Sunan Ibn Majah: The Chapters on Jihad

“Allah has prepared (reward) for those who go out (to fight) in His cause: ‘And do not go out except (to fight) for Jihad in My cause, out of faith in Me and belief in My Messengers, but he has a guarantee from Me that I will admit him to Paradise, or I will return him to his dwelling from which he set out, with the reward that he attained, or the spoils that he acquired.’ Then he said: ‘By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, were it not that it would be too difficult for the Muslims, I would never have stayed behind from any expedition that went out in the cause of Allah. But I could not find the resources to give them mounts and they could not find the resources to follow me, nor would they be pleased to stay behind if I went. By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, I wish I could fight in the cause of Allah and be killed, then fight and be killed, then fight and be killed.’”

“The one who fights in the cause of Allah has a guarantee from Allah. Either He will raise him to His forgiveness and mercy, or He will send him back with reward and spoils of war. The likeness of the one who fights in the cause of Allah is that of one who fasts and prays at night without ceasing, until he returns.”

“Going out in the morning in the cause of Allah, or in the evening, is more virtuous than the world and what is in it.”

“Going out in the morning in the cause of Allah, or in the evening, is better than the world and what is in it.”

“Going out in the morning in the cause of Allah, or in the evening, is better than the world and what is in it.”

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Whoever equips a warrior in the cause of Allah until he is fully equipped, he will have a reward like his, until he dies or returns.”

“Whoever equips a warrior in the cause of Allah, he will have a reward like his, without that detracting from the warrior’s reward in the slightest.”

“The best Dinar that a man can spend is a Dinar that he spends on his family, a Dinar that he spends on a horse in the cause of Allah, and a Dinar that a man spends on his companions in the cause of Allah.”

“Whoever sends financial support in the cause of Allah and stays at home, for every Dirham he will have (the reward of) seven hundred Dirham. Whoever fights himself in the cause of Allah, and spends on that, for every Dirham he will have (the reward of) seven hundred thousand Dirham.” Then he recited the Verse: “Allah gives manifold increase to whom He wills.”[2:261]

“Whoever does not fight, or equip a fighter, or stay behind to look after a fighter’s family, Allah will strike him with a calamity before the Day of Resurrection.”

“Whoever meets Allah with no mark on him (as a result of fighting) in His cause, he will meet Him with a deficiency.”

“When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was returning from the campaign of Tabuk, and had drawn close to Al-Madinah, he said: ‘In Al-Madinah there are people who, as you traveled and crossed valleys, were with you.’ They said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, even though they are in Al-Madinah?’ He said: ‘Even though they were in Al-Madinah. They were kept behind by (legitimate) excuses.’”

“in Al-Madinah there are men who, every time you crossed a valley or travelled a road, they shared with you in the reward. They were kept behind by (legitimate) excuses.”

“Uthman bin ‘Affan addressed the people and said: ‘O people! I heard a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and nothing kept me from narrating it to you except for the fact that I did not want to lose you and your companionship. So it is up to you. I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: “Whoever spends a night guarding the frontier in the cause of Allah, it will be like a thousand nights spent in fasting and prayer.”

“Whoever dies being prepared in the cause of Allah, will be given continuously the reward for the good deeds that he used to do, and he will be rewarded with provision, and he will be kept safe from Fattan,* and Allah will raise him on the Day of Resurrection free of fright.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘For guarding the frontier for a day in the cause of Allah, defending the Muslims, seeking reward, apart from in the month of Ramadan, there is a reward granted greater than worshipping for a hundred years, fasting and praying. Guarding the frontier for a day in the cause of Allah, defending the Muslims, seeking reward, in the month of Ramadan, is better before Allah and brings a greater reward” – I think he said – “than worshipping for a thousand years, fasting and praying. If Allah returns him to his family safe and sound, no bad deed will be recorded for him for a thousand years, but his good deeds will be recorded, and the reward for guarding the frontier will come to him until the Day of Resurrection.”

“May Allah have mercy on the one who keeps watch over the troops.”

I heard Anas bin Malik saying: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “Standing guard one night in the cause of Allah is better than a man fasting and praying, among his family, for a thousand years. The year is three hundred and sixty days and a day is like a thousand years.”

“I advise you to fear Allah and to say the Takbir (Allahu Akbar) in every high place.”

“He was the best of people, the most generous of people, the most courageous of people. The people of Al-Madinah became alarmed one night, and he was the first of them to investigate the noise and din. He was riding a horse belonging to Abu Talhah, bareback, with no saddle. His sword was hanging from his neck and he was saying: ‘O people, do not be afraid,’ sending them back to their houses. Then he said of the horse, ‘We found it like a sea,’ or, ‘It is a sea.’”*

“If you are called to arms then go forth.”

“The dust (of Jihad) in the cause of Allah and the smoke of Hell will never be combined in the interior of a Muslim.”

“Whoever goes out in the cause of Allah will have the equivalent of the dust that got on him, in musk, on the Day of Resurrection.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) slept near me one day, then he woke up smiling. I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what has made you smile?’ He said: ‘People of my nation who were shown to me (in my dream) riding across this sea like kings on thrones.’ I said: ‘Supplicate to Allah to make me one of them.’” So he prayed for her. Then he slept again, and did likewise, and she said the same as she said before, and he replied in the same manner. She said: “Pray to Allah to make me one of them,” and he said: “You will be one of the first ones.” He said: “Then she went out with her husband, ‘Ubadah bin Samit, as a fighter, the first time that the Muslims crossed the sea with Mu’awiyah bin Abu Sufyan. On their way back, after they had finished fighting, they stopped in Sham. An animal was brought near for her to ride it, but it threw her off, and she died.”

“A military expedition by sea is like ten expeditions by land. The one who suffers from seasickness is like one who gets drenched in his own blood in the cause of Allah.”

I heard Abu Umamah saying: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “The martyr at sea is like two martyrs on land, and the one who suffers seasickness is like one who gets drenched in his own blood on land. The time spent between one wave and the next is like a lifetime spent in obedience to Allah. Allah has appointed the Angel of Death to seize souls, except for the martyr at sea, for Allah Himself seizes their souls. He forgives the martyrs on land for all sins except debt, but (He forgives) the martyr at sea all his sins and his debt.”

“Even if there was only one day left of this world, Allah would make it last until a man from my household took possession of (the mountain of) Dailam and Constantinople.”

“The horizons will be opened to you, and you will conquer a city called Qazvin. Whoever is stationed there for forty days or forty nights, will have pillars of gold in Paradise, with green chrysolite and topped by a dome of rubies. It will have seventy thousand doors, at each door will be a wife from among the wide-eyed houris.’”

“I came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I want to go for Jihad with you, seeking thereby the Face of Allah and the Hereafter.’ He said: ‘Woe to you! Is your mother still alive?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Go back and honor her.’ Then I approached him from the other side and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I want to go for Jihad with you, seeking thereby the Face of Allah and the Hereafter.’ He said: ‘Woe to you! Is your mother still alive?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Go back and honour her.’ Then I approached him from in front and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I want to go for Jihad with you, seeking thereby the Face of Allah and the Hereafter.’ He said: ‘Woe to you! Is your mother still alive?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Go back and serve her, for there is Paradise.’”

Another chain reports a similar hadith.

Ibn Majah said: This is Jahimah bin 'Abbas bin Mirdas As-Sulaimi who criticized the Prophet ﷺ the Day of Hunain.

“A man came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I have come seeking to go out in Jihad with you, seeking thereby the Face of Allah and the Hereafter. I have come even though my parents are weeping.’ He said: ‘Go back to them and make them smile as you have made them weep.’”

“The Prophet (ﷺ) was asked about a man who fights to prove his courage, or out of pride and honour for his close relatives, or to show off. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Whoever fights so that the Word of Allah may be supreme is the one who (is fighting) in the cause of Allah.’”

“I was present with the Prophet (ﷺ) on the Day of Uhud. I struck a man from among the idolaters and said: ‘Take that! And I am a Persian slave!’ News of that reached the Prophet (ﷺ) and he said: ‘Why did you not say: “Take that! And I am an Ansari slave!?”

“I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say: ‘There is no band of warriors that fights in the cause of Allah and acquires war spoils, but they have been given two thirds of their reward, but if they do not get any spoils of war, then they will have their reward in full (in the Hereafter).’”

“Goodness is tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection.”

“There is goodness in the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection.”

“There is goodness in the forelocks of horses” – or he said: “There is goodness tied in the forelocks of horses.” Suhail (one of the narrators) said: “I am not certain of” – “until the Day of Resurrection. And horses are of three types: those that bring reward to a man, those that are a means of protection for a man, and those that are a burden (of sin) for a man. As for those that bring reward, a man keeps them in the cause of Allah and keeps them constantly ready (for Jihad), so they do not take any fodder into their stomachs but a reward will be written for him, and if he puts them out to pasture, they do not eat anything but reward will be written for him. If he gives them to drink from a flowing river, for every drop that enters their stomachs there will be reward,” (continuing) until he mentioned reward in conjunction with their urine and droppings, and even when they run here and there by themselves, for each step they take a reward will be written for him – ‘As for those that are a means of protection, a man keeps them because they are a source of dignity and adornment, but he does not forget the rights of their backs and stomachs (i.e., their right not to be overworked and their right to be fed) whether at times of their difficulty or ease. As for those that bring a burden (of sin), the one who keeps them for purposes of wrongdoing or for pomp and show before people, is the one for whom they bring a burden of sin.”

“The best of horses are those that are deep black, with a blaze on the forehead, white marks on the legs and white nose and upper lip, and with no whiteness on the right foreleg. If not deep-black, then reddish-brown, with these markings.”

“The Prophet (ﷺ) used to dislike horses that had three legs with white markings on them, and one leg the same color as the rest of the body.”

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Whoever ties a horse in the cause of Allah, then feeds it with his own hand, he will have one merit for every grain.’”

“Any Muslim who fights in the cause of Allah for the time between two milkings of a she-camel, he will be guaranteed Paradise.”

“I was present in a war, and ‘Abdullah bin Rawahah said:

O soul of mine! I see that you do
Not want to go to Paradise.
I swear by Allah that you surely
Will enter it, willingly or
Unwillingly.’”

“I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, which Jihad is best?’ He said: ‘(That of a man) whose blood is shed and his horse is wounded.’”

“There is no one who is wounded in the cause of Allah – and Allah knows best of who is wounded in His cause – but he will come on the Day of Resurrection with his wounds looking as they did on the day he was wounded; their color will be the color of blood but their smell will be the fragrance of musk.”

“I heard ‘Abdullah bin Abu Awfa say: ‘The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) supplicated to Allah against the Confederates (Al-Ahzab) and said: ‘O Allah, Who has sent down the Book and is Swift in bringing to account, destroy the Confederates. O Allah, destroy them and shake them.’”

“Whoever asks Allah for martyrdom, sincerely from his heart, Allah will cause him to reach the status of the martyrs even if he dies in his bed.”

“Mention of the martyrs was made in the presence of the Prophet (ﷺ) and he said: ‘The earth does not dry of the blood of the martyr until his two wives rush to him like two wet nurses who lost their young ones in a stretch of barren land, and in the hand of each one of them will be a Hullah* that is better than this world and everything in it.’”

“The martyr has six things (in store) with Allah: He is forgiven from the first drop of his blood that is shed; he is shown his place in Paradise; he is spared the torment of the grave; he is kept safe from the Great Fright; he is adorned with a garment of faith; he is married to (wives) from among the wide-eyed houris; and he is permitted to intercede for seventy of his relatives.”

“When ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Haram was killed, on the Day of Uhud, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘O Jabir, shall I not tell you what Allah said to your father?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Allah does not speak to anyone except from behind a screen, but He spoke to your father face to face and said: “O My slave, ask Me and I shall give you.” He said: “O my Lord, bring me back to life so that I may be killed for Your sake a second time.” He said: “I have already decreed that they will not return (to the world after death).” He said: “O Lord, convey (the good news about my state) to those whom I have left behind.” So Allah revealed this Verse: ‘Think not of those as dead who are killed in the way of Allah.’”[3:169]

“Think not of those as dead who are killed in the way of Allah. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision,”[3:169] that he said: “We asked about that, and (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said: ‘Their souls are like green birds that fly wherever they wish in Paradise, then they come back to lamps suspended from the Throne. While they were like that, your Lord looked at them and said, “Ask me for whatever you want.” They said: “O Lord, what should we ask You for when we can fly wherever we wish in Paradise?” When they saw that they would not be left alone until they had asked for something, they said: “We ask You to return our souls to our bodies in the world so that we may fight for Your sake (again).” When He saw that they would not ask for anything but that, they were left alone.’”

“The martyr does not feel anything more when he is killed than one of you feels if he is pinched (by a bug).”

“We hoped that when he died it would be as a martyr in the cause of Allah.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “In that case the martyrs of my nation would be few. Being killed in the cause of Allah is martyrdom; dying of the plague is martyrdom; when a pregnant woman dies in childbirth that is martyrdom; and dying of drowning, or burning, or of pleurisy, is martyrdom.”

“What do you say among yourselves about the martyr?” They said: “The one who is killed in the cause of Allah.” He said: “In that case the martyrs among my nation would be few. Whoever is killed in the cause of Allah is a martyr; whoever dies in the cause of Allah is a martyr; whoever dies of a stomach disease is a martyr; and whoever dies of the plague is a martyr.”

Another chain narrates with the addition of "and the drowned is a martyr."

It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that the Prophet (ﷺ) entered Makkah on the day of the Conquest, with a helmet on his head.

It was narrated from Sa’ib bin Yazid, if Allah wills, that the Prophet (ﷺ) wore two coats of mail on the Day of Uhud, one over the other.

“We entered upon Abu Umamah and he saw some silver ornaments on our swords. He got angry and said: ‘People conquered lands and their swords were not adorned with gold and silver, but with lead and iron and ‘Alabi.’”

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) acquired his sword Dhulfiqar, from the spoils of war on the Day of badr.

“When Mughirah bin Shu’bah fought alongside the Prophet (ﷺ) he would carry a spear, and when he would come back he would throw his spear down so that someone would pick it up and give it back to him.” ‘Ali said to him: “I will tell the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about that.” He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said: “Do not do that, for it you do that it will not be picked up as a lost item to be returned.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had an Arabian bow in his hand, and he saw a man who had a Persian bow in his hand. He said: ‘What is this? Throw it away. You should use this and others like it, and Qana* spears. Perhaps Allah will support His religion thereby and enable you to conquer lands.’”

“Allah will admit three people to Paradise by virtue of one arrow: The one who makes it, seeking reward by making it well; the one who shoots it; and the one who hands it to him.” And the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Shoot and ride, and if you shoot that is dearer to me than if you ride. All things that a Muslim man does for entertainment are in vain except for shooting arrows, training his horse and playing with his wife, for these are things that bring reward.”

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Whoever shoots an arrow at the enemy and his arrow reaches the enemy, whether it hits him or not, that is equivalent to him freeing a slave.’”

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) reciting on the pulpit: ‘And make ready against them all you can of power.’[8:60] (And saying that) three times – ‘Power means shooting.”

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Whoever learns how to shoot (arrows) then abandons it, has disobeyed me.’”

“The Prophet (ﷺ) passed by some people who were shooting (arrows) and said: ‘Shoot, Banu Isma’il, for your father was an archer.’”

“I came to Al-Madinah and saw the Prophet (ﷺ) standing on the pulpit, and Bilal standing in front of him, with his sword by his side, and (I saw) a black flag. I said: ‘Who is this?’ He said: ‘This is ‘Amr bin ‘As, who has just come back from a campaign.’”

It was narrated from Jabir bin ‘Abdullah that the Prophet (ﷺ) entered Makkah on the Day of the Conquest, and his standard was white.

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that the flag of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was black, and his standard was white.

“The Prophet (ﷺ) used to wear this when he met the enemy.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to forbid that to us.”

“It is as if I can see the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), wearing a black turban, with its two ends hanging between his shoulders.”

It was narrated from Jabir that the Prophet (ﷺ) entered Makkah wearing a black turban.

“I saw a man asking my father about a man who goes out to fight and buys and sells and trades during his campaign. My father said to him: ‘We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in Tabuk, and we bought and sold, and he saw us and did not forbid us (to do that).’”

“For me to hive a good send-off to a warrior who is going to fight in the cause of Allah, and to guard his goods when he goes out in the morning or evening, is dearer to me than this world and everything in it.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave me a send-off and said: ‘I command you to Allah’s keeping, Whose trust is never lost.’”

“When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would dispatch troops, he would say to the leader: ‘I commend to Allah’s keeping your religious commitment, your dignity and the end of your deeds.’”

“O Aktham! Fight alongside people other than your own, it will improve your attitude and make you generous to your companions. O Aktham, the best number of companions is four, the best number of troops on an expedition is four hundred, the best number of an army is four thousand, and twelve thousand will never be overpowered because of their small number.”

“We were talking about how, on the Day of Badr, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) numbered three hundred ten and something, the same number as the Companions of (Talut) who crossed the river with him, and no one crossed the river with him but a believer.”

“I heard Abul-Ward, the Companion of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), say: ‘Beware of the troop which, when it meets (the enemy) it flees, and when it takes spoils of war, it steals from it.’”

“I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about the food of the Christians and he said: ‘Do not have any doubt about food, (thereby) following the way of the Christians in that.’”

“I came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and asked him: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Can we cook in the vessels of the idolaters?’ He said: ‘Do not cook in them.’ I said: ‘What if we need them and cannot find anything else?’ He said: ‘Wash them well, then cook and eat.’”

‘We do not seek the help of the polytheist.”

“War is deceit.”

“War is deceit.”

“I heard Abu Dharr swearing that these verses were revealed concerning those six people on the Day of Badr: ‘These two opponents (believers and disbelievers) dispute with each other about their Lord.”[22:19] to the words “Verily, Allah does what he wills.’[22:14] (that is) Hamzah bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Harith, ‘Utbah bin Rabi’ah, Shaibah bin Rabi’ah and Al-Walid bin ‘Utbah. They argued with one another on the Day of Badr.”

“I fought a man and killed him, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) awarded me his spoils.”

It was narrated from Abu Muhammad, the freed slave of Abu Qatadah (from Abu Qatadah) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) awarded him the spoils of a man whom he killed on the Day of Hunain.

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Whoever kills, the spoils are his.’”

“Sa’b bin Jaththamah said: ‘The Prophet (ﷺ) was asked about the polytheists who are attacked at night, and their women and children are killed.’ He said: ‘They are from among them.’”

“We attacked Hawazin, with Abu Bakr, during the time of the Prophet (ﷺ), and we arrived at an oasis belonging to Bani Fazarah during the last part of the night. We attacked at dawn, raiding the people of the oasis, and killed them, nine or seven households.”

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (ﷺ) saw a woman who had been killed on the road, and he forbade killing women and children.

“We went out to fight alongside the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and we passed by a slain woman whom the people had gathered around. They parted (to let the Prophet (ﷺ) through) and he said: ‘This (woman) was not one of those who were fighting.’ Then he said to a man: ‘Go to Khalid bin Walid and tell him that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commands you: “Do not kill any children or women, or any (farm) laborer.’”

Another chain reports a similar hadith.

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent me to a village called Ubna, and said: “Go to Ubna in the morning and burn it.’”

“What you (O Muslims) cut down of the palm trees (of the enemy), or you left them standing...” [59:5]

“It is easy for the elite of Banu Luai –
To burn Al-Buwairah in a Frightening manner.”

“We attacked, Hawazin at the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with Aby Bakr. He awarded me a slave girl from Banu Fazarah, among the most beautiful of the Arabs, who was wearing an animal skin of hers. I did not divest her of her clothing until I reached Al-Madinah. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) met me in the marketplace, and said: ‘By Alla, give her to me.’ So I gave her to him, and he sent her as a ransom for some of the Muslim prisoners who were in Makkah.”

“And a slave of his absconded and joined up with the Romans, then the Muslims defeated them, and Khalid bin Walid returned him to me, after the death of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).”

“A man from (the tribe of) Ashja’ died in Khaibar, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘Offer the funeral prayer for your companion.’ The people found that strange.* When he saw that, he said: ‘Your companion stole from the spoils of war (when fighting) in the cause of Allah.’”

“There was a man called Kirkah in charge of the goods of the Prophet (ﷺ), who died. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘He is in Hell.’ They went and looked, and found him wearing a garment or a cloak that he had stolen from the spoils of war.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in prayer on the Day of Hunain, beside a camel that was part of the spoils of war. Then he took something from the camel, and extracted from it a hair, which he placed between two of his fingers. Then he said: ‘O people, this is part of your spoils of war. Hand over a needle and thread and anything greater than that or less than that. For stealing from the spoils of war will be a source of shame for those who do it, and ignominy and Fire, on the Day of Resurrection.’”

It was narrated from Habib bin Maslamah that the Prophet (ﷺ) awarded one third (of the spoils of war) after the one fifth (had been taken).

It was narrated from ‘Ubadah bin Samit that the Prophet (ﷺ) awarded one quarter of the spoils to those who attacked the enemy at the beginning and one third to those who attacked at the end.

“There is no awarding of the spoils after the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), rather whatever the army acquires (of spoils of war) will be distributed among strong and weak alike.”

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (ﷺ) distributed the war spoils on the Day of Khaibar, giving three shares to the horseman, two shares for the horse, and one share for the man.

“I fought alongside my master on the Day of Khaibar, and I was a slave. I was not given anything from the spoils of war but I was given from the least of the utensils (goods) a sword, which I dragged when I put it around my waist.”

“I fought alongside the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in seven campaigns, looking after their goods, making food for them, tending the wounded and looking after the sick.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent us in a military detachment and said: ‘Go in the Name of Allah, and in the cause of Allah. Fight those who disbelieve in Allah. Do not mutilate, do not be treacherous, do not steal from the spoils of war, and do not kill children.’”

“Whenever he appointed a man to lead a military detachment, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would advise him especially to fear Allah and treat the Muslims with him well. He (ﷺ) said: ‘Fight in the Name of Allah and in the cause of Allah. Fight those how disbelieve in Allah. Fight but do not be treacherous, do not steal from the spoils of war, do not mutilate and do not kill children. When you meet your enemy from among the polytheists, call them to one of three things. Whichever of them they respond to, accept it from them and refrain from fighting them. Invite them to accept Islam, and if they respond then accept it from them and refrain from fighting them. Then invite them to leave their land and move to the land of the polytheists. Tell them that if they do that, then they will have the same rights and duties as the polytheists. If they refuse, then tell them that they will be like the Muslim Bedouins (who live in the desert), subject to the same rulings of Allah as the believers. But they will have no share of Fay’* or war spoils, unless they fight alongside the Muslims. If they refuse to enter Islam, then ask them to pay the Poll-tax. If they do that, then accept it from them and refrain from fighting them. But if they refuse, then seek the help of Allah against them and fight them. If you lay siege to them and they want you to give them the protection of Allah and your Prophet, do not give them the protection of Allah and your Prophet, rather give them your protection and the protection of your father and your Companions, for if you violate your protection and the protection of your fathers, that is easier than violating the protection of Allah and the protection of His Messenger. If you lay siege to them and they want you to let them come out with a promise of the judgement of Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), do not offer them a promise of the judgement of Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), rather offer them your judgement, because you do not know if you will actually pass (the same as) Allah’s judgement regarding them or not.’”

Another chain reports a similar hadith.

“Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, And whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah. Whoever obeys the ruler, obeys me, and whoever disobeys the ruler, disobeys me.”

“Listen and obey, even if the one appointed over you is an Ethiopian slave with a head like a raisin.”

“Even if the one appointed over you is a mutilated Ethiopian slave whose nose and ears have been cut off, listen to him and obey, so long as he leads you according to the Book of Allah.”

“This is Abu Dharr,” so he (the slave) started to move back. But Abu Dharr said: “My close friend (i.e., the Prophet (ﷺ)) told me to listen and obey, even if (the leader was) an Ethiopian slave with amputated limbs.”

“Do I not have the right that you should listen to me and obey?” They said: “Yes.” He said: “And if I command you to do something, will you not do it?” They said: “Of course.” He said: “Then I command you to jump into this fire.” Some people got up and got ready to jump, and when he saw that they were about to jump, he said: “Restrain yourselves, for I was joking with you.” When we came to Al-Madinah, they mentioned that to the Prophet (ﷺ), and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever among you commands you to do something that involves disobedience to Allah, do not obey him.”

“The Muslim is obliged to obey (the ruler) whether he likes it or not, unless he is commanded to commit an act of disobedience. If he is commanded to commit a sin then he should neither listen nor obey.”

“Among those in charge of you, after I am gone, will be men who extinguish the Sunnah and follow innovation. They will delay the prayer from its proper time.” I said: “O Messenger of Allah, if I live to see them, what should I do?” He said: “You ask me, O Ibn ‘Abd, what you should do? There is no obedience to one who disobeys Allah.”

“We gave our pledge to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), pledging to listen and obey in times of hardship and times of ease, willingly or reluctantly, and when others are shown preference over us, and that we would not dispute the order of those in charge, that we would speak the truth wherever we are, and that we would not fear the blame of anyone when acting or speaking for the sake of Allah.”

“We were with the Prophet (ﷺ) – seven or eight or nine of us – and he said: ‘Will you not give pledge to the Messenger of Allah?’ So we stretched forth our hands and someone said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, we have already given you our pledge. On what basis shall we give this pledge?’ He said: ‘(On the basis that) you will worship Allah and not associate anything with Him, you will establish the five daily prayers, you will listen and obey’ – then he spoke some words under his breath – ‘and you will not ask the people for anything.’ He said: ‘I saw some of that group. If he dropped his whip he would not ask anyone to pick it up for him.’”

“I heard Anas bin Malik say: ‘We gave our pledge to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the basis that we would listen and obey. He (ﷺ) said: “As much as you can.”

“A slave came and gave his pledge to the Prophet (ﷺ), pledging to emigrate, and the Prophet (ﷺ) did not realize that he was a slave. Then his master came looking for him, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘Sell him to me,’ and he brought him in exchange for two black slaves. Then after that he did not accept the pledge from anyone until he had asked whether he was a slave.”

“There are three to whom Allah will not speak on the Day of Resurrection, not will He look at them nor purify them, and theirs will be a painful torment: A man who has surplus water in the desert and withholds it from a wayfarer; a man who sells a man his product after ‘Asr, swearing by Allah that he bought it for such and such a price, and the other believes him, but that is not the case; and a man who gives his pledge to a ruler, only doing to for the purpose of worldly gain, and if he is given something he fulfills it, but if he is not given anything he does not fulfill it.”

“The affairs of the Children of Israel were administered by their Prophets. Every time a Prophet left, he was followed by another, but there will be no Prophet among you after I am gone.” They said: “What will happen, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: “There will be caliphs and there will be many of them.” They said: “What should we do?” He said: “Fulfill your pledge to the first one, then the one who comes after him, and do the duties required of you, for Allah will question them about the duties upon them.”

“A banner will be set up for every traitor on the Day of Resurrection, and it will be said: ‘This is the treachery of so-and- so.’”

“For every traitor a banner will be set up on the Day of Resurrection, commensurate with his treachery.”

“I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) with some other women, to offer our pledge to him. He said to us: ‘(I accept your pledge) with regard to what you are able to do. But I do not shake hands with women.’”

“When the believing women emigrated to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), they would be tested in accordance with Allah’s saying: ‘O Prophet! When believing women come to you to give you the pledge...’”[60:12]
‘Aishah said: “Whoever among the believing women affirmed this, passed the test. When they affirmed that, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would say to them: ‘Go, for you have given your pledge.’ No, by Allah! The hand of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) never touched the hand of any woman, rather he accepted their pledge in words only.” ‘Aishah said: “By Allah, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not demand of women (in their pledge) anything other than that which Allah had commanded, and the hand of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) never touched the hand of a woman. He would say to them, when he had accepted their pledge: ‘You have given your pledge,’ verbally.”

“Whoever enters a horse (in a race) between two other horses, not knowing whether it will win, that is not gambling. But whoever enters a horse (in race) between two other horses, certain that it will win, that is gambling.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) made a horse lean, and he would send the horse that he had made lean from Hafya’ to Thaniyyatul-Wada’, and (he would send) the horse that he had not made lean from Thaniyyatul-Wada’ to the mosque of Banu Zuraiq.”

“There should be no prizes for racing except races with camels and horses.”

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade traveling with the Qur’an to the land of the enemy, lest the enemy gets hold of it.

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to forbid traveling with the Qur’an to the land of the enemy, lest the enemy gets hold of it.

“You have distributed it to our brothers Banu Hashim and Banu Muttalib, but we are related to you (to Banu Hashim) in the same way (as Banu Muttalib).” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Rather I think that Banu Hashim and Banu Muttalib are the same.”*