew? He said: I have been told that he
abuses the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). By
Allah, in Whose Hand is my life, if I see him (I will
grapple with him) and will not leave him until one of us
who is destined to die earlier is killed. The narrator
said: I wondered at this. Then the other made a sign to me
and said similar words. Soon after I saw Abu Jahl. He was
moving about among men. I said to the two boys: Don't you
see? He is the man you were inquiring about. (As soon as
they heard this), they dashed towards him, struck him with
their swords until he was killed. Then they returned to
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and
informed him (to this effect). He asked: Which of you has
killed him? Each one of them said: I have killed him. He
said: Have you wiped your swords? They said: No. He
examined their swords and said: Both of you have killed
him. He then decided that the belongings of Abu Jahl he
handed over to Mu'adh b. Amr b. al-Jamuh. And the two boys
were Mu'adh b. Amr b. Jawth and Mu'adh b. Afra.
Auf b. Malik has narrated that a man from the Himyar
tribe killed an enemy and wanted to take the booty. Khalid
b. Walid, who was the commander over them, forbade, him.
'Auf b Malik (the narrator) came to the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) and informed him (to this effect).
The latter asked Khalid: What prevented you from giving
the booty to him? Khalid said: I thought it was too much.
He (the Holy Prophet) said: Hand it over to him. Now when
Khalid by Auf, the latter pulled him by his cloak and said
(by way of chafing him): Hasn't the same thing happened
what I reported to you from the Messenger of Allah (may
peace he upon him)? When the Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) heard it. he was angry (and said): Khalid,
don't give him, Khalid, don't give him. Are you going to
desert the commanders appointed by roe? Your similitude
and theirs is like a person who took camels and sheep for
grazing. He grazed them and when it was time for them to
have a drink, he brought them to a pool. So they drank
from it, drinking away its clear water and leaving the
turbid water below So the clear water (i. e. the best
reward) is for you and the turbid water (i e. blame) is
for them.
It has been narrated on the authority of Auf b. Malik
al-Ashja'i who said: I joined the expedition that marched
under Zaid b. Haritha to Muta, and I received
reinformcement from the Yemen. (After this introduction),
the narrator narrated the tradition that had gone before
except that in his version Auf was reported to have said
(to Khalid): Khalid, didn't you know that the Messenger of
Allah (way peace be upon him) had decided In favour of
giving the booty (sized from an enemy) to one who killed
him? He (Khalid) said: Yes. but I thought it was too much.
It has been reported by Salama b. al-Akwa': We fought
the Battle of Hawazin along with the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him). (One day) when we were having our
breakfast with the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon
him), a man came riding a red camel. He made it kneel
down, extracted a strip of leather from its girth and
tethered the camel with it. Then he began to take food
with the people and look (curiously around). We were in a
poor condition as some of us were on foot (being without
any riding animals). All of a sudden, he left us hurriedy,
came to his camel, untethered it, made it kneel down,
mounted it and urged the beast which ran off with him. A
man on a brown rhe-camel chased him (taking him for a
spy). Salama (the narrator) said: I followed on foot. I
ran on until I was near the thigh of the she-camel. I
advanced further until I was near the haunches of the
camel. I advanced still further until I caught hold of the
nosestring of the camel. I made it kneel down. As soon as
it placed its knee on the ground, I drew my sword and
struck at the head, of the rider who fell down. I brought
the camel driving it along with the man's baggage and
weapons. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
came forward to meet me and the people were with him. He
asked: Who has killed the man? The people said: Ibn Akwa'.
He said: Everything of the man is for him (Ibn Akwa').
Chapter 14: ADDITIONAL AWARD TO THE FIGHTERS AND
REPATRIATION OF THE ENEMY PRISONERS AS A RANSOM FOR THE
MUSLIMS
It has been narrated on the authority of Salama (b.
al-Akwa') who said: We fought against the Fazara and Abu
Bakr was the commander over us. He had been appointed by
the Messenger oi Allah (may peace be upon him). When we
were onlv at an hour's distance from the water of the
enemy, Abu Bakr ordered us to attack. We made a halt
during the last part of the night tor rest and then we
attacked from all sides and reached their watering-place
where a battle was fought. Some of the enemies were killed
and some were taken prisoners. I saw a group of persons
that consisted of women and children. I was afraid lest
they should reach the mountain before me, so I shot an
arrow between them and the mountain. When they saw the
arrow, they stopped. So I brought them, driving them
along. Among them was a woman from Banu Fazara. She was
wearing a leather coat. With her was her daughter who was
one of the prettiest girls in Arabia. I drove them along
until I brought them to Abu Bakr who bestowed that girl
upon me as a prize. So we arrived in Medina. I had not yet
disrobed her when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) met me in the street and said: Give me that
girl, O Salama. I said: Messenger of Allah, she has
fascinated me. I had not yet disrobed her. When on the
next day. the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
ag;tin met me in the street, he said: O Salama, give me
that girl, may God bless your father. I said: She is for
you. Messenger of Allah! By Allah. I have not yet disrobed
her. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sent
her to the people of Mecca, and surrendered her as ransom
for a number of Muslims who had been kept as prisoners at
Mecca.
Chapter 15: FAI' (PROPERTY TAKEN FROM THE ENEMY
WITHOUT A FORMAL WAR)
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira
that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:
If you come to a township (which has surrendered without a
formal war) and stay therein, you have a share (that will
be in the form of an award) in (the properties obtained
from) it. If a township disobeys Allah and His Messenger
(and actually fights against the Muslims) one-fifth of the
booty seized therefrom is for Allah and His Apostle and
the rest is for you.
It has been narrated on the authority of Umar, who
said: The properties abandoned by Banu Nadir were the ones
which Allah bestowed upon His Apostle for which no
expedition was undertaken either with cavalry or camelry.
These properties were particularly meant for the Holy
Prophet (may peace be upon him). He would meet the annual
expenditure of his family from the income thereof, and
would spend what remained for purchasing horses and
weapons as preparation for Jihad.
It is reported by Zuhri that this tradition was
narrated to him by Malik b. Aus who said: Umar b.
al-Khattab sent for me and I came to him when the day had
advanced. I found him in his house sitting on his bare
bed-stead, reclining on a leather pillow. He said (to me):
Malik, some people of your tribe have hastened to me (with
a request for help). I have ordered a little money for
them. Take it and distribute it among them. I said: I wish
you had ordered somebody else to do this job. He said:
Malik, take it (and do what you have been told). At this
moment (his man-servant) Yarfa' came in and said:
Commander of the Faithful, what do you say about Uthman,
Abd al-Rabman b. 'Auf, Zubair and Sa'd (who have come to
seek an audience with you)? He said: Yes, and permitted
them. so they entered. Then he (Yarfa') came again and
said: What do you say about 'Ali and Abbas (who are
present at the door)? He said: Yes, and permitted them to
enter. Abbas said: Commander of the Faithful, decide (the
dispute) between me and this sinful, treacherous,
dishonest liar. The people (who were present) also said:
Yes. Commander of the Faithful, do decide (the dispute)
and have mercy on them. Malik b. Aus said: I could well
imagine that they had sent them in advance for this
purpose (by 'Ali and Abbas). 'Umar said: Wait and be
patient. I adjure you by Allah by Whose order the heavens
and the earth are sustained, don't you know that the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:" We
(prophets) do not have any heirs; what we leave behind is
(to be given in) charity"? They said: Yes. Then he turned
to Abbas and 'Ali and said: I adjure you both by Allah by
Whose order the heavens and earth are sustained, don't you
know that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
said:" We do not have any heirs; what we leave behind is
(to be given in) charity"? They (too) said: Yes. (Then)
Umar said: Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, had done to
His Messenger (may peace be upon him) a special favour
that He has not done to anyone else except him. He quoted
the Qur'anic verse:" What Allah has bestowed upon His
Apostle from (the properties) of the people of township is
for Allah and His Messenger". The narrator said: I do not
know whether he also recited the previous verse or not.
Umar continued: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) distrbuted among you the properties abandoned by Banu
Nadir. By Allah, he never preferred himself over you and
never appropriated anything to your exclusion. (After a
fair distribution in this way) this property was left
over.
The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) would
meet from its income his annual expenditure, and what
remained would be deposited in the Bait-ul-Mal.
(Continuing further) he said: I adjure you by Allah by
Whose order the heavens and the earth are sustained. Do
you know this? They said: Yes. Then he adjured Abbas and
'All as he had adjured the other persons and asked: Do you
both know this? They said: Yes. He said: When the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) passed away,
Abu Bakr said:" I am the successor of the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him)." Both of you came to demand
your shares from the property (left behind by the
Messenger of Allah). (Referring to Hadrat 'Abbas), he
said: You demanded your share from the property of your
nephew, and he (referring to 'Ali) demanded a share on
behalf of his wife from the property of her father. Abu
Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) had said:" We do not have
any heirs; what we leave behind is (to be given in)
charity." So both of you thought him to be a liar, sinful,
treacherous and dishonest. And Allah knows that he was
true, virtuous, well-guided and a follower of truth. When
Abu Bakr passed away and (I have become) the successor of
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and Abu
Bakr (Allah be pleased with him), you thought me to be a
liar, sinful, treacherous and dishonest. And Allah knows
that I am true, virtuous, well-guided and a follower of
truth. I became the guardian of this property. Then you as
well as he came to me. Both of you have come and your
purpose is identical. You said: Entrust the property to
us. I said: If you wish that I should entrust it to you,
it will be on the condition that both of you will
undertake to abide by a pledge made with Allah that you
will use it in the same way as the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) used it. So both of you got it. He
said: Wasn't it like this? They said: Yes. He said: Then
you have (again) come to me with the request that I should
adjudge between you. No, by Allah. I will not give any
other judgment except this until the arrival of the
Doomsday. If you are unable to hold the property on this
condition, return it to me.
The same hadith has been narrated by a different chain
of transmitters with a slight variation in wording: 'Umar
b. al-Khattab sent for me and said: Some families from
your tribe have come to me (then follows the foregoing
hadith) by Malik with the difference that the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) would spend on his family
for a year. And sometimes Ma'mar said: He would retain
sustenance for his family for a year, and what was left of
that he spent in the cause of Allah, the Majestic and
Exalted.
Chapter 16: THE SAYING OF THE PROPHET (MAY PEACE
BE UPON HIM):" WE (PROPHETS) DO NOT HAVE ANY HEIRS; WHAT WE
LEAVE BEHIND IS (TO BE GIVEN IN) CHARITY"
It is narrated on the authority of 'A'isha who said:
When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) passed
away, his wives made up their minds to send 'Uthman b.
'Affan (as their spokesman) to Abu Bakr to demand from him
their share from the legacy of the Holy Prophet (may peace
be upon him). (At this), A'isha said to them: Hasn't the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:" We
(Prophets) do not have any heirs; what we leave behind is
(to be given in) charity"?
It is narrated on the authority of Urwa b. Zubair who
narrated from A'isha that she informed him that Fatima,
daughter of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him), sent someone to Abu Bakr to demand from him her
share of the legacy left by the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) from what Allah had bestowed upon him
at Medina and Fadak and what was left from one-filth of
the income (annually received) from Khaibar. Abu Bakr
said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
said:" We (prophets) do not have any heirs; what we leave
behind is (to be given in) charity." The household of the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) will live on
the income from these properties, but, by Allah, I will
not change the charity of the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) from the condition in which it was in
his own time. I will do the same with it as the Messenger
of Allah (may peace be upun him) himself used to do. So
Abu Bakr refused to hand over anything from it to Fatima
who got angry with Abu Bakr for this reason. She forsook
him and did not talk to him until the end of her life. She
lived for six months after the death of the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him). When she died, her husband.
'Ali b. Abu Talib, buried her at night. He did not inform
Abu Bakr about her death and offered the funeral prayer
over her himself. During the lifetime of Fatima, 'All
received (special) regard from the people. After she had
died, he felt estrangement in the faces of the people
towards him. So he sought to make peace with Abu Bakr and
offer his allegiance to him. He had not yet owed
allegiance to him as Caliph during these months. He sent a
person to Abu Bakr requesting him to visit him
unaccompanied by anyone (disapproving the presence of
Umar). 'Umar said to Abu Bakr: BY Allah, you will not
visit them alone. Abu Bakr said: What will they do to me?
By Allah, I will visit them. And he did pay them a visit
alone. 'All recited Tashahhud (as it is done in the
beginning of a religious sermon) ; then said: We recognise
your moral excellence and what Allah has bestowed upon
you. We do not envy the favour (i. e. the Catiphate) which
Allah nas conferred upon you; but you have done it
(assumed the position of Caliph) alone (without consulting
us), and we thought we had a right (to be consulted) on
account of our kinship with the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him). He continued to talk to Abu Bakr (in
this vein) until the latter's eyes welled up with tears.
Then Abd Bakr spoke and said: By Allah, in Whose Hand is
my life, the kinship of the Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) is dearer to me than the kinship of my own
people. As regards the dispute that has arisen between you
and me about these properties, I have not deviated from
the right course and I have not given up doing about them
what the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used
to do. So 'Ali said to Abu Bakr: This aftetnoon is (fixed)
for (swearing) allegiance (to you). So when Abu Bakr had
finished his Zuhr prayer, he ascended the pulpit and
recited Tashahhud, and described the status of 'Ali, his
delay in swearing allegiance and the excuse which lie had
offered to him (for this delay). (After this) he asked for
God's forgiveness. Then 'Ali b. Abu Talib recited the
Tashahhud. extolled the merits of Abu Bakr and (said that)
his action was nott prompted by any jealousy of Abu Bakr
on his part or his refusal to accept the high position
which Allah had conferred upon him, (adding: ) But we were
of the opinion that we should have a share in the
government, but the matter had been decided without taking
us into confidence, and this displeased us. (Hence the
delay in offering allegiance. The Muslims were pleased
with this (explanation) and they said: You have done the
right thing. The Muslims were (again) favourably inclined
to 'Ali since he adopted the proper course of action.
It has been narrated on the authority of 'A'isha that
Fatima and 'Abbas approached Abu Bakr, soliciting transfer
of the legacy of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) to them. At that time, they were demanding his (Holy
Prophet's) lands at Fadak and his share from Khaibar. Abu
Bakr said to them: I have heard from the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him). Then he quoted the hadith
having nearly the same meaning as the one which has been
narrated by Uqail on the authority of al-Zuhri (and which
his gone before) except that in his version he said: Then
'Ali stood up, extolled the merits of Abu Bakr mentioned
his superiority, and his earlier acceptance of Islam. Then
he walked to Abu Bakr and swore allegiance to him. (At
this) people turned towards 'Ali and said: you have done
the right thing. And they became favourably inclined to
'Ali after he had adopted the proper course of action.
It has been narrated by 'Urwa b Zubair on the authority
of 'A'isha, wife of the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon
him), that Fatima, daughter of the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him), requested Abu Bakr, after the death of
the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him), that he
should set apart her share from what the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) had left from the properties
that God had bestowed upon him. Abu Bakr said to her: The
Messenger of Allah (may peace be npon him) said:" We do
not have any heirs; what we leave behind is Sadaqa
(charity)." The narrator said: She (Fatima) lived six
months after the death of the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) and she used to demand from Abu Bakr
her share from the legacy of the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) from Khaibar, Fadak and his charitable
endowments at Medina. Abu Bakr refused to give her this,
and said: I am not going to give up doing anything which
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to do.
I am afraid that it I go against his instructions in any
matter I shall deviate from the right course. So far as
the charitable endowments at Medina were concerned, 'Umar
handed them over to 'All and Abbas, but 'Ali got the
better of him (and kept the property under his exclusive
possession). And as far as Khaibar and Fadak were
concerned 'Umar kept them with him, and said: These are
the endowments of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) (to the Umma). Their income was spent on the
discharge of the responsibilities that devolved upon him
on the emergencies he had to meet. And their management
was to be in the hands of one who managed the affairs (of
the Islamic State). The narrator said: They have been
managed as such up to this day.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira
that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:
My heirs cannot share even a dinar (from my legacy) ; what
I leave behind after paving mtintenance allowance to my
wives and remuneration to my manager is (to go in)
charity.
It his been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira
that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:"
We do not have any heirs; what we leave behind is a
charitable endowment."
Chapter 17: DISTRIBUTION OF THE SPOILS AMONG THE
FIGHTERS
It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar that
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) allowed two
shares from the spoils to the horseman and one share to
the footman.
The same tradition has been narrated on the authority
of Ubaidullah by a different chain of transmitters who do
not mention the words:" from the booty".
Chapter 18: THE HELP WITH ANGELS IN BADR AND THE
PERMISSIBILITY OF THE SPOILS OF WAR
It has been narrated on the authority of 'Umar b.
al-Khattab who said: When it was the day on which the
Battle of Badr was fought, the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) cast a glance at the infidels, and they
were one thousand while his own Companions were three
hundred and nineteen. The Holy Prophet (may peace be upon
him) turned (his face) towards the Qibla Then he stretched
his hands and began his supplication to his Lord:" O
Allah, accomplish for me what Thou hast promised to me. O
Allah, bring about what Thou hast promised to me. O Allah,
if this small band of Muslims is destroyed. Thou will not
be worshipped on this earth." He continued his
supplication to his Lord, stretching his hands, facing the
Qibla, until his mantle slipped down from his shoulders.
So Abu Bakr came to him, picked up his mantle and put it
on his shoulders. Then he embraced him from behind and
said:. Prophet of Allah, this prayer of yours to your Lord
will suffice you, and He will fulfil for you what He has
promised you. So Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, revealed
(the Qur'anic verse):" When ye appealed to your Lord for
help, He responded to your call (saying): I will help you
with one thousand angels coming in succession." So Allah
helped him with angels.
Abu Zumail said that the badith was narrated to him by
Ibn 'Abbas who said: While on that day a Muslim was
chasing a disbeliever who was going ahead of him, he heard
over him' the swishing of the whip and the voice of the
rider saying: Go ahead, Haizi'm! He glanced at the
polytheist who had (now) fallen down on his back. When he
looked at him (carefully he found that) there was a scar
on his nose and his face was torn as if it had been lashed
with a whip, and had turned green with its poison. An
Ansari came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) and related this (event) to him. He said: You have
told the truth. This was the help from the third heaven.
The Muslims that day (i. e. the day of the Battle of Badr)
killed seventy persons and captured seventy. The Messenger
of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to Abu Bakr and
'Umar (Allah be pleased with them): What is your opinion
about these captives? Abu Bakr said: They are our kith and
kin. I think you should release them after getting from
them a ransom. This will be a source of strength to us
against the infidels. It is quite possible that Allah may
guide them to Islam. Then the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) said: What is your opinion. Ibn
Khattab? He said: Messenger of Allah. I do not hold the
same opinion as Abu Bakr. I am of the opinion that you
should hand them over to us so that we may cut off their
heads. Hand over 'Aqil to 'Ali that he may cut off his
head, and hand over such and such relative to me that I
may but off his head. They are leaders of the disbelievers
and veterans among them. The Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) approved the opinion of Abu Bakr and did not
approve what I said The next day when I came to the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), I found that
both he and Abu Bakr were sitting shedding tears. I said:
Messenger of Allah, why are you and your Companion
shedding tears? Tell me the reason. For I will weep ate,
if not, I will at least pretend to weep in sympathy with
you. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:
I weep for what has happened to your companions for taking
ransom (from the prisoners). I was shown the torture to
which they were subjected. It was brought to me as close
as this tree. (He pointed to a tree close to him.) Then
God revealed the verse:" It is not befitting for a prophet
that he should take prisoners until the force of the
disbelievers has been crushed..." to the end of the
verse:" so eat ye the spoils of war, (it is) lawful and
pure. So Allah made booty lawful for them."
Chapter 19: BINDING THE PRISONERS AND PUTTING
THEM IN CONFINMENT AND JUSTIFICATION FOR SETTING THEM FREE
WITHOUT ANY RANSOM
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira
who said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
sent some horsemen to Najd. They captured a man. He was
from the tribe of Banu Hanifa and was called Thumama b.
Uthal. He was the chief of the people of Yamama. People
bound him with one of the pillars of the mosque. The
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came out to
(see) him. He said: O Thumama, what do you think? He
replied: Muhammad, I have good opinion of you. If you kill
me, you will kill a person who has spilt blood. If you do
me a favour, you will do a favour to a grateful person. If
you want wealth, ask and you will get what you will
demand. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be pon him)
lefthim (in this condition) for two days, (and came to him
again) and said: What do you think, O Thumama? He replied:
What I have already told you. If you do a favour, you will
do a favour to a grateful person. If you kill me, you will
kill a person who has spilt blood. If you want wealth, ask
and you will get what you will demand. The Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) left him until the next day
when he (came to him again) and said: What do you think, O
Thumama? He replied: What I have already told you. If you
do me a favour, you will do a favour to a grateful person.
If you kill me, you will kill a person who has spilt
blood. If you want wealth ask and you will get what you
will demand. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) said: Set Thumama free. He went to a palm-grove near
the mosque and took a bath. Then he entered the mosque and
said: I bear testimony (to the truth) that there is no god
but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is His bondman and
His messenger. O Muhammad, by Allah, there was no face on
the earth more hateful to me than your face, but (now)
your face has become to me the dearest of all faces. By
Allah, there was no religion more hateful to me than your
religion, but (now) your religion has become the dearest
of all religions to me. By Allah, there was no city more
hateful to me than your city, but (now) your city has
become the dearest of all cities to me. Your horsemen
captured me when I intended going for Umra. Now what is
your opinion (in the matter)? The Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) announced good tidings to him and told
him to go on 'Umra. When he reached Mecca, somebody said
to him: Have you changed your religion? He said: No! I
have rather embraced Islam with the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him). By Allah, you will not get a
single grain of wheat from Yamama until it is permitted by
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him).
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira
who said: We were (sitting) in the mosque when the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came to us and
said: (Let us) go to the Jews. We went out with him until
we came to them. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) stood up and called out to them (saying): O ye
assembly of Jews, accept Islam (and) you will be safe.
They said: Abu'l-Qasim, you have communicated (God's
Message to us). The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) said: I want this (i. e. you should admit that God's
Message has been communicated to you), accept Islam and
you would be safe. They said: Abu'l-Qisim, you have
communicated (Allah's Message). The Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) said: I want this... - He said to
them (the same words) the third time (and on getting the
same reply) he added: You should know that the earth
belongs to Allah and His Apostle, and I wish that I should
expel you from this land Those of you who have any
property with them should sell it, otherwise they should
know that the earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle (and
they may have to go away leaving everything behind).
It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar that
the Jews of Banu Nadir and Banu Quraizi fought against the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) who expelled
Banu Nadir, and allowed Quraiza to stay on, and granted
favour to them until they too fought against him Then he
killed their men, and distributed their women, children
and properties among the Muslims, except that some of them
had joined the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
who granted them security. They embraced Islam. The
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) turned out all
the Jews of Medlina. Banu Qainuqa' (the tribe of 'Abdullah
b. Salim) and the Jews of Banu Haritha and every other Jew
who was in Medina.
It has been narrated by 'Umar b. al-Khattib that he
heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say:
I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian
Peninsula and will not leave any but Muslim.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Sa'id
al-Khudri who said: The people of Quraiza surrendered
accepting the decision of Sa'd b. Mu'adh about them.
Accordingly, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) sent for Sa'd who came to him riding a donkey. When
he approached the mosque, the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) said to the Ansar: Stand up to receive
your chieftain. Then he said (to Sa'd): These people have
surrendered accepting your decision. He (Sa'd) said: You
will kill their fighters and capture their women and
children. (Hearing this), the Propbot (may peace he tpon
him) said: You have adjudged by the command of God. The
narrator is reported to have said: Perhaps he said: You
have adjuged by the decision of a king.
Ibn Muthanna (in his version of the tradition) has not
mentioned the alternative words.
Through the same chain of transmitters Shu'ba has
narrated the same tradition in which he says that the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said (to Sa'd):
You have adjudged according to the command of God. And
once he said: you have adjudged by the decision of a king.
It has been narrated on the authority of A'isha who
said: Sa'd was wounded on the day of the Battle of the
Ditch. A man from the Quraish called Ibn al-Ariqah shot at
him an arrow which pierced the artery in the middle of his
forearm. The Messenger of Allah (may peacce be upon him)
pitched a tent for him in the mosque and would inquire
after him being in close proximity. When he returned from
the Ditch and laid down his arms and took a bath, the
angel Gabriel appeared to him and he was removing dust
from his hair (as if he had just returned from the
battle). The latter said: You have laid down arms. By God,
we haven't (yet) laid them down. So march against them.
The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) asked:
Where? He poirftad to Banu Quraiza. So the Messenger of
Allah (may peace he upon him) fought against them. They
surrendered at the command of the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him), but he referred the decision about
them to Sa'd who said: I decide about them that those of
them who can fight be killed, their women and children
taken prisoners and their properties distributed (among
the Muslims).
It has been narrated on the authority of Hisham (who
learnt it from his father) that the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) said (to Sa'd): You have adjudged
their case with the judgment of God. the Exalted and
Glorified.
It has been narrated on the authority of 'A'isha that
Sa'd's wound became dry and was going to heal when he
prayed: O God, surely Thou knowest that nothing is dearer
to me than that I should fight for Thy cause against the
people who disbeliever Your Messenger (may peace be upon
him) and turned him out (from his native place). If
anything yet remains to be decided from the war against
the Quraish, spare my life so that I may fight against
them in Thy cause. O Lord, I think Thou hast ended the war
between us and them. If Thou hast done so, open my wound
(so that it may discharge) and cause my death thereby. So
the wound begin to bleed from the front part of his neck.
The people were not scared except when the blood flowed
towards them, and in the mosque along with Sa'd's tent was
the tent of Banu Ghifar. They said: O people of the tent,
what is it that is coming to us from you? Lo! it was
Sa'd's wound that was bleeding and he died thereof.
This tradition has been narrated by Hishim through the
same chain of transmitters with a little difference in the
wording. He said: (His wound) began to bleed that very
night and it continued to bleed until he died. He has made
the addition that it was then that (a non-believing) poet
said:
Hark, O Sa'd, Sa'd of Banu Mu'adh,
What have the Quraiaa and Nadir done?
By thy life! Sa'd b. Mu'adh>br> Was steadfast on the
morn they departed.
You have left your cooking-pot empty,
While the cooking-pot of the people is hot and boiling.
Abu Hubab the nobleman has said,
O Qainuqa', do not depart.
They were weighty in their country
just aa rocks are weighty in Maitan.
Chapter 22: SHOWING PROMPTITUDE IN JIHAD AND
GIVING PRECEDENCE TO THE MORE URGENT OF THE TWO ACTIONS
WHILE MAKING A CHOICE BETWEEN THEM
It has been narrated on the authority of Abdullah who
said: On the day he returned from the Battle of Ahzab, the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) made for us an
announcement that nobody would say his Zuhr prayer but in
the quarters of Banu Quraiza (Some) people, being afraid
that the time for prayer would expire, said their prayers
before reaching the street of Banu Quraiza. The others
said: We will not say our prayer except where the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) has ordered us
to say it even if the time expires. (When he learned of
the difference in the view of the two groups of the
people, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be tipon him)
did not blame anyone from the two groups.
Chapter 23: RETURN OF THEIR GIFTS TO THE ANSAR BY
THE MUHAJIRS WHEN THE LATTER GREW RICH AS A REBULT OF THE
CONQUESTS
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik
who said: When the Muhajirs migrated from Mecca to Medina;
they came (in a state that) they had not anything (i. e.
money) in theirhands, while the Ansar possessed lands and
date palms. They divided their properties with the
Muhajirs. The Ansar divided and gave them on the condition
that they would give half the fruit from the orchards
every year, and the Muhajirs would recompense them by
working with them and putting in labour. The mother of
Anas b. Malik was called Umm Sulaim and she was also the
mother of 'Abdullah b. Talha who was a brother of Anas
from his mother's side. The mother of Anas had given the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) her date-palms.
He bestowed them upon Umm Aiman, the slave-girl who had
been freed by him and was the mother of Usama b. Zaid.
When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had
finished the war with the people of Khaibar and returned
to Medina, the Muhajirs returned to the Ansar all the
gifts which they had given them out of the fruits. (Anas
b. Malik said: ) The Messenger of. Allah (may peace be
upon him) returned to my mother her date-palms and gave to
Umm Aiman instead of them date-palms from his orchard. Ibn
Shihab says that Umm Aiman was the mother of Usama b. Zaid
who was the slave-girl of 'Abdullah b. 'Abd-ul-Muttalib
and hailed from Abyssinia. When Amina gave birth to the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) after the death
of his father, Umm Aiman used to nurse him until he grew
up. He (later on) freed her and married her to Zaid b.
Haritha. She died five months after the death of the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him).
It has been narrated by Anas that (after his migration
to Medina) a person placed at the Prophet's (may peace be
upon him) disposal some date-palms growing on his land
until the lands of Quraiza and Nadir were conquered. Then
he began to return to him whatever he had received. (In
this connection) my people told me to approach the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and ask from
him what his people had given him or a portion thereof,
but the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had
bestowed those trees upon Umm Aiman. So I came to the
Prophet (may peace be upon him) and he gave hem (back) to
me. Umm Aiman (also) came (at this time). She put the
cloth round my neck and said: No, by Allah, we will not
give to, you what he has granted to me. The Holy Prophet
(may peace be upon him) said: Umm Aiman, let him have them
and for you are such and such trees instead. But she said:
By Allah, there is no god besides Him. No, never! The Holy
Prophet (may peace be upon him) continued saying: (You
will get) such and such. until he had granted her ten
times or nearly ten times more (than the original gift).
Chapter 24: JUSTIFICATION FOR TAKING FOOD IN THE
LAND OF THE ENEMY
It has been narrated on the authority of Abdullah b.
Mughaffal who said I found a bag containing fat on the day
of the Battle of Khaibar. I caught hold of it and said: I
will not give anything today from it to anybody. Then I
turned round and saw that the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) was smiling (at my words).
This tradition has been transmitted by a different
chain of narrators with a different wording, the last in
the chain being the same narrator, (i. e. 'Abdullah b.
Mughaffal), who said: A bag containing food and fat was
thrown to us. I lept forward to catch it. Then I turned
round and saw (to my surprise) the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) and I felt ashamed of my act in his
presence.
It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas who
learnt the tradition personally from Abu Safyan. The
latter said: I went out (on a mercantile venture) during
the period (of truce) between me and the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him). While I was in Syria, the
letter of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
was handed over to Hiraql (Ceasar), the Emperor of Rome
(who was on a visit to Jerusalem at that time). The letter
was brought by Dihya Kalbi who delivered it to the
governor of Busra The governor passed it on to Hiraql, (On
receiving the letter), he said: Is there anyone from the
people of this man who thinks that he is a prophet. People
said: Yes. So, I was called along with a few others from
the Quraish. We were admitted to Hiraql and he seated
usbefore him. He asked: Which of you has closer kinship
with the man who thinks that he is a prophet? Abu Sufyan
said: I. So they seated me in front of him and stated my
companions behind me. Then, he called his interpreter and
said to him: Tell them that I am going to ask this fellow
(i. e. Abu Sufyan) about the man who thinks that he is a
prophet. It he tells me a lie, then refute him.
Abu Sufyan told (the narrator): By God, if there was
not the fear that falsehood would be imputed to me I would
have lied. (Then) Hiraqi said to his interpreter: Inquire
from him about his ancestry, I said: He is of good
ancestry among us. He asked: Has there been a king among
his ancestors? I said: No. He asked: Did you accuse him of
falsehood before he proclaimed his prophethood? I said:
No. He asked: Who are his follower people of high status
or low status? I said: (They are) of low status. He asked:
Are they increasing in number or decreasing? I said. No.
they are rather increasing. He asked: Does anyone give up
his religion, being dissatisfied with it, after having
embraced it? I said: No. He asked: Have you been at war
with him? I said: Yes. He asked: How did you fare in that
war? I said: The war between us and him has been wavering
like a bucket, up at one turn and down at the other (i. e.
the victory has been shared between us and him by turns).
Sometimes he suffered loss at our hands and sometimes we
suffered loss at his (hand). He asked: Has he (ever)
violated his covenant? I said: No. but we have recently
concluded a peace treaty with him for a petiod and we do
not know what he is going to do about it. (Abu Sufyin said
on oath that he could not interpolate in this dialogue
anything from himself more than these words ) He asked:
Did anyone make the proclamation (Of prophethood) before
him? I said: No. He (now) said to his interpreter: Tell
him, I asked him about his ancestry and he had replied
that he had the best ancestry. This is the case with
Prophets; they are the descendants of the noblest among
their people (Addressing Abu Sufyan), he continued: I
asked you if there had been a king among his ancestors.
You said that there had been none. If there had been a
king among his ancestors, I would have said that he was a
man demanding his ancestral kingdom. I asked you about his
followers whether they were people of high or low status,
and you said that they were of rather low status. Such are
the followers of the Prophets. I asked you whether you
used to accuse him of falsehood before he proclaimed his
prophethood, and you said that you did not.
So I have understood that when he did not allow himself
to tell a lie about the poeple, he would never go to the
length of forging a falsehood about Allah. I asked you
whether anyone renounced his religion being dissatisfied
with it after he had embraced it, and you replied in the
negative. Faith is like this when it enters the depth of
the heart (it perpetuates them). I asked you whether his
followers were increasing or decreasing. You said they
were increasing. Faith is like this until it reaches its
consummation. I asked you whether you had been at war with
him, and you replied that you had been and that the
victory between you and him had been shared by turns,
sometimes he suffering loss at your hand and sometimes you
suffering lost at his. This is how the Prophets are tried
before the final victory its theirs. I asked you whether
he (ever) violated his covenant, and you said that he did
not. This is how the Prophets behave. They never violate
(their covenants). I asked you whether anyone before him
had proclaimed the same thing, and you replied in the
negative. I said: If anyone had made the same proclamation
before, I would have thought that he was a man following
what had been proclaimed before. (Then) he asked: What
does he enjoin upon you? I said: He exhorts us to offer
Salat, to pay Zakat, to show due regard to kinship and to
practise chastity. He said: It what you have told about
him is true, he is certainly a Prophet. I knew that he was
to appear but I did not think that he would be from among
you. If I knew that I would be able to reach him. I would
love to meet him; and it I had been with him. I would have
washed his feet (out of reverence). His dominion would
certainly extend to this place which is under my feet.
Then he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah
(may pface be upon him) and read it. The letter ran as
follows:" In the name of Allah, Most Gracious and Most
Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to
Hiraql, the Emperor of the Romans. Peace be upon him who
follows the guidance. After this, I extend to you the
invitation to accept Islam. Embrace Islam and you will be
safe. Accept Islam, God will give you double the reward.
And if you turn away, upon you will be the sin of your
subjects." O People of the Book, come to the word that is
common between us that we should worship none other than
Allah, should not ascribe any partner to Him and some of
us should not take their fellows as Lords other than
Allah. If they turn away, you should say that we testify
to our being Muslims [iii. 64]."
When he hid finished the reading of the letter, noise
and confused clamour was raise around him, and he ordered
us to leave. Accordingly, we left. (Addressing my
companions) while we were coming out (of the place). I
said: Ibn Abu Kabsha (referring sarcastically to the Holy
Prophet) has come to wield a great power. Lo! (even) the
king of the Romans is afraid of him. I continued to
believe that the authority of the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) would triumph until God imbued me with
(the spirit of) Islam.
This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Ibn
Shihab with the same chain of transmitters but with the
addition:" When Allah inflicted defeat on the armies of
Persia, Caesar moved from Hims to Aelia (Bait al-Maqdis)
for thanking Allah as He granted him victory." In this
hadith these words occur:" From Muhammad, servant of Allah
and His Messenger," and said:" The sin of your followers,"
and also said the words:" to the call of Islam".
Chapter 26: LETTERS OF THE HOLY PROPHET (MAY
PEACE BE UPON HIM) TO THE KINGS OF DISBELIEVERS INVITING
THEM TO ALLAH, THE EXALTED AND GLORIOUS
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas that the
Prophet of Allah (may peace be upon him) wrote to Chosroes
(King of Persia), Caesar (Emperor of Rome), Negus (King of
Abyssinia) and every (other) despot inviting them to
Allah, the Exalted. And this Negus was not the one for
whom the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had
said the funeral prayers.
The tradition has been narrated on the authority of
Anas b. Malik (the same narrator) through a different
chain of transmitters, but this version does not mention:"
And he was not the Negus for whom the Prophet (may peace
be upon him) had said the funeral prayers."
It has been narrated on the authority of 'Abbas who
said: I was in the company of the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) on the Day of Hunain. I and Abd Sufyan
b. Harith b. 'Abd al-Muttalib stuck to the Messenaer of
Allah (may peace be upon him) and we did not separate from
him. And the Messenger of Allah (may place be upon him)
was riding on his white mule which had been presented to
him by Farwa b. Nufitha al-Judhami. When the Muslims had
an encounter with the disbelievers, the Muslims fled,
falling back, but the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) began to spur his mule towards the disbelievers.
I was holding the bridle of the mule of the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) checking it from going very
fast, and Abu Sufyan was holding the stirrup of the (mule
of the) Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), who
said: Abbas, call out to the people of al-Samura. Abbas
(who was a man with a loud voice) called out at the top of
the voice: Where are the people of Samura? (Abbas said: )
And by God, when they heard my voice, they came back (to
us) as cows come back to their calves, and said: We are
present, we are present! 'Abbas said: They began to fight
the infidels. Then there was a call to The Ansar. Those
(who called out to them) shouted: O ye party of the Ansar!
O party of the Ansar! Banu al-Harith b. al-Khazraj were
the last to be called. Those (who called out to them)
shouted: O Banu Al-Harith b. al-Khazraj! O BanU Harith b.
al-Khazraj! And the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) who was riding on his mule looked at their fight with
his neck stretched forward and he said: This is the time
when the fight is raging hot. Then the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) took (some) pebbles and threw them
in the face of the infidels. Then he said: By the Lord of
Muhammad, the infidels are defeated. 'Abbas said: I went
round and saw that the battle was in the same condition in
which I had seen it. By Allah, it remained in the same
condition until he threw the pebbles. I continued to watch
until I found that their force had been spent out and they
began to retreat.
A version of the tradition has been transmitted through
another chain of narrators. In this version the words
uttered by the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) (after
he had thrown the pebbles in the face of the enemy) are
reported as:" By the Lord of the Ka'ba, they have been
defeated." And there is at the end the addition of the
words:" Until Allah defeated them" (and I imagine) as if I
saw the Prophet of Allah (may peace be upon him) chasing
them on his mule.
'Abbas reported: I was with Allah's Apostle (may peace
be upon him) on the Day of Hunain. The rest of the hadith
is the same but with this variation that the hadith
transmitted by Yonus and Ma'mar is more detailed and
complete.
It has been narratedon the authority of Abu Ishaq who
said: A man asked Bara' (b. 'Azib): Did you run away on
the Day of Hunain. O, Abu Umira? He said: No, by Allah,
The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) did not
turn his back; (what actually happened was that) some
young men from among his companions, who were hasty and
who were either without any arms or did not have abundant
arms, advanced and met a party of archers (who were so
good shots) that their arrows never missed the mark. This
party (of archers) belonged to Banu Hawazin and Banu
Nadir. They shot at the advancing young men and their
arrows were not likely to miss their targets. So these
young men turned to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) while he was riding on his white mule and Abu
Sufyan b. al-Harith b. 'Abd al-Muttalib was leading him.
(At this) he got down from his mule, invoked God's help,
and called out: I am the Prophet. This is no untruth. I am
the son of 'Abd al-Muttalib. Then he deplnved his men into
battle array.
It has been narrated (through a different chain of
transmitters) by Abu Ishiq that a person said to Bara' (b.
'Azib): Abu Umara, did you flee on the Day of Hunain? He
replied: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
did not retreat. (What actually happened was that some
hasty young men who were either inadequately armed or were
unarmed met a group of men from Banu Hawazin and Banu
Nadir who happened to be (excellent) archers. The latter
shot at them a volley of arrows that did not miss. The
people turned to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him). Abu Sufyan b. Harith was leading his mule. So he got
down, prayed and invoked God's help. He said: I am the
Prophet. This is no untruth. I am the son of Abd
al-Muttalib. O God, descend Thy help. Bara' continued:
When the battle grew fierce. we, by God. would seek
protection by his side, and the bravest among us was he
who confronted the onslaught and it was the Holy Prophet
(may peace be upon him).
It has been narrated through a still different chain of
transmitters by the same narrator (i. e. Abu Ishaq) who
said: I heard from Bara' who was asked by a man from the
Qais tribe: Did you run away from the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) on the Day of Hunain? Bara' said:
But the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) did not
run away. On that day Banu Hawzzin took part in the battle
as archers (on the side of the disbelievers). When we
attacked them, they retreated and we fell upon the booty;
(they rallied) and advanced towards us with arrows. (At
that time) I saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) riding on his white mule and Abu Sufyan b. al-Harith
was holding its bridle. He (the Messenger of Allah was
saying: I am the Prophet. This is no untruth. I am a
descendant of 'Abd al-Muttalib.
This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Bara'
with another chain of transmitters, but this hadith is
short as compared with other ahadith which are more
detailed.
This tradition has been narrated on the authority of
Salama who said: We fought by the side of the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) at Hunain. When we
encountered the enemy, I advanced and ascended a hillock.
A man from the enemy side turned towards me and I shot him
with an arrow. He (ducked and) hid himself from me. I
could not understand what he did, but (all of a sudden) I
saw that a group of people appeared from the other
hillock. They and the Companions of the Prophet (may peace
be upon him) met in combat, but the Companions of the
Prophet turned back and I too turned back defeated. I had
two mantles, one of which I was wrapping round the waist
(covering the lower part of my body) and the other I was
putting around my shoulders. My waist-wrapper got loose
and I held the two mantles together. (In this downcast
condition) I passed by the Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) who was riding on his white mule. He said:
The son of Akwa' finds himself to be utterly perplexed.
Wher. the Companions gathered round him from all sides.
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) got down
from his mule. picked up a handful of dust from the
ground, threw it into their (enemy) faces and said: May
these faces be deformed 1 There was no one among the enemy
whose eyes were not filled with the dust from this
handful. So they turned back fleeing. and Allah the
Exalted and Glorious defeated them, and the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) distributed their booty
among the Muslims.
It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Amr who
said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
besieged the people of Ta'if, but did get victory over
them. He said: God willing, we shall return. His
Companions said: Shall we depart without having conquered
it? The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:
(All right) make a raid in the morning. They did so. and
were wounded (with the arrows showered upon them). So the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: We shall
depart tomorrow. (The narrator says): (Now) this
(announcement) pleased them, and the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) laughed at (their waywardness).
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas that when
(the news of) the advance of Abu Sufyan (at the head of a
force) reached him. the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) held consultations with his Companions. The
narrator said: Abu Bakr spoke (expressing his own views),
but he (the Holy Prophet) did not pay heed to him. Then
spoke 'Umar (expressing his views), but he (the Holy
Prophet) did not pay heed to him (too). Then Sa'd b.
'Ubada stood up and said: Messenger of Allah, you want us
(to speak). By God in Whose control is my life, if you
order us to plunge our horses into the sea, we would do
so. If you order us to goad our horses to the most distant
place like Bark al-Ghimad, we would do so. The narrator
said: Now the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
called upon the people (for the encounter). So they set
out and encamped at Badr. (Soon) the water-carriers of the
Quraish arrived. Among them was a black slave belonging to
Banu al-Hajjaj. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) caught him and interrogated him
about Abu Sufyan and his companions. He said: I know
nothing about Abu Sufyan, but Abu Jahl, Utba, Shaiba and
Umayya b. Khalaf are there. When he said this, they beat
him. Then he said: All right, I will tell you about Abu
Sufyan. They would stop beating him and then ask him
(again) about Abu Sufyan. He would again say', I know
nothing about Abu Sufyan, but Abu Jahl. 'Utba, Shaiba and
Umayya b. Khalaf are there. When he said this, they beat
him likewise. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) was standing in prayer. When he saw this he finished
his prayer and said: By Allah in Whose control is my life,
you beat him when he is telling you the truth, and you let
him go when he tells you a lie. The narrator said: Then
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: This
is the place where so and so would be killed. He placed
his hand on the earth (saying) here and here; (and) none
of them fell away from the place which the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) had indicated by placing his
hand on the earth.
It has been narrated by 'Abdullah b. Rabah from Abu
Huraira, who said: Many deputations came to Mu'awiya. This
was in the month of Ramadan. We would prepare food for one
another. Abu Huraira was one of those who frequently
invited us to his house. I said: Should I not prepare food
and invite them to my place? So I ordered meals to be
prepared Then I met Abu Huraira in the evening and said:
(You will have) your meals with me tonight. He said: You
have forestalled me. I said: Yes, and invited them. (When
they had finished with the meals) Abu Huraira said: Should
I not tell yon a tradition from your traditions, O ye
assembly of the Ansar? He then gave an account of the
Conquest of Mecca and said: The Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) advanced until he reached Mecca. He
deputed Zubair on his right flank and Khalid on the left,
and he despatched Abu Ubaida with the force that had no
armour. They advanced to the interior of the valley. The
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was in the
midst of a large contingent of fighters. He saw me and
said: Abu Huraira. I said: I am here at your call,
Messenger of Allah I He said: Let no one come to me except
the Ansar, so call to me the Ansar (only). Abu Huraira
continued: So they gathered round him. The Quraish also
gathered their ruffians and their (lowly) followers, and
said: We send these forward. If they get anything, we
shall be with them (to share it), and if misfortune
befalls them, we shall pay (as compensation) whatever we
are asked for. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) said (to the Ansar): You see the ruffians and the
(lowly) followers of the Quraish. And he indicated by
(striking) one of his hands over the other that they
should be killed and said: Meet me at as-Safa. Then we
went on (and) if any one of us wanted that a certain
person should be killed, he was killed, and none could
offer any resistance. Abu Huraira continued: Then came Abu
Sufyan and said: Messenger of Allah, the blood of the
Quraish has become very cheap. There will be no Quraish
from this day on.
Then he (the Holy Prophet) said: Who enters the house
of Abu Sufyan, he will be safe. Some of the Ansar
whispered among themselves: (After all), love for his city
and tenderness towards his relations have overpowered him.
Abu Huraira said: (At this moment) revelation came to the
Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) and when he was going
to receive the Revelation, we understood it, and when he
was (actually) receiving it, none of us would dare raise
his eyes to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
until the revelation came to an end. When the revelation
came to an end, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) said: O ye Assembly of the Ansar! They said: Here we
are at your disposal, Messenger of Allah. He said: You
were saying that love for his city and tenderness towards
his people have overpowered this man. They said: So it
was. He said: No, never. I am a bondman of God and His
Messenger. I migrated towards God and towards you. I will
live with you and will die with you. So, they (the Ansar)
turned towards him in tears and they were saying: By
Allah, we said what we said because of our tenacious
attachment to Allah and His Messenger. The Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Surely, Allah and His
Messenger testify to your assertions and accept your
apology. The narrator continued: People turned to the
house of Abu Sufyan and people locked their doors. The
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) proceeded until
he approached the (Black) Stone. He kissed it and
circumambulated the Ka'ba. He reached near an idol by the
side of the Ka'ba which was worshipped by the people. The
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had a bow in
his hand, and he was holding it from a corner. When he
came near the idol, he began to pierce its eyes with the
bow and (while doing so) was saying: Truth has been
established and falsehood has perished. When he had
finished the circumambulation, he came to Safa', ascended
it to a height from where he could see the Ka'ba, raised
his hands (in prayer) and began to praise Allah and prayed
what he wanted to pray.
The tradition has been narrated by a different chain of
transmitters with the following additions: (i) Then be
(the Messenger of Allah) said with his hands one upon the
other: Kill them (who stand in your way).... (ii) They
(the Ansar) replied: We said so, Messenger of Allah! He
said: What is my name? I am but Allah's bondman and His
Messenger.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abdullah b.
Rabah who said: We came to Mu'awiya b. Abu Sufyan as a
deputation and Abu Huraira was among us. Each of us would
prepare food for his companions turn by turn for a day.
(Accordingly) when it was my turn I said: Abu Huraira, it
is my turn today. So they came to my place. The food was
not yet ready, so I said to Abu Huraira: I wish you could
narrate to us a tradition from the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) until the food was ready. (Complying
with my request) Abu Huraira said: We were with the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the day of
the Conquest of Mecca. He appointed Khalid b. Walid as
commander of the right flank, Zubair as commander of the
left flank, and Abu 'Ubaida as commander of the
foot-soldiers (who were to advance) to the interior of the
valley. He (then) said: Abu Huraira, call the Ansar to me.
So I called out to them and they came hurriedly. He said:
O ye Assembly of the Ansaar, do you see the ruffians of
the Quraish? They said: Yes. He said: See, when you meet
them tomorrow, wipe them out. He hinted at this with his
hand, placing his right hand on his left and said: You
will meet us at as-Safa'. (Abu Huraira continued): Whoever
was seen by them that day was put to death. The Messenger
of Allah (may peace be upon him) ascended the mount of
as-Safa'. The Ansar also came there and surrounded the
mount. Then came Abu Sufyan and said: Messenger ot Allah,
the Quraish have perished. No member of the Quraish tribe
will survive this day. The Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) said: Who enters the house of Abu Safyin will
be safe, who lays down arms will be safe, who locks his
door will be safe. (some of) the Ansar said: (After all)
the man has been swayed by tenderness towards his family
and love for his city. At this, Divine inspiration
descended upon the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him). He said: You were saying that the man has been
swayed by tenderness towards his family and love for his
city. Do you know what my name is? I am Muhammad, the
bondman of God and His Messenger. (He repeated this
thrice.) I left my native place for the take of Allah and
joined you. So I will live with you and die with you. Now
the Ansar said: By God, we said (that) only out of our
greed for Allah and His Messenger. He said: Allah and His
Apostle testify to you and accept your apology.
Chapter 31: REMOVAL OF THE IDOLS FROM THE
VICINITY OF THE KA'BA
It has been narrated by Ibn Abdullah who said: The Holy
Prophet (may peace be upon him) entered Mecca. There were
three hundred and sixty idols around the Ka'ba. He began
to thrust them with the stick that was in his hand
saying:" Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Lo!
falsehood was destined to vanish" (xvii. 8). Truth has
arrived, and falsehood can neither create anything from
the beginning nor can It restore to life
This tradition has been narrated by Ibn Abu Najah
through a different chain of transmitters up to the word:
Zahaqa, (This version) does not contain the second verse
and substitutes Sanam for Nusub (both the words mean"
idol" or" image" that is worshipped).
Chapter 32: NO QURAISHITE WILL BE KILLED BOUND
HAND AND FOOT AFTER THE CONQUEST OF MECCA
It has been narrated on the authority of Abdullah b.
Muti' who heard from his father and said: I heard the Holy
Prophet (may peace be upon him) say on the day of the
Conquest of Mecca: No Quraishite will be killed hound hand
and foot from this day until the Day of judgment.
The same tradition has been narrated on the authority
of Zakriyya through the same chain of transmitters with
the following addition:" No rebellious Quraishite with
al-Asi as his name embraced Islam that day except Muti.
His name-was al-Asi, but the Messenger of Allah (way peace
be upon him) changed his name to Muti.
It has been narrated on the authority of al-Bara' b.
'Azib who said: 'Ali b. Abu Talib penned the treaty
between the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) and the
polytheists on the Day of Hudaibiya. He wrote: This is
what Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, has settled. They
(the polytheists) said: Do not write words" the Messenger
of Allah". If we knew that you were the Messenger of
Allah, we would not fight against you. The Prophet (may
peace be upon him) said to 'Ali: Strike out these words.
He (Ali) said: I am not going to strike them out. So the
Prophet (may peace be upon him) struck them out with his
own hand. The narrator said that the conditions upon which
the two sides had agreed included that the Muslims would
enter Mecca (next year) and would stay there for three
days, and that they would not enter bearing arms except in
their sheaths or bolsters.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Ishaq, who
heard Bars' b. Azib say: When the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) made peace with the people of
Hudaibiya, 'Ali drew up the agreement between them, and so
he wrote: Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. (This is
followed by the same wording as we have in the previous
tradition except the omission of the words: This is what
he has settled.)
It has been narrated on the authority of Bara' who
said: When the Prophet (may peace be upon him) was checked
from going to the Ka'ba, the people of Mecca made peace
with him'on the condition that he would (be allowed to)
enter Mecca (next year) and stay there for three days,
that he would not enter (the city) except with swords in
their sheaths and arms encased in their covers, that he
would not take eway with him anyone from its dwellers, nor
would he prevent anyone from those with him to stay on in
Mecca (if he so desired). He said to 'Ali: Write down the
terms settled between us. (So 'Ali wrote): In the name of
Allah, most Gracious and most Merciful. This is what
Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, has settled (with the
Meccans), The polytheists said to him: If we knew that
thou art the Messenger of of Allah, we would follow you.
But write: Muhammad b. 'Abdullah. So he told 'Ali to
strike out these words. 'Ali said: No, by Allah, I will
not strike them out. The Messenger of Allah (may Peace be
upon him) said: Show me their place (on the parchment). So
he ('Ali) showed him their place and he (the Holy Prophet)
struck them out; and 'Ali wrote: Ibn 'Abdullah. (According
to the terms of the treaty, next year) the Holy Prophet
(may peace be upon him) stayed there for three days When
it was the third day, they said to 'Ali: This is the last
day according to the terms of your companion. So tell him
to leave. 'Ali informed the Prophet (may peace be upon
him) accordingly. He said: Yes, and left (the city). Ibn
Janab in his version of the tradition used:" we would
swear allegiance to you" instead of" we would follow you".
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas that the
Quraish made peace with the Prophet (may peace be upon
him). Among them was Suhail b. Amr. The Prophet (may peace
be upon him) said to 'Ali: Write" In the name of Allah,
most Gracious and most Merciful." Suhail said: As for"
Bismillah," we do not know what is meant by"
Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim" (In the name of Allah most
Gracious and most Merciful). But write what we understand,
i. e. Bi ismika allahumma (in thy name. O Allah). Then,
the Prophet (may peace be upon him) said: Write:" From
Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah." They said: If we knew
that thou welt the Messenger of Allah, we would follow
you. Therefore, write your name and the name of your
father. So the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) said:
Write" From Muhammad b. 'Abdullah." They laid the
condition on the Prophet (may peace be upon him) that
anyone who joined them from the Muslims, the Meccans would
not return him, and anyone who joined you (the Muslims)
from them, you would send him back to them. The Companions
said: Messenger of Allah, should we write this? He said:
Yes. One who goes away from us to join them-may Allah keep
him away! and one who comes to join us from them (and is
sent back) Allah will provide him relief and a way of
escape.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Wa'il who
said: Sahal b. Hunaif stood up on the Day of Siffin and
said: O ye people, blame yourselves (for want of
discretion) ; we were with the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) on the Day of Hudaibiya. If we had
thought it fit to fight, we could fight. This was in the
truce between the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) and the polytheists. Umar b. Khattab came, approached
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and said:
Messenger of Allah, aren't we fighting for truth and they
for falsehood? He replied: By all means. He asked: Are not
those killed from our side in Paradise and those killed.
from their side in the Fire? He replied: Yes. He said:
Then why should we put a blot upon our religion and
return, while Allah has not decided the issue between them
and ourselves? He said: Son of Khattab, I am the Messenger
of Allah. Allah will never ruin me. (The narrator said):
Umar went away, but he could not contain himself with
rage. So he approached Abu Bakr and said: 'Abu Bakr,
aren't we fighting for truth and they for falsehood? He
replied: Yes. He asked: Aren't those killed from our side
in Paradise and those killed from their side in the Fire?
He replied: Why not? He (then) said: Why should we then
disgrace our religion and return while God has not yet
decided the issue between them and ourselves? Abu Bakr
said: Son of Khattab, verily, he is the Messenger of
Allah, and Allah will never ruin him. (The narrator
continued): At this (a Sura of) the Qur'an (giving glad
tidings of the victory) was revealed to the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him). He sent for Umar and made
him read it. He asked: Is (this truce) a victory? He (the
Messenger of Allah) replied: Yes. At this Umar was
pleased, and returned.
It has been narrated on the authority of Shaqiq who
said: I heard Sahl b. Hunaif say at Siffin: O ye people,
find fault with your (own) discretion. By Allah, on the
Day of Abu Jandal (i. e. the day of Hudaibiya), I thought
to myself that, if I could, I would reverse the order of
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) (the terms
of the truce being unpalatable). By Allah, we have never
hung our swords on our shoulders in any situation
whatsoever except when they made easy for us to realise
the goal envisaged by us, but this battle of yours (seems
to be an exception). Ibn Numair (in his version) did not
mention the words:" In any situatina whatsoever"
The same tradition has been narrated through a
different chain of transmitters on the authority of
A'mash. This version contains the words: Ila amrin
yofzi'una instead of Ila amrin na'rifuhu.
It has been narrated through a different chain of
transmitters on the authority of Abu Wa'il who said: I
heard Sahl b. Hunaif say at Siffin: Blame (the hollowness)
of your views about your religion. I thought to myself on
the day of Abu Jandal that if I could turn down the order
of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), I
would. The situation was so difficult that if we mended it
at one place, it was rent at another.
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik
who said: When they (Companions of the Holy Prophet) were
overwhelmed with grief and distress on his return from
Hudaibiya where he had slaughtered his sacrificial beasts
(not being allowed to proceed to Mecca), the Qur'anic
verse: Inna fatahna... laka fathan mobinan to fauzan
'aziman, was revealed to him. (At this) he said: On me has
descended a verse that is dearer to me than the whole
world.
It has been reported on the authority of Hudbaifa b.
al-Yaman who said: Nothing prevented me from being present
at! he Battle of Badr except this incident. I came out
with my father Husail (to participate in the Battle), but
we were caught by the disbelievers of Quraish. They said:
(Do) you intend to go to Muhammad? We said: We do not
intend to go to him, but we wish to go (back) to Medina.
So they took from us a covenant in the name of God that we
would turn back to Medina and would not fight on the side
of Muhammad (may peace be upon him). So, we came to the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and related the
incident to him. He said: Both, of you proceed (to Medina)
; we will fulfil the covenant made with them and seek
God's help against them.
Chapter 35: THE BATTLE OF AHZAB OR THE BATTLE OF
THE DITCH
It has been narrated by Ibrahim al-Taimi on the
authority of his father who said: We were sitting in the
company of Hudhaifa. A man said: If I were in the time of
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), I would
have fought by his side and would have striven hard for
his causes. Hudhaifa said: You might have done that, (but
you should not make a flourish of your enthusiasm). I was
with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the
night of the Battle of Abzib and we were gripped by a
violent wind and severe cold. The Messenger of Allah (may
peace be him) said: Hark, the man who (goes reconnoitring
and) brings me the news of the enemy shall be ranked with
me on the Day of Judgment by Allah (the Glorious and
Exalted). We all kept quiet and none of us responed to
him. (Again) he said: Hark, a man who (goes reconnoitring
and) brings me the news of the enemy shall be ranked with
me on the Day of Judgment by Allah (the Glorious and
Exalted). We kept quiet and none of us responded to him.
He again said: Hark, a man who (goes reconnoitring and)
brings me the news of the enemy shall be ranked with me on
the Day of Judgtuent by Allah (the Glorious and Exalted)
Then he said: Get up Hudhaifa, bring me the news of the
enemy. When he called me by name I had no alternative but
to get up. He said: Go and bring me information about the
enemy, and do nothing that may provoke them against me.
When I left him, I felt warm as if I were walking in a
heated bath untill I reached them. I saw Abu Sufyan
warming his back against fire I put an arrow in the middle
of the bow. intending to shoot at him, when I recalled the
words of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)"
Do not provoke them against me." Had I shot at him, I
would have hit him. But I returned and (felt warm as if) I
were walking in a heated bath (hammam). Presenting myself
before him, I gave him information about the enemy. When I
had done so, I began to feel cold, so the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) wrapped me in a blanket that
he had in excess to his own requirement and with which he
used to cover himself while saying his prayers. So I
continued to sleep until it was morning. When it was
morning he said: Get up, O heavy sleeper.
It has been reported on the authority of Anas b. Malik
that (when the enemy got the upper hand) on the day of the
Battle of Uhud, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) was left with only seven men from the ansar and two
men from the Quraish. When the enemy advanced towards him
and overwhelmed him, he said: Whoso turns them away from
us will attain Paradise or will be my Companion in
Paradise. A man from the Ansar came forward and fought
(the enemy) until he was killed. The enemy advanced and
overwhelmed him again and he repeated the words: Whoso
turns them away, from us will attain Paradise or will be
my Companion in Paradise. A man from the Arsar came
forward and fought until he was killed. This state
continued until the seven Ansar were killed (one after the
other). Now, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) said to his two Companions: We have not done justice
to our Companions.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abd-ul-'Aziz
b. Abu Hazim, who learnt from his father (Abu Hazim). The
latter heard it from Sahl b. Sa'd who was asked about the
injury which the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) got on the day of the Battle of Uhud. He said: The
face of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was
injured, his front teeth were damaged and his helmet was
crushed. Fatima, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him), was washing the blood (from his
head), and 'Ali b. Abu Talib was pouring water on it from
a shield. When Fatima saw that the bleeding had increased
on account of (pouring) water (on the wound), she took a
piece of mat and burnt it until it was reduced to ashes.
She put the ashes on the wound and the bleeding stopped.
It has been reported on the authority of Abu Hazim who
heard from Sahl b. Sa'd. The latter was asked about the
injury of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him).
He said: By God, I know the person who washed the wound of
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), who poured
water on it and with what the wound was treated. Then Sahl
narrated the same tradition as has been narrated by 'Abd
al-'Azlz except that he added the words:" And his face was
injured" and replaced the word" Hushimat" by" Kusirat" (i.
e. it was broken).
The same tradition has been narrated on the authority
of Sahl b. Sa'd through a different chain of transmitters
with a slight difference in the wording.
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas that the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had his front
teeth damaged on the day of the Battle of Uhud, and got a
wound on his head. He was wiping the blood (from his face)
and was saying: How will these people attain salvation who
have wounded their Prophet and broken his tooth while he
called them towards God? At this time, God, the Exalted
and Glorious, revealed the Verse:" Thou hast no authority"
(iii. 127).
It has been narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah who
said: It appeared to me as if I saw the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) (and heard him) relate the story
of a Prophet who had been beaten by his people, was wiping
the blood from his face and was saying. My Lord, forgive
my people, for they do not know.
It has been narrated by Hammam b. Munabbih who said:
This is what has been related to us by Abu Huraira from
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). (With this
introduction) he narrated a number of traditions. One of
these was that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) said: Great is the wrath of Allah upon a people who
have done this to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him), and he was at that time pointing to his front
teeth. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) also
said: Great is the wrath of Allah upon a person who has
been killed by the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) in the way of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious.
Chapter 38: THE PERSECUTION OF THE HOLY PROPHET
(MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM) AT THE HANDS OF THE INFIDELS AND
HYPOCRITES
It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Mas'ud who
said: While the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
was saying his prayer near the Ka'ba and Abu Jahl with his
companions was sitting (near by), Abu Jahl said, referring
to the she-camel that had been slaughtered the previous
day: Who will rise to fetch the foetus of the she-camel of
so and so, and place it between the shoulders of Muhammad
when he goes down in prostration (a posture in prayer).
The one most accursed among the people got up, brought the
foetus and, when the Prophet (may peace be upon him) went
down in prostration, placed it between his shoulders. Then
they laughed at him and some of them leaned upon the
others with laughter. And I stood looking. If I had the
power, I would have thrown it away from the back of the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). The Prophet
(may peace be upon him) had bent down his head in
prostration and did not raise it, until a man went (to his
house) and informed (his daughter) Fatima, who was a young
girl (at that time) (about this ugly incident). She came
and removed (the filthy thing) from him. Then she turned
towards them rebuking them (the mischief-mongers). When
the Prophet (may peace be upon him) had finished his
prayer, he invoked God's imprecations upon them in a loud
voice. When he prayed, he prayed thrice, and when he asked
for God's blessings, he asked thrice. Then he said thrice:
O Allah, it is for Thee to deal with the Quraish. When
they heard his voice, laughter vanished from them and they
feared his malediction. Then he said: O God, it is for
Thee to deal with Abu Jahl b. Hisham, 'Utba b. Rabi'a,
Shaiba b. Rabi'a. Walid b. Uqba, Umayya b. Khalaf, Uqba b.
Abu Mu'ait (and he mentioned the name of the seventh
person. which I did not remember). By One Who sent
Muhammad with truth, I saw (all) those he had named lying
slain on the Day of Badr. Their dead bodies were dragged
to be thrown into a pit near the battlefield.
Abu Ishiq had said that the name of Walid b. 'Uqba has
been wrongly mentioned in this tradition.
It has been narrated by Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) who said:
When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was
lying postrate in prayer and around him were some people
from the Quraish, 'Uqba b. Abu Mu'ait brought the foetus
of a she-camel and threw it on the back of the Messenger
of Allah (may peace be upon him). He did not raise his
head until Fatima arrived, removed it from his back and
cured him who had done that (ugly act). He said: O Allah,
it is for Thee to deal with the chiefs of the Quraish. Abu
Jahl b. Hisham, 'Utba b. Rabi'a. Uqba b. Abu Mu'ait,
Shaiba b. Rabi'a, Umayya b. Khalaf or Ubayy b. Khalaf
(Shu'ba, one of the narrator of this tradition is in doubt
about the exact person). I saw that all were slain in the
Battle of Badr and their dead bodies were thrown into a
well, except that of Umayya or Ubayy which was cut into
pieces and was thrown into the well.
Abu Ishiq has narrated a similar tradition through a
different chain of transmitters and has added: He (the
Messenger of Allah) loved to repeat the supplication
thrice. He was saying: O Allah, it is for Thee to deal
with the Quraish (repeating these words thrice). And among
the Quraish, he mentioned (the names of) al-Walid b. 'Utba
and Umayya b. Khalaf. (The narrator says there is no doubt
about the names of these persons but he has forgotten the
name of the seventh man).
It has been narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah
that, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
turned his face towards the Ka'ba and invoked God's
imprecations upon six men of the Quraish, amorig whom were
Abu Jahl. Umayya b. Khalaf, Utba b. Rabi'a, Shaiba b.
Rabi'a and 'Uqba b. Abu Mu'ait I swear by God that I saw
them lying slain in the battlefield of Badr. It being a
hot day, their complexion had changed (showing signs of
decay).
It has been narrated on the authority of 'A'isha, the
wife of the Prophet (may peace be upon him), who said to
the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him): Messenger
of Allah, has there come upon you a day more terrible than
the day of Ubud. He said: I have experienced from thy
people and the hardest treatment I met from them was what
I received from them on the day of 'Aqaba. I betook myself
to Ibn Abd Yalil b. Abd Kulal with the purpose of inviting
him to Islam, but he did not respond to me as I desired.
So I departed with signs of (deep) distress on my face. I
did not recover until I reached Qarn al-Tha'alib. Where I
raised my head, lo! near me was a cloud which had cast its
shadow on me. I looked and lo! there was in it the angel
Jibril who called out to me and said.: God. the Honoured
and Glorious, has heard what thy people have said to thee,
and how they have reacted to thy call. And He has sent to
thee the angel in charge of the mountains so that thou
mayest order him what thou wishest (him to do) with,
regard to them. The angel in charge of the mountains
(then) called out to me, greeted me and said: Muhammad,
God has listened to what thy people have said to thee. I
am the angel in charge of the mountains. and thy Lord has
sent me to thee so that thou mayest order me what thou
wishest. If thou wishest that I should bring together the
two mountains that stand opposite to each other at the
extremities of Mecca to crush them in between, (I would do
that). But the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him)
said to him: I rather hope that God will produce from
their descendants such persons as will worship Allah, the
One, and will not ascribe partners to Him.
It has been narrated on the authority of Jundub b.
Sufyan who said: A finger of the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) was wounded in one of the encounters He
said: Thou art just a little finger which has bled, and
what thou hast experienced is in the cause of Allah.
It has been narrated on the authority of Aswad b. Qais
who said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
was in a cave (or raid) when his finger was hurt.
It has been narrated on the authority of Aswad b. Qais
who heard Jundub saying that Gabriel delayed his visit to
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) The
polytheists began to say that Muhammad has been forsaken.
At this Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, revealed:" Wa'dd
hd wa'l-laili iza saja, ma wadda'ka Rabbuka wa' ma qala"
[By the glorious morning light, and by the night when it
is still: thy Lord has not forsaken thee, nor is He
displeased].
It has been narrated on the authority of Aswad b. Qais
who said: I heard Jundub b. Sufyan say: The Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) fell ill and did not wake up
for two or three nights (for prayers) A woman came to him
and said: Muhammad, I hope that your satan has left you. I
haven't seen him approach you for two or three nights. The
narrator says: At this, Allah, the Glorious and Exalted,
revealed:" By the Glorious......"
It has been narrated on the authority of Usama b. Zaid
that the Prophet (may peace be upon him) rode a donkey. It
had on it a saddle under which was a mattress made at
Fadak (a place near Medina). Behind him he seated Usama.
He was going to the street of Banu Harith al-Khazraj to
inquire after the health of Sa'd b. Ubada This happened
before the Battle of Badr. (He proceeded) until he passed
by a mixed company of people in which were Muslims,
polytheists, idol worshippers and the Jews and among them
were 'Abdullah b. Ubayy and 'Abdullah b. Rawaha. When the
dust raised by the hoofs of the animal spread over the
company, 'Abdullah b. Ubayy covered his nose with his
mantle and said: Do not scatter the dust over us (Not
minding this remark), the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon
him) greeted them, stopped, got down from his animal,
invited them to Allah, and recited to them the Qur'an.
'Abdullah b. Ubayy said: O man, if what you say is the
truth, the best thing for you would be not to bother us
with it in our assemblies. Get back to your place. Whoso
comes to you from us, tell him (all) this. Abdullah b.
Rawaha said: Come to us in our gatherings, for we love (to
hear) it. The narrator says: (At this), the Muslims, the
polytheists and the Jews began to rebuke one another until
they were determined to come to blows. The Holy Prophet
(may peace be upon him) continued to pacify them. (When
they were pacified), he rode his animal and came to Sa'd
b. 'Ubida. He said: Sa'd, haven't you heard what Abu Hubab
(meaning 'Abdullah b. Ubayy) has said? He has said so and
so. Sa'd said: Messenger of Allah, forgive and pardon. God
has granted you a sublime position, (but so far as he is
concerned) the people of this settlement had-decided to
make him their king by making him wear a crown and a
turban (in token thereof), but God has circumvented this
by the truth He has granted you. This has made him jealous
and his jealousy (must have) prompted the behaviour that
you have witnessed. So, the Holy Prophet (may peace upon
him) forgave him.
A similar tradition has been narrated through a
different chain of transmitters by Ibn Shihab with the
addition of the words:" Before Abdullah (b. Ubayy) became
a Muslim."
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik
that it was said to the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon
him): Would that you approached Abdullah b. Ubayy (to
persuade him to accept Islam). The Holy Prophet (may peace
be upon him) (accordingly) went to him, riding a donkey,
and (a party of) Muslims also went (with him). On the way
they had to walk over a piece of land affected with
salinity. When the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him)
approached him, he said: Do not come near me. By Allah,
the obnoxious smell of your donkey has offended me. (As a
rejoinder to this remark), a man from the Ansar said: By
God, the smell of the donkey of the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) is better than your smell. (At
this), a man from the tribe of 'Abdullah got furious. Then
people from both sides got furious and exchanged blows
with sticks, hands and shoes. (The narrator says) that
(after this scuffle) we learnt that (the Qur'anic verse):"
It two parties of the Believers have a quarrel, make ye
peace between them" (xlix. 9) was revealed about these
fighting parties.
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik
that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said
(after the encounter at Badr): Who will ascertain for us
what has happened to Abu Jahl? Ibn Mas'ud went (to gather
this information). He found that the two sons of 'Afra'
had struck him and he lay cold at the point of death. He
caught him by his beard and said: Art thou Abu Jahl? He
said: is there anybody superior to the person you have
killed, or (he said) his people have killed him. Ibn
Mas'ud says that, according to Abu Mijlaz, Abu Jahl said:
Alas! a person other than a farmer would have killed me.
It has been narrated on the authority of Jabir that the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Who will
kill Ka'b b. Ashraf? He has maligned Allah, the Exalted,
and His Messenger. Muhammad b. Maslama said: Messenger of
Allah, do you wish that I should kill him? He said: Yes.
He said: Permit me to talk (to him in the way I deem fit).
He said: Talk (as you like). So, Muhammad b. Maslama came
to Ka'b and talked to him, referred to the old friendship
between them and said: This man (i. e. the Holy Prophet)
has made up his mind to collect charity (from us) and this
has put us to a great hardship. When be heard this, Ka'b
said: By God, you will be put to more trouble by him.
Muhammad b. Maslama said: No doubt, now we have become his
followers and we do not like to forsake him until we see
what turn his affairs will take. I want that you should
give me a loan. He said: What will you mortgage? He said:
What do you want? He said: Pledge me your women. He said:
You are the most handsome of the Arabs; should we pledge
our women to you? He said: Pledge me your children. He
said: The son of one of us may abuse us saying that he was
pledged for two wasqs of dates, but we can pledge you
(cur) weapons. He said: All right. Then Muhammad b.
Maslama promised that he would come to him with Harith,
Abu 'Abs b. Jabr and Abbad b. Bishr. So they came and
called upon him at night. He came down to them. Sufyan
says that all the narrators except 'Amr have stated that
his wife said: I hear a voice which sounds like the voice
of murder. He said: It is only Muhammad b. Maslama and his
foster-brother, Abu Na'ila. When a gentleman is called at
night even it to be pierced with a spear, he should
respond to the call. Muhammad said to his companions: As
he comes down, I will extend my hands towards his head and
when I hold him fast, you should do your job. So when he
came down and he was holding his cloak under his arm, they
said to him: We sense from you a very fine smell. He said:
Yes, I have with me a mistress who is the most scented of
the women of Arabia. He said: Allow me to smell (the scent
on your head). He said: Yes, you may smell. So he caught
it and smelt. Then he said: Allow me to do so (once
again). He then held his head fast and said to his
companions: Do your job. And they killed him.
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas that the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) raided Khaibar.
One morning we offered prayers in the darkness of early
dawn (near Khaibar). Then the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) mounted (his horse). Abu Talha mounted
his and I mounted behind Abu Talha on the same horse. The
Prophet of Allah (may peace be upon him) rode through the
streets of Khaibar and (I rode so close to him) that my
knee touched the thigh of the Prophet of Allah (may peace
be upon him). The wrapper got aside from his thigh, and I
could see its whiteness. When he entered the town, he
said: God is Great. Khaibar shall face destruction. When
we descend in the city-square of a people, it is a bad day
for them who have been warned (and have not taken heed).
He said these words thrice. The people of the town had
just come out from (their houses) to go about their jobs.
They said (in surprise): Muhammad has come. We captured
Khaibar by force.
It has been narrated (through another chain of
transmitters) on the authority of the same narrator (i. e.
Anas) who said: I was riding behind Abu Talha on the day
of the Battle of Khaibar (and we were riding so close to
the Holy Prophet that) my foot would touch his We
encountered the people at sunrise when they had come out
with their axes, spades and strings driving their cattle
along. They shouted (in surprise): Muhammad has come along
with his force! The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) said: Khaibar shall face destruction. Behold! when we
descend in the city-square of a people, it is a bad day
for those who have been warned (but have not taken heed).
Allah, the Glorious and Majestic, inflicted defeat upon
them.
It has been narrated on the authority of Salama b.
al-Akwa' who said: We marched upon Khaibar with the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). We journeyed
during the night. One of the people said to (my brother)
'Amir b. al-Akwa': Won't you recite to us some of your
verses? Amir was a poet. So he began to chant his verses
to urge the camels, reciting:
O God, if Thou hadst not guided us
We would have neither been guided rightly nor practised
charity,
Nor offered prayers.
We wish to lay down our lives for Thee; so forgive Thou
our lapses,
And keep us steadfast when we encounter (our enemies).
Bestow upon us peace and tranquillity.
Behold, when with a cry they called upon us to help.
The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:
Who is this driver (of the camels)? They said: It is
'Amir. He said: God will show mercy to him. A man said:
Martyrdom is reserved for him. Messenger of Allah, would
that you had allowed us to benefit ourselves from his
life. (The narrator says): We reached Khaibar and besieged
them, and (we continued the siege) until extreme hunger
afflicted us. Then the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) said: Behold, God has conquered it for you. When
it was evening of the day on which the city was conquered.
the Muslims lit many fires. The Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) said: What are these fires? And what
are they cooking? They said: They are cooking meat. He
asked. Which meat? They said: That of domestic asses. He
said: Let them throw it away and break the pots (in which
it is being cooked). A man said: Or should they throw it
away and wash the pots? He said: They may do that. When
the people drew themselves up in battle array 'Amir caught
hold of his sword that was rather short He drove a Jew
before him to strike him with it. (As he struck him), his
sword recoiled and struck his own knee, and 'Amir died of
the wound. When the people returned (after the conquest of
Kliaibar) and he (Salama) had caught hold of my hand, and
said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) saw
that I was silent (and dejected) ; he said: What's the
matter with thee? I said to him: My father and my mother
be thy ransom, people presume that 'Amir's sacrifice has
been in vain. He asked: Who has said that? I said: So and
so and Usaid b. Hudair al-Ansari. He said: Who has said
that has lied. For him (for 'Amir) there is a double
reward. (He indicated this by putting two of his fingers
together.) He was a devotee of God and a warrior fighting
for His cause. There will be hardly any Arab who can fight
as bravely as he did. Qutaiba has differed in a few words.
It has been reported on the authority of Salama b.
Akwa' who said: On the day of the Battle of Khaibar my
brother fought a fierce fight by the side of the Messenger
of Allah (may peace be upon him). His sword rebounded and
killed him. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon hill) talked about his death and doubted
(whether it was martyrdom). (They said): (He is) a man
killed by his own weapon, and expressed doubt about his
affair. Salama said: When the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) returned from Khaibar, I said:
Messenger of Allah, permit me that I may recite to you
some rajaz verses. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) permitted him. 'Umar b. Khattab said: I know
what you will recite. I recited:
By God, if God had guided us not,
We would hive neither been guided aright nor practised
charity,
Nor offered prayers.
The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:
What you have said is true, 'I (continued):
And descend on us peace and tranquillity
And keep us steadfast if we encounter (with our
enemies)
And the polytheists have rebelled against us.
When I finished my rajaz, the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) said: Who composed these verses? I
said: They were composed by my brother. The Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) said: May God show mercy to
him! I said: By God, some people are reluctant to invoke
God's mercy on him (because) they say he is a man who died
by his own sword. (Hearing this) the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) said: He died as God's devotee and
warrior. Ibn Shihab has said: I asked one of the sons of
Salama (b. Akwa') about (the death of 'Amir). He related
to me a similar tradition except that he said: When I said
some people were reluctant invoke God's blessings on him,
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be, upon him said: They
lied. ('Amir) died as God's devotee and warrior (in the
cause of Allah). For him there is a double reward, and he
pointed out this by putting his two fingers together.
Chapter 43: THE BATTLE OF AHZAB OR KHANDAQ (THE
TRIBES OR THE DITCH)
It has been reported on the authority of Barra' who
said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was
carrying the earth with us on the Day of Ahzab and the
whiteness of his belly had been covered with earth. (While
engaged in this toil) he was reciting:
By God, if Thou hadst not guided us
We would have neither been guided aright nor practised
charity,
Nor offered prayers.
Descend on us peace and tranquillity.
Behold I these people (the Meccans) refused to follow
us.
According to another version, he recited:
The chieftains (of the tribes) refused to follow us
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Ishaq who
said: I heard from Bara' a similar tradition except that
he said:" These people (the Meccans) rebelled against us."
It has been reported on the authority of Sahl b. Sa'd
who said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
came to us while we were digging the ditch and were
carrying the earth on our shoulders. (Seeing our
condition), he said:
O God, there is no life but the life of the Hereafter.
According to another version of the tradition, reported
on the authority of Anas b. Malik, the Messenger of Allah
(may peace he upon him) is reported to have said:
O God, there is no life but the life of the Hereafter,
According to still another version of the tradition
narrated by the same authority, and handed down through a
different chain of transmitters, it has been reported that
they (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) were reciting
rajaz verses and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) was (reciting) with them. And they were chanting:
O God, there is no good but the good of the Hereafter.
So help Thou the Ansar and the Muhajirs.
Shaiban substituted" So forgive Thou" for" So help
Thou".
It has been narrated (through a still difterent chain
of transmitters) by Anas that the Companions of Muhammad
(may peace be upon him) were chanting on the day of the
Battle of the Ditch:
We are those who have sworn allegiance to Muhammad
(And made a covenant with him) to follow Islam as long
as we live.
Hammad is not sure whether Anas said:" Ala'l-Islam"
or," Ala'l-Jihad". And the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon
him) was chanting:
O God, the real good is the good of the Hereafter,
It has been narrated on the authority of Yazid b. Abu
'Ubaid who said that he heard Salama b. al-Akwa' say: I
went out before the Adhan for the morning prayer had been
delivered. The milch she-camels of the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) were grazing at Dhu Qarad. 'Abd
al-Rahman b. Auf's slave met me and said: The milch
she-camels of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) had been taken away. I said: Who has taken them away?
He said: (the people belonging to the tribe of) Ghatafan.
I cried thrice: Help! I made the whole city between the
two lavas hear my cry. Then I ran straight in their
pursuit until I overtook them at Dhu Qarad where they were
just going to water their animals. I, being an archer,
began to shoot them with my arrows and was saying: I am
the son of al-Akwa'. And today is the day when the cowards
will meet their doom. I continued to chant until I rescued
the milch she-camels from them, and snatched from them
thirty mantles. Now, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) and some other people came along. I said:
Prophet of Allah, I have prevented them from water while
they were thirsty. So you should send a force (to punish
them). He (the Holy Prophet) said: Ibn al-Akwa', you have
taken (what, you have taken). Now let them go. Then we
returned and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) made me mount behind him on his she-camel until we
entered Medina.
It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Salama. He
heard the tradition from his father who said: We arrived
at Hudaibiya with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) and we were fourteen hundred in number. There
were fifty goats for them which could not be watered (by
the small quantity of water in the local well). So, the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sat on the
brink of the well. Either he prayed or spat into the well
The water welled up. We drank and watered (the beasts as
well). Then the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
called us to take the vow of allegiance, as he was sitting
at the base of a tree. I was the first man to take the
vow. Then other people took the vow. When half the number
of people had done so, he said to me: You take the vow,
Salama. I said: I was one of those who took the vow in the
first instance. He said: (You may do) again. Then the
Messenger. of Allah (may peace be upon him) saw that I was
without weapons. He gave me a big or a small shield. Then
he continued to administer vows to the people until it was
the last batch of them. He said (to me): Won't you swear
allegiance, Salama? I said: Messenger of Allah, I took the
oath with the first batch of the people and then again
when you were in the middle of the people. He said:
(Doesn't matter), you may (do so) again. So I took the
oath of allegiance thrice. Then he said to me: Salama,
where is the shield which I gave to thee? I said:
Messenger of Allah, my uncle 'Amir met me and he was
without any weapons. So I gave the shield to him. The
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) laughed and
said: You are like a person of the days gone by who said:
O God. I seek a friend who is dearer to me than myself.
(When all Companions had sworn allegiance to the Holy
Prophet), the polytheists sent messages of peace, until
people could move from our camp to that of the Meccans and
vice versa. Finally, the peace treaty was concluded.
I was a dependant of Talha b. Ubaidullah. I watered his
horse, rubbed its back. I served Talha (doing odd jobs for
him) and partook from his food. I had left my family and
my property as an emigrant in the cause of Allah and His
Messenger (may peace be uron him). When we and the people
of Mecca had concluded a peace treaty and the people of
one side began to mix with those of the other, I came to a
tree, swept away its thorns and lay down (for rest) at its
base; (while I lay there), four of the polytheists from
the Meccans came to me and began to talk ill of the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). I got enraged
with them and moved to another tree. They hung their
weapons (to the branches of the tree) and lay down (for
rest). (While they lay there), somebody from the lower
part of the valley cried out: Run up, O Muhajirs! Ibn
Zunaim has been murdered. I drew my sword and attacked
these four while they were asleep. I seized their arms and
collected them up in my hand, and said: By the Being Who
has conferred honour upon Muhammad, none of you shall
raise his head, else I will smite his face. (Then) I came
driving them along to the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon
him). (At the same time). my uncle Amir came (to him) with
a man from" Abalat called Mikraz. Amir was dragging him on
a horse with a thick covering on its back along with
seventy polytheists. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) cast a glance at them and said: Let them go (so
that) they may prove guilty of breach of trust more than
once (before we take action against them). So the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) forgave them.
On this occasion. God revealed the Qur'anic verse:" It is
He Who restrained their hands from you and your hands from
them in the valley of Mecca after He had granted you a
victory over them" (xlviii. 24). Then we moved returning
to Medina, and halted at a place where there was a
mountain between us and Banu Lihyan who were polytheists.
The Messenaer of Allah (may peace be upon him) asked God's
forgiveness for one who ascended the mountain at night to
act as a scout for the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) and his Compinions. I ascended (that mountain)
twice or thrice that night. (At last) we reached Medina.
The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sent his
camels with his slave, Rabah, and I was with him. I (also)
went to the pasture with the horse of Talha along with the
camels.
When the day dawned, Abd al-Rahman al-Fazari made a
raid and drove away all the camels of the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him), and killed the man who
looked after them. I said: Rabah, ride this horse, take it
to Talha b. 'Ubaidullah and Inform the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) that the polytheists have made
away with his camels. Then I stood upon a hillock and
turning my face to Medina, shouted thrice: Come to our
help I Then I set out in pursuit of the raiders, shooting
at them with arrows and chanting a (self-eulogatory) verse
in the Iambic metre:
I am the son of al-Akwa'
And today is the day of defeat for the mean.
I would overtake a man from them, shoot at him an arrow
which, piercing through the saddle, would reach his
shoulder. and I would say: Take it, chanting at the same
time the verse
And I am the son of al-Akwa'
And tody is the day of defeat for the mean.
By God, I continued shooting at them and hamstringing
their animals. Whenever a horseman turned upon me, I would
come to a tree and (hid myself) sitting at its base. Then
I would shoot at him and hamstring his horse. (At last)
they entered a narrow mountain gorge. I ascended that
mountain and held them at bay throwing stones at them. I
continued to chase them in this way until I got all the
camels of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
released and no camel was left with them. They left me;
then I followed them shooting at them (continually) until
they dropped more than thirty mantles and thirty lances.
lightening their burden. On everything they dropped, I put
a mark with the help of (a piece of) stone so that the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and his
Companions might recognise them (that it was booty left by
the enemy). (They went on) until They came to a narrow
valley when so and so, son of Badr al-Fazari joined them.
They (now) sat down to take their breakfast and I sat on
the top of a tapering rock. Al-Fazari said: Who is that
fellow I am seeing? They said: This fellow has harassed
us. By God, he has not left us since dusk and has been
(continually) shooting at us until he has snatched
everything from our hands. He said: Four of you should
make a dash at him (and kill him). (Accordingly), four of
them ascended the mountain coming towards me. When it
became possible for me to talk to them, I said: Do you
recognise me? They said: No. Who are thou? I said: I am
Salama, son of al-Akwa'. By the Being Who has honoured the
countenance of Muhammad (may peace be upon him) I can kill
any of you I like but none of you will be able to kill me.
One of them said: I think (he is right). So they returned.
I did not move from my place until I saw the horsemen of
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), who came
riding through the trees. Lo! the foremost among them was
Akhram al-Asadi.
Behind him was Abu Qatada al-Ansari and behind him was
al-Miqdad b. al-Aswad al-Kindi. I caught hold of the rein
of Akhram's horse (Seeing this). they (the raiders) fled.
I said (to Akhram): Akhram, guard yourself against them
until Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and his
Companions join you. He said: ) Salama, if you believe In
Allah and the Day of Judgment and (if) you kaow that
Paradise is a reality and Hell is a reality, you should
not stand between me and martyrdom. so I let him go.
Akhram and Abd al-Rahman (Fazari) met in combat. Akhram
hamstrung Abd al-Rahman's horse and the latter struck him
with his lance and killed him. Abd al-Rabman turned about
riding Akhram's horse. Abu Qatada, a horse-man of the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), met 'Abd
al-Rahman (in combat), smote him with his lance and killed
him. By the Being Who honoured the countenance of Muhammad
(may peace oe upon him), I followed them running on my
feet (so fast) that I couldn't see behind me the
Companions of Muhammad (may peace be upon him), nor any
dust raised by their horses. (I followed them) until
before sunset they reached a valley which had a spring of
water, which was called Dhu Qarad, so that they could have
a drink, for they were thirsty. They saw me running
towards them. I turned them out of the valley before they
could drink a drop of its water. They left the valley and
ran down a slope. I ran (behind them), overtook a man from
them, shot him with an arrow through the shoulder blade
and said: Take this. I am the son of al-Akwa'; and today
is the day of annihilation for the people who are mean.
The fellow (who was wounded) said: May his mother weep
over him! Are you the Akwa' who has been chasing us since
morning? I said: Yes, O enemy of thyself, the same Akwa'.
They left two horses dead tired on the hillock and I came
dragging them along to the Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him). I met 'Amir who had with him a container
having milk diluted with water and a container having
water. I performed ablution with the water and drank the
milk. Then I came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) while he was at (the spring of) water from which
I had driven them away. The Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) had captured those camels and everything else
I had captured and all the lances and mantles I had
snatched from the polytheists and Bilal had slaughtered a
she-camel from the camels I had seized from the people,
and was roasting its liver and hump for the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him). I said: Messenger of Allah,
let me select from our people one hundred men and I will
follow the marauders and I will finish them all so that
nobody is left to convey the news (of their destruction to
their people). (At these words of mine), the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) laughed so much that his
molar teeth could be seen in the light of the fire, and he
said: Salama, do you think you can do this? I said: Yes,
by the Being Who has honoured you. He said: Now they have
reached the land of Ghatafan where they are being feted.
(At this time) a man from the Ghatafan came along and
said: So and so slaughtered a camel for them. When they
were exposing its skin, they saw dust (being raised far
off). They said: They (Akwa' and his companions) have
come. So. they went away fleeing.
When it was morning, the Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) said: Our best horseman today is Abu Qatada
and our best footman today is Salama. Then he gave me two
shares of the booty-the share meant for the horseman and
the share meant for the footman, and combined both of them
for me. Intending to return to Medina, he made me mount
behind him on his she-camel named al-Adba'. While we were
travelling, a man from the Ansar who could not be beaten
in a race said: Is there anyone who could compete (with
me) in race to Medina? Is there any competitor? He
continued repeating this. When I heard his talk, I said:
Don't you show consideration to a dignified person and
don't you have awe for a noble man? He said: No, unless he
be the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). I said:
Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be thy
ransom, let me get down so that I may beat this man (in
the race). He said: It you wish, (you may). I said (to the
man): I am coming to thee, I then turned my feet. sprang
up and tan and gasped (for a while) when one or two
elevated places were left and again followed his heel and
again gasped (for a while) when one or two elevated places
were left and again dashed until I joined him and gave a
blow between his shoulders. I said: You have been
overtaken, by God. He said: I think so. Thus, I reached
Medina ahead of him. By God, we had stayed there only
three nights when we set out to Khaibar with the Messenger
of Allah (may peace be upon him). (On the way) my uncle,
Amir, began to recite the following rajaz verses for the
people:
By God, if Thou hadst not guided us aright,
We would have neither practised charity nor offered
prayers.
(O God! ) We cannot do without Thy favours;
Keep us steadfast when we encounter the enemy,
And descend tranquillity upon us.
The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:
Who is this? 'Amir said: it is 'Amir. He said: May thy God
forgive thee! The narrator said: Whenever the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) asked forgiveness for a
particular person, he was sure to embrace martyrdom. Umar
b. Khattab who was riding on his camel called out: Prophet
of Allah, I wish you had allowed us to benefit from Amir.
Salama continued: When we reached Khaibar, its king named
Marhab advanced brandishing his sword and chanting:
Khaibar knows that I am Marhab (who behaves like)
A fully armed, and well-tried warrior.
When the war comes spreading its flames.
My uncle, Amir, came out to combat with him, saying:
Khaibar certainly knows that I am 'Amir,
A fully armed veteran who plunges into battles.
They exchanged blows. Marbab's sword struck the shield
of 'Amir who bent forward to attack his opponent from
below, but his sword recoiled upon him and cut the main
artery: in his forearm which caused his death. Salama
said: I came out and beard some people among the
Companions of the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) as
saying: Amir's deed has gone waste; he has killed himself.
So I came to the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him)
weeping and I said: Messenger of Allah. Amir's deed has
gone waste. The Messenger (may peace be upon him) said:
Who passed this remark? I said: Some of your Companions.
He said: He who has passed that remark has told a lie, for
'Amir there is a double reward. Then he sent me to 'Ali
who had tore eyes, and said: I will give the banner to a
man who loves Allah and His Messenger or whom Allah and
His Messenger love. So I went to 'Ali, brought him beading
him along and he had sore eyes, and I took him to the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), who applied
his saliva to his eyes and he got well. The Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) gave him the banner (and
'Ali went to meet Marhab in a single combat). The latter
advanced chanting:
Khaibar knows certainly that I am Marhab,
A fully armed and well-tried valorous warrior (hero)
When war comes spreading its flames.
'Ali chanted in reply:
I am the one whose mother named him Haidar, (And am)
like a lion of the forest with a terror-striking
countenance. I give my opponents the measure of sandara in
exchange for sa' (i. e. return thir attack with one that
is much more fierce).
The narrator said: 'Ali struck at the head of Mirhab
and killed him, so the victory (capture of Khaibar) was
due to him. This long tradition has also been handed down
Through a different chain of transmitters.
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik
that eighty Persons from the inhabitants of Mecca swooped
down upon the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
from the mountain of Tan'im. They were armed and wanted to
attack the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) and his
Companions unawares. He (the Holy Prophet) captured them
but spared their lives. So, God, the Exalted and Glorious,
revealed the verses:" It is He Who restrained your hands
from them and their hands from you in the valley of Mecca
after He had given you a victory over them."
Chapter 46: FIGHTING OF WOMEN SIDE BY SIDE WITH
MEN
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas that, on
the Day of Hunain. Umm Sulaim took out a dagger she had in
her possession. Abiu Talha saw her and said: Messenger of
Allah, this is Umm Sulaim. She is holding a dagger. The
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) asked (her):
What for are you holding this dagger? She said: I took it
up so that I may tear open the belly of a polytheist who
comes near me. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) began to smile (at these words). She said: Messenger
of Allah, kill all those people-other than us-whom thou
hast declared to be free (on the day of the Conquest of
Mecca). (They embraced Islam because) they were defeated
at your hands (and as such their Islam is not dependable).
The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Umm
Sulaim. God is sufficient (against the mischief of the
polytheists) and He will be kind to us (so you need not
carry this dagger).
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik
who said that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him) allowed Umm Sulaim and some other women of the Ansar
to accompany him when he went to war; they would give
water (to the soldiers) and would treat the wounded.
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik
who said: On the Day of Ubud some of the people, being
defeated, left the Holy Prophet (may peace he upon him),
but Abu Talha stood before him covering him with a shield.
Abu Talha was a powerful archer who broke two or three
bows that day. When a man would pass by carrying a quiver
containing arrows, he would say: Spare them for Abu Talha.
Whenever the Holy Prophet (way peace be upon him) raised
his head to look at the people, Abd Talba would say:
Prophet of Allah, may my father and my mother be thy
ransom, do not raise your head lest you be struck by an
arrow shot by the enemy. My neck is before your neck. The
narrator said: I saw A'isha bint Abu Bakr and Umm Sulaim.
Both of them had tucked up their garments, so I could me
the anklets on their feet. They were carrying water-skins
on their backs and would pour water into the mouths of the
people. They would then go back (to the well), would fill
them again and would return to pour water into the mouths
of the soldiers. (On this day). Abu Talha's sword dropped
down from his hands twice or thrice because of drowsiness.
Chapter 47: WOMEN PARTICIPANTS IN JIHAD TO BE
GIVEN A PRIZE BUT NOT A REGULAR SHARE IN THE BOOTY, AND
PROHIBITION TO KILL CHILDREN OF THE ENEMY
It has been narrated on the authority of Yazid b.
Hurmuz that Najda wrote to Ibn Abbas inquiring of him five
things. Ibn Abbas said: If I had not the fear of
committing (sin) for concealing the knowledge I would not
have written to him. Najda wrote to him saying (after
praising the Almighty and invoking blessings on the
Prophet): Tell me whether the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) took women to participate with him in
Jihad; (if he did), whether he allotted them a regular
share from the booty; whether he killed the children of
(the enemy in the war how long an orphan would be entitled
to consideration as such and for whom the Kbums (fifth
part of the booty) was booty. Ibn Abbas wrote to him: You
have written asking me whether the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) took women with him to participate in
Jihad. He did take them to the battle and sometimes he
fought along with them. They would treat the wounded and
were given a reward from the booty, but he did not assign
any regular share for them. And the of Allah (may peace be
upon him) did not kill the children of the enemy, so thou
shouldst not kill the children. Also you have written to
me asking me when the orphanhood of an orphan comes to an
end. By my life, if a man has become bearded but is still
incapable of getting his due from others as well u meeting
his obligation towards them, (he is yet an orphan to be
treated you such), but when he can look after his
interests like grown-up people, he is no longer an orphan.
And you have written to me inquiring about Khums as to
whom it is meant for. (In this connection) we (the kinsmen
of the Messenger of Allah) used to say: It is for us, but
those people (i. e. Banu Umayya) have denied it to us.
This tradition has been narrated by the game authority
(Yazid b. Hurmus) through a different chain of
transmitters with the following difference in the
elucidation of one of the points raised by Najda in his
letter to Ibn Abas: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) used not to kill the children, so thou shouldst
not kill them unless you could know what Khadir had known
about the child he killed, or you could distinguish
between a child who would grow up to he a believer (and a
child who would grow up to be a non-believer), so that you
killed the (prospective) non-believer and left the
(prospective) believer aside.
It has been narrated on the authority of Yazid b.
Hurmuz who said: Najda b. 'Amir al-Haruri wrote to Ibn
Abbas asking him about the slave and the woman as to
whether they would get a share from the booty (it they
participated in Jihad) ; about the killing of (enemy)
children (in war) ; about the orphan as to when his
orphanhood comes to an end; about kinsmen (of the Holy
Prophet) as to who they are. He said to Yazid: Write to
him. (If he were not likely to fall into folly, I would
not have written to him.) Write: You have written asking
about the woman and the slave whether they would get a
share of the booty if they participated in Jihad. (You
should know that) there is nothing of the sort for them
except that they will be given a prize. And you have
written asking me about the killing of the enemy children
in war. (You should understand that) the Messenger of
Allah (may peare be upon him) did not kill them. and thou
shouldst not kill them unless thou knew what the companion
of Moses (i. e. Khadir) knew about the boy he had killed.
And you have written asking me about the orphan as to when
the period of his orphanhood comes to an end, so that the
sobriquet of" orphan" is dropped from him. (In this
regard, you should know that) the sobriquet" orphan" will
not be dropped from him until he attains maturity of body
and mind. And you have written asking me about the close
relatives (of the Holy Prophet) as to who they are. We
think that it is we, but our people have denied us this
(position and its concomitant privileges).
It has been narrated on the anthority of Yazid b.
Hurmuz who said: Najda wrote to Ibn Abbas. I was sitting
in the company of Ibn 'Abbas when he read his letter and
wrote its reply. Ibn Abbas said: Were it not for
preventing him from falling into wickedness. I would not
have replied to his letter, may he never be joyful. He
wrote in reply to him referring to the share of the close
relatives (of the Holy Prophet) (from the booty) whom God
has mentioned. (I have to tell you that) we thought we
were the close relatives of the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him), but our people have refused to
recognise us as such. You have asked about the orphan as
to when his orphanhood comes to an end. (I have to say
that) when he reaches the age of marriage, attains
maturity of mind, and his property is returned to him,
then he is no longer an orphan. You have inquired whether
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upo him) used to kill
anyone from the children of the polytheists in the war.
(You should know that) the Messenger of Allah (may peace
be upon him) used not to kill any one of their children,
and you (too) should not kill any one of them, except when
you knew about them what Khadir had known about the boy
whom he killed. And you have inquired whether there is a
fixed share of the booty for women and slaves when they
participate in a battle. (I have to tell you that) there
is no fixed share for them except that they will be given
some reward from the spoils of war.
It has been narrated on the authority of Umm 'Atiyya,
the Ansarite, who said: I took part with the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) in seven battles. I would
stay behind in the camp of men, cook their food, treat the
wounded and nurse the aick.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Ishaq that
'Abdullah b. Yazid went (out of the city) with people for
offering" Istisqa" ' prayer (for rainfall). He offered two
rak'ahs. Then he prayed for rain. That day I met Zaid b.
Arqam. There was only one man between me and him (at that
time). I asked him: How many military expeditions did the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) undertake? He
said: Nineteen expeditions. I asked him: On how many
expeditions did you accompany him? He said: On seventeen
expeditions. I asked: Which was the first expedition he
led? He answered: Dhat-ul-, Usair or 'Ushair.
It has been narrated on the authority of Zaid b. Arqam
that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) fought
nineteen battles and after the Migration performed only
one Pilgrimage called Hajjat-ul-Wada'.
It has been reported on the authority of Abu Zubair who
heard Jabir b. Abdullah say: I fought in the company of
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) nineteen
battles. Jabir said: I did not participate in the Battle
of Badr and the Battle of Uhud. My father prevented me
(from participating in these battles as my age was
tender). After 'Abdullah (my father) was killed on the Day
of Ubud, I never lagged behind the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) and joined every battle (he fought).
It has been narrated on the authority of Buraida (who
heard the tradition from his father) that the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) conducted nineteen military
campaigns and he (actually) fought in eight of them.
It has been narrated by Buraida who heard it from his
father that he joined the Messenger of Allah (may peace be
upon him) in sixteen military campaigns
It has been narrated on the authority of Salama who
said: I joined seven military expeditions led by the
Messenger of Allah himself (may peace be upon him), and
nine expeditions which he sent out once under Abu Bakr and
once under Usama b. Zaid.
The (foregoing) tradition has also been narrated on the
authority of Hatim through the same chain of transmitters
with the difference that according to this version both
these types of expeditions were seven in number.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Musa
(Ash'ari) who said: We set out on an expedition with the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). We were six in
number and had (with us) only one camel which we rode turn
by turn Our feet were injured. My feet were so badly
injured that my nails dropped off. We covered our feet
with rags. so this expedition was called Dhat-ur-Riqa' (i.
e. the expedition of rags) because we bandaged our feet
with rags (on that day). Abu Burda said: Abu Musa narrated
this tradition, and then disliked repeating it as he did
not want to give any publicity to what he did in a noble
cause Abu Usama said: Narrators other than Abu Buraida
have added to the version of the words:" God will reward
it."
Chapter 50: DISAPPROVAL OF SEEKING HELP FROM A
DISBELIEVER ON A MILITARY CAMPAIGN
It has been narrated on the authority of A'isha, wife
of the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him), who said: The
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) set out for
Badr. When he reached Harrat-ul-Wabara (a place four miles
from Medina) a man met him who was known for his valour
and courage. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) were pleased to see him. He said: I
have come so that I may follow you and get a share from
the booty. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
said to him: Do you believe in Allah and His Apostle? He
said: No. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
said: Go back, I will not seek help from a Mushrik
(polytheist). He went on until we reached Shajara, where
the man met him again. He asked him the same question
again and the man gave him the same answer. He said: Go
back. Im will not seek help from a Mushrik. The man
returned and overtook him at Baida'? He asked him as he
had asked previously: Do you believe in Allah and His
Apostle? The man said: Yes. The Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) said to him: Then come along with us.