In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Ifadah Center
for Humanities Studies and Research
presents:
Abridged Sahih al-Bukhari.
Chapter: The statement of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
"Spoils of war have been made lawful for you."
On the authority of Jabir ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"When Khosrow perishes, there will be no Khosrow after him;
and when Caesar perishes, there will be no Caesar after him.
By the One in Whose Hand is my soul,
you will surely spend their treasures in the cause of Allah."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Perishes" means dies.
Khosrow is the title of the King of the Persians.
Caesar is the title of the Emperor of the Romans.
"You will surely spend their treasures in the cause of Allah"
is an allusion to the upcoming conquests.
Key takeaways from the hadith:
The hadith is among the signs of Prophethood,
for both Khosrow and Caesar have indeed vanished.
The hadith also indicates that jihad continues until the Day of Resurrection.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"One of the prophets went out on a military expedition,
and said to his people:
'No man shall follow me who has contracted marriage with a woman
and intends to consummate the marriage with her,
but has not yet consummated it;
nor anyone who has built houses but has not yet raised their roofs;
nor anyone who has purchased pregnant sheep or she-camels
and is awaiting their delivery.'
So he set out on the expedition and approached the town at the time of the 'Asr prayer,
or nearly so.
He said to the sun:
'You are under command, and I am under command.
O Allah, hold it back for us.'
So it was held back until Allah granted him victory.
Then he gathered the spoils of war,
and the fire came
to consume them,
but it did not consume them.
He said: 'There is misappropriation among you,
so let one man from each tribe pledge allegiance to me.'
A man's hand stuck to his hand,
so he said: 'The misappropriation is among you;
let your entire tribe pledge allegiance to me.'
Then the hands of two or three men stuck to his hand,
so he said: 'The misappropriation is among you.'
They then brought a head made of gold like the head of a cow,
and placed it down.
The fire then came and consumed the spoils.
Then Allah made the spoils of war lawful for us;
He saw our weakness and incapacity,
so He made them lawful for us."
Commentary on the hadith:
"One of the prophets"
refers to Joshua son of Nun, peace be upon him.
"No man shall follow me" means no such person should march out with me.
"Contracted marriage with a woman"
means concluded the marriage contract with her.
"And has not yet consummated it"
means he has not entered upon her nor has she been escorted to him.
"Or pregnant she-camels":
Khilfah refers to a pregnant she-camel.
"Their delivery" means giving birth.
"Approached" means drew near
to the town,
which is said to be Jericho.
"You are under command"
means commanded to set.
"And I am under command"
means commanded to pray or complete the battle before sunset.
"Hold it back for us":
the meaning is
prevent it from setting.
"It did not consume them"
means the fire did not devour the spoils.
"There is misappropriation among you":
Ghulul is the illicit taking of war booty before its distribution.
"Let him pledge allegiance to me":
the meaning is to place his hand in mine.
Key takeaways from the hadith:
It is derived from this hadith:
Directing toward sincerity in one's deeds,
and purifying the soul of distractions that hinder righteous deeds
and prevent their completion.
The hadith also indicates that attachment to worldly matters
induces anxiety and cowardice in the soul.
It demonstrates the prohibition of misappropriating booty and the gravity of doing so.
It shows that it is commendable for whoever begins an action to bring it to completion.
The hadith is among the signs of Prophethood,
as the Prophet, peace be upon him, related an event from the past.
It clarifies the unique privilege granted to this Ummah regarding the lawfulness of war spoils.
It indicates that vital matters should not be delegated
except to people of resolve whose minds are free of distractions,
and should not be entrusted to one whose heart is preoccupied with other things,
because that weakens his determination
and prevents him from exerting his utmost effort.
It permits renewing a pledge of allegiance whenever necessary.
The hadith also implies that fighting toward the end of the day is preferable,
as is fighting when the winds of victory blow.
Chapter: If the leader sends an envoy on an errand,
or orders him to stay behind, is he allotted a share of the spoils?
On the authority of 'Uthman ibn Mawhab, who said:
A man came having performed Hajj to the House,
and saw a group of people sitting down.
He asked, "Who are these people sitting here?"
They replied, "These are Quraysh."
He asked, "Who is the elder among them?"
They replied, "Ibn 'Umar."
So he went to him and said:
"I want to ask you about something, so will you tell me?
I adjure you by the sanctity of this House:
Do you know that 'Uthman ibn 'Affan fled on the day of Uhud?"
He replied, "Yes."
He said, "Do you know that he was absent from Badr and did not attend it?"
He replied, "Yes."
The man exclaimed: "Allahu Akbar!"
Ibn 'Umar said:
"Come, let me inform you and clarify for you what you have asked me about.
As for his flight on the day of Uhud,
I bear witness that Allah has pardoned him.
As for his absence from Badr,
he was married to the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who was ill;
so the Messenger of Allah said to him:
'You shall have the reward of a man who attended Badr and his share of the spoils.'
And as for his absence from the Pledge of Ridwan,
had there been anyone more influential in the valley of Mecca than 'Uthman ibn 'Affan,
he would have sent him in his place.
So the Prophet sent 'Uthman,
and the Pledge of Ridwan took place after 'Uthman had departed for Mecca.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, held out his right hand and said:
'This is the hand of 'Uthman,'
and struck it against his other hand,
saying: 'This is on behalf of 'Uthman.'
Now take this clarification with you."
Commentary on the hadith:
"To stay behind"
means remaining in place and not marching out.
"Is he allotted a share?"
means is he given a portion of the war booty?
That is, whether he receives a share of the spoils.
"The sitting people"
means those seated together.
"These are Quraysh"
means they belong to the Quraysh tribe.
"He went to him"
means he approached him.
"I adjure you"
means I ask you.
"Fled"
means retreated.
"Did not attend it"
means was not present there.
"He exclaimed: Allahu Akbar"
means he said:
"Allah is the Greatest."
"Let me clarify"
means let me explain and make evident.
"Pardoned him"
means He did not hold him accountable for that.
"The daughter of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him"
was Ruqayyah, may Allah be pleased with her,
and she passed away while the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was at Badr.
"Reward"
means spiritual recompense.
"Attended"
means was present at.
"Share"
means his designated portion.
"More influential"
means more honorable and esteemed.
"In the valley of Mecca"
means within Mecca.
"This is on behalf of 'Uthman"
means a pledge taken on behalf of 'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him.
Key takeaways from the hadith:
It is derived from this hadith:
That the key to knowledge is asking questions,
and emphasizing questions with an oath is permissible.
It shows the legitimacy of study circles
and the scholar sitting down to teach.
It demonstrates the obligation of referring to the people of knowledge to resolve misconceptions.
It proves that every believer is required
to mention the virtues of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them,
along with their merits and illustrious deeds,
and refrain from delving into the disputes that occurred among them.
It also emphasizes adhering to knowledge backed by textual evidence.
Chapter:
Among the evidence that the fifth (khumus) is designated for the public contingencies of the Muslims
is what the tribe of Hawazin requested of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
on account of his foster relationship among them,
so he asked the Muslims to willingly relinquish their shares;
and what the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
used to promise to give people
from the fai' (booty gained without fighting) and the spoils out of the fifth.
He promised to give the people
from the spoils of war (*fay'*) and the fifth (*khumus*),
as well as what he gave to the Ansar,
and what he gave to Jabir ibn 'Abdillah
of the dates of Khaybar.
On the authority of Zahdam al-Jarmi, who said:
We were in the company of Abu Musa,
and there was brotherhood and goodwill between us and this clan of Jarm.
He said:
Food was then served,
and he said:
Chicken meat was among the food served.
He said:
Among the people was a man from Banu Taym Allah,
fair-complexioned as if he were a freed slave.
He said:
The man did not draw near to eat,
so Abu Musa said to him:
"Come near and eat,
for I indeed saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
eating from it."
The man replied:
"I saw it eating something loathsome, so I found it disgusting,
and I swore never to eat it."
Abu Musa said:
"Come near, and I will tell you about that:
We came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
among a delegation of the Ash'aris,
asking him for mounts,
while he was distributing some livestock from zakat camels,
and he was angry.
He said:
'By Allah, I will not provide you with mounts,
nor do I have anything to mount you upon!'
He said:
So we departed.
Then there was brought to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
a herd of captured camels,
and it was asked:
'Where are those Ash'aris?'
In another narration:
'Where are the Ash'aris?
Where are the Ash'aris?'
So we came,
and he ordered five prime, white-humped camels for us.
In another narration:
three prime camels.
He said:
So we set off,
and I said to my companions:
'We went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
asking him for mounts,
and he swore not to give us mounts,
yet he then sent for us
and mounted us!
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) must have forgotten
his oath, by Allah!
If we took advantage of the Messenger of Allah's lapse of memory regarding his oath,
we would never prosper!
Let us return to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
and remind him of his oath.'
So we returned and said:
'O Messenger of Allah,
we came to you asking for mounts,
and you swore not to mount us,
but then you provided us with mounts,
so we thought—or realized—that you forgot your oath.'
He said:
'Go on,
(and in another narration:
It was not I who mounted you,
rather, it was Allah who mounted you!)
For by Allah, if Allah wills,
I do not swear an oath
and then see something else better than it,
except that I do that which is better
and release myself from the oath.'
In another narration:
'...except that I expiate for my oath
and do that which is better.'
Or: '...and do that which is better
and expiate for my oath.'
Commentary on the hadith:
*Al-Nawa'ib*:
That is, the adversities that befall a person.
*Jarm*:
A well-known Arabian tribe.
'As if he were a freed slave':
Meaning, resembling Byzantine captives in fair complexion.
'He did not draw near':
Meaning, he did not approach to eat.
'I found it loathsome':
That is, I disliked it.
*Raht*:
A group of people numbering between three and ten,
and a man's *raht* refers to his clan.
'Asking him for mounts':
Meaning camels upon which to ride
and carry their provisions.
'Distributing some livestock from zakat camels':
Meaning disbursing them among those entitled to receive them.
'Nor do I have anything to mount you upon':
Meaning, I possess nothing to equip you with for the campaign.
'So we departed':
Meaning, we turned away and left.
*The Ash'aris*:
They hail from Yemen,
and they are the people of Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him).
'A herd of captured camels' (*nahb ibil*):
*Al-nahb*
means the spoils of war.
'Five camels' (*khams dhawd*):
*Al-dhawd* refers to camels
numbering between three and ten.
*Ghurr al-dhura*:
Meaning having white humps,
due to their plumpness and abundance of fat.
'So we set off':
That is, we walked briskly.
'If we took advantage of his lapse of memory':
Meaning, if we attained our need while he had forgotten,
unmindful of his prior oath,
'we would never prosper':
That is, we would never succeed.
'Go on':
Meaning, proceed on your way.
'I did' (*ataytu*):
Meaning, I performed.
'And release myself from the oath':
Meaning, transitioning through expiation
from the binding restriction of the oath to what is permissible.
Benefits derived from the hadith:
It is deduced from the hadith
that whoever swears an oath to do or omit something,
and breaking the oath is better than persisting in it,
it is recommended for him to break the oath,
and expiation becomes incumbent upon him.
It also shows that there is no harm in visiting a man while he is eating,
though this is only appropriate
when close friendship exists between them.
It also demonstrates that personal aversion or disgust toward something does not indicate its prohibition.
It contains an indication of inviting an unannounced visitor to join in the food present.
It shows that gathering together over food brings about blessing in it.
It indicates the permissibility of swearing an oath without being asked to swear.
And the hadith proves that legal rulings are based on the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause.
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both):
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
dispatched an expedition toward Najd in which 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar took part,
and they acquired many camels as spoils of war.
Their allotted shares came to twelve camels,
or eleven camels,
and in another narration:
"So we returned with thirteen camels."
Commentary on the hadith:
*Sariyyah* (military detachment):
A contingent of the army,
reaching a maximum of four hundred men,
dispatched against the enemy.
'Toward Najd' (*qibala Najd*):
Meaning in the direction and region of Najd.
And Najd
is the plateau beyond the Hijaz adjacent to Iraq.
'Their shares' (*sihamuhum*):
That is, their allotted portions.
'And an extra share was granted' (*wa-nuffilu*):
*Tanfil* (allotting extra booty)
is an extra grant awarded specifically by the leader
to someone who fought exceptionally well and exerted great effort.
Benefits derived from the hadith:
It is permissible for the leader to grant an extra allocation to some warriors over others based on a public benefit.
It indicates that the distribution of spoils and extra shares belongs exclusively to the leader.
It establishes the legitimacy of dispatching military expeditions and detachments.
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both):
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
used to grant extra shares of booty exclusively to some detachments he dispatched,
over and above the general distribution among the army.
Commentary on the hadith:
'He used to grant extra shares' (*yunaffilu*):
*Tanfil*
is an extra grant awarded specifically by the leader to one who fought valiantly
and exerted commendable effort.
'Over and above' (*siwa*): meaning other than.
'Distribution' (*qism*): meaning the share designated by the leader from the spoils.
'The general army' (*'ammat al-jaysh*): meaning the rest of the forces.
Benefits derived from the hadith:
The hadith serves as proof for those who hold that no extra share is given except after taking out the fifth.
It indicates that the leader may allocate extra gifts to some combatants over others for a valid interest.
It shows that distributing the spoils and extra grants is the sole prerogative of the leader.
It establishes the legitimacy of sending out military expeditions and detachments.
On the authority of Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
News of the Prophet's mission reached us while we were in Yemen,
so we set out migrating to him,
I and two of my brothers,
I being the youngest of them,
one of them being Abu Burdah,
and the other Abu Ruhm,
accompanied—he either said:
by a few more than fifty,
Or he said,
"Fifty-three,
or fifty-two men of my people."
We boarded a ship,
and our ship brought us to the Negus in Abyssinia.
We met up with Ja'far ibn Abi Talib,
and we stayed with him,
until we all arrived together.
We met the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, when he conquered Khaybar.
In one narration,
he allocated a share for us,
or he said,
"He gave us from it."
He did not distribute anything from it to anyone who was absent from the conquest of Khaybar,
except for those who were present with him,
and except for the people of our ship with Ja'far and his companions;
he distributed a share to them along with them.
Some people used to say to us,
meaning the people of the ship,
"We preceded you in the Hijrah."
Asma' bint 'Umays, who was among those who arrived with us, entered
upon Hafsah, the wife of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, as a visitor.
She had previously migrated to the Negus among those who migrated.
'Umar entered upon Hafsah while Asma' was with her.
When 'Umar saw Asma', he asked, "Who is this?"
She replied, "Asma' bint 'Umays."
'Umar said, "Is this the Abyssinian? Is this the seafaring one?"
Asma' replied, "Yes."
'Umar said, "We preceded you in the Hijrah,
so we have a greater right to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, than you."
She became angry and said, "No, by Allah!
You were with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
who fed your hungry and admonished your ignorant,
while we were in the land of the distant and the hateful in Abyssinia,
and that was for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
By Allah, I will neither eat food nor drink a drink
until I mention what you said to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
We were harmed and afraid,
and I will mention that to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
By Allah, I will not lie, nor will I add anything to it."
When the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, came,
she said, "O Prophet of Allah,
'Umar said such and such."
He asked, "And what did you say to him?"
She replied, "I said such and such to him."
He said, "He has no greater right to me than you do.
He and his companions have one Hijrah,
but you, the people of the ship, have two Hijrahs."
She said, "I saw Abu Musa and the people of the ship coming to me in groups,
asking me about this hadith.
There was nothing in the world they were more joyful about or that was greater in their estimation
than what the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to them."
Asma' said,
"I saw Abu Musa,
I saw Abu Musa,
and he would ask me to repeat this hadith to him."
Commentary on the hadith:
"We were informed," meaning news reached us.
"The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, went out,"
meaning his departure, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
"Bida'" refers to the number between three and nine.
The Negus is the King of Abyssinia.
"We met up with him,"
meaning we encountered him without prior agreement or appointment.
"We stayed,"
meaning we remained and resided.
"Until we all arrived together,"
meaning we migrated to Medina.
"We preceded you in the Hijrah,"
meaning we migrated to Medina before you.
Hafsah is the daughter of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with her,
the wife of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
"The Abyssinian,"
attributing her to Abyssinia because of her residence among them.
"The seafaring one,"
attributing her to the sea because she traveled by sea.
"Greater right to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, than you,"
meaning more entitled to him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
"She became angry,"
meaning at the words of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him.
"He allocated a share for us,"
meaning he gave us a portion of the spoils of Khaybar.
"He did not distribute,"
meaning he did not give.
"Present with him,"
meaning he was present with him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
"Admonish,"
admonition is advice and reminding of consequences.
"The distant,"
meaning distant from the religion.
"The hateful,"
meaning hateful toward the religion.
"That was for the sake of Allah,"
meaning for the sake of Allah and seeking His pleasure.
"By Allah,"
this is one of the forms of swearing an oath.
The meaning,
meaning by Allah,
"I will not deviate,"
meaning I will not swerve from the truth and justice.
"Greater right,"
meaning more entitled.
"Two Hijrahs,"
one of them to Abyssinia,
and the other to Medina, where the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was.
"In groups,"
meaning in throngs, one following another.
"He would ask me to repeat this hadith,"
meaning he would ask me to repeat it to him because of his joy in it.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The hadith shows the legitimacy of scholarly debate.
It shows there is no harm in a man entering his daughter's house at any time.
It encourages brothers to visit one another.
It is permissible for the leader to give a share of the spoils to those who did not witness the battle.
It shows the permissibility of swearing an oath without being asked to do so.
The principle is that spoils belong to those who witnessed the battle.
It shows the mercy of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, toward his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them,
and his reassurance to them.
It shows the virtue of Asma' bint 'Umays, may Allah be pleased with her.
The hadith points to the virtue of feeding others.
It shows the intensity of the love the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, had
for the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
It shows the varying degrees of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, in their precedence in Islam and companionship.
It shows the legitimacy of repeating the hearing of a hadith from a scholar
for the sake of benefit and need.
On the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
While the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was distributing spoils at al-Ji'ranah,
a man said to him, "Be just."
He replied, "You are wretched if I am not just."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Distributing spoils," meaning the distribution of the spoils of Hawazin.
"At al-Ji'ranah," a place near Mecca.
It is in the *hill* (outside the sacred boundary) and is a *miqat* for Ihram.
"A man," he is Dhu al-Khuwaysirah al-Tamimi.
"Be just," he wanted equality in the distribution.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The hadith shows the status of justice,
and the justice that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, practiced.
The hadith points to the deviation of the Khawarij from justice.
Chapter: What the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, granted to the captives without taking a fifth.
On the authority of Jubayr, may Allah be pleased with him,
that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said regarding the captives of Badr:
"If al-Mut'im ibn 'Adi were alive,
and then spoke to me regarding these filthy ones,
I would have released them for his sake."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Filthy ones," meaning those with a foul odor.
"I would have released them for his sake,"
meaning I would have set them free without compensation for his sake.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The hadith shows that the leader may grant freedom to captives without ransom.
The hadith is an argument for those who say that spoils do not become the established property of the victors
until after distribution.
It shows the permissibility of using terms like "filthy" and "impure" for a polytheist.
It shows the loyalty and reciprocation of kindness practiced by the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter:
Among the evidence that the fifth belongs to the leader,
and that he may give to some of his relatives and not others,
is what the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, distributed to the sons of al-Muttalib and the sons of Hashim from the fifth of Khaybar.
On the authority of Jubayr ibn Mut'im, who said:
'Uthman ibn 'Affan and I walked to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and said, "You gave to the sons of al-Muttalib from the fifth of Khaybar and left us out,
even though we are in the same position with you."
He replied, "The sons of Hashim and the sons of al-Muttalib are one and the same."
Jubayr said:
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did not distribute anything to the sons of 'Abd Shams and the sons of Nawfal.
Commentary on the hadith:
"Left us out," meaning without a gift,
meaning you did not give us.
"In the same position with you,"
because 'Uthman ibn 'Affan ibn Abi al-'As ibn Umayyah
ibn 'Abd Shams ibn 'Abd Manaf,
and Jubayr is the son of Mut'im ibn 'Adi
ibn Nawfal ibn 'Abd Manaf.
They and the sons of al-Muttalib
are all cousins of his grandfather, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
From the benefits of the hadith:
It is understood from the hadith
that the *fay'* belongs to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him;
he places it where he wills,
he prioritizes whom he wills and delays others,
and he increases or decreases the gift from it,
based on what Allah has shown him of that.
The hadith points to the fact that matters of Islamic political administration are in the hands of the leader,
and that is contingent upon the public interest.