State Establishment (cont.)

Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Isbirū Fa'innī Lam U'mar Biqitāl – Be patient because I have not been given permission to fight.” So in the beginning it was patience which was called Kafful Yadd. Then came the second stage. Ibn Al-Qayyim said, “And then it was allowed.” It was merely allowed; it was not instructed, not commanded, not obligated, it was allowed. And that is when Allāh ﷻ revealed the Āyah: Udhina Lilladhīna Yuqātalūna Bi'annahum Zulimū, Wa Innallāha ‘Alā Nasrihim Laqadīr – Permission to fight has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allāh is competent to give them victory.

So here you have permission that was given to them.

Now, the following stage, as Ibn Al-Qayyim says, is, “Then they were commanded to fight the ones who fight them.” So this was the third stage, and the Āyah for that is 190 in Sūratul Baqarah, Allāh ﷻ says: Fight in the way of Allāh those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allāh does not like transgressors. So here you only fight the ones who transgress against you.

And then the final stage, and this is the stage that represents the final law of Allāh ﷻ which applies to the Ummah, and that is as Ibn Al-Qayyim says: “And then the Messenger of Allāh was instructed to fight all the Disbelievers.” Allāh ﷻ says: And fight against the Disbelievers collectively as they fight against you collectively. And there is also the Hadīth which is Mutawātir, it is narrated by Al-Bukhārī, Muslim and others, and narrated by over 20 Sahābï of Rasūlullāh ﷺ,” I was instructed to fight the people until they testify that there is no God but Allāh and that I am the Messenger of Allāh, to establish Salāh and to pay Zakāh. If they do that they have protected their blood and their wealth, and Allāh will hold them accountable for their deeds.”

So these are the four stages that Jihād Fee Sabeelillāh went through.

Objectives of Jihād

So what are the objectives of Jihād? Why was Rasūlullāh ﷺ fighting? Some Āyāt in Qur'ān tell us the objectives of fighting Fee Sabeelillāh.

Promotion of Islām

The first objective is the promotion of Islām. Allāh ﷻ says: And fight them until there is no Fitnah and until the Religion, all of it, is for

Allāh.So the first objective is to fight until all the Religion is for Allāh ﷻ.

Protection of Rituals and Worship Places

The second objective is the protection of rituals and worship places. Allāh says: Indeed, Allāh defends those who have believed. Indeed, Allāh does not like everyone treacherous and ungrateful. Permission to fight has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allāh is competent to give them victory. They are those who have been evicted from their homes without right - only because they say, "Our Lord is Allāh." And were it not that Allāh checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allāh is much mentioned. And Allāh will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allāh is Powerful and Exalted in Might. And they are those who, if We give them authority in the land, establish Prayer and give Zakāh and enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. And to Allāh belongs the outcome of all matters.

So notice here that Allāh ﷻ is saying: And were it not that Allāh checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques. People are checked by fighting, this is called Sunnatul Mudāfa‘ah; this is a law of Allāh ﷻ that has governed the lives of men. If it was not for this fighting, churches would have been demolished, synagogues would have been demolished, and mosques would have been demolished. Now you might have the question, why mention synagogues and churches? We are talking about Jihād Fee Sabeelillāh. The reason is, we are not the first nation to fight in the path of Allāh, the first nation to fight in the path of Allāh were the Children of Israel. Fighting in the path of Allāh was not prescribed on Sayyidinā Sālih and his people, Sayyidinā Hūd and his people, Nūh and his people; with those Ambiyā', Allāh ﷻ would destroy their enemy through a miraculous act, they did not have to involve in fighting themselves. The first nation to

fight in the path of Allāh were the Children of Israel, the followers of Mūsā. So because of them being an Ummah of Jihād, synagogues were protected and churches were protected, and mosques are protected because the Ummah of Muhammad are also practising this act of worship.

Protecting World from Corruption

The third objective is protecting the world from corruption. So rather than fighting Fee Sabeelillāh being a cause of corruption, it is a protection for the world, it prevents corruption. You see, the Āyāt of Allāh straighten out the misconceptions that we have, it clears them, because Shaitān is causing us to misunderstand reality; he makes us think that good is evil and evil is good, he has that ability of deceiving us; that is the whole point of him being the devil, it is to deceive people and to make Al-Ma’rūf Munkar and Al-Munkar Ma’rūf. So the Āyāt of Qur'ān undo the corruption that is caused in our minds because of the Waswasah of Shaitān, the Āyāt of Qur'ān cleanse our hearts from the corruption that is caused by the media and by the false authority that exists on Earth. So Allāh ﷻ is telling us that Jihād Fee Sabeelillāh actually limits the corruption that exists on land, Allāh ﷻ says: And if it were not for Allāh checking some people by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted, but Allāh is full of bounty to the worlds.

Test for Mankind

The fourth objective is that it is a test for mankind, it is a trial. Our existence in this world, as we have been mentioning, is a test from Allāh ﷻ, and fighting in His Path is a part of that test, Allāh ﷻ says: That is the command. And if Allāh had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them Himself, but He ordered armed struggle to test some of you by means of others.157 So armed struggle is a test for the Believers and it is a test for the Disbelievers; it is a test for the Believers because it tests their patience, it tests their sacrifice; the ultimate sacrifice that a Believer could give to Allāh ﷻ is to sacrifice his soul and his wealth. It is a test of

whether you fear Allāh ﷻ more than the creation or you fear the creation more than Allāh. So it tests a lot of what is called A’māl Al-Qulūb – The deeds of the hearts. We might have a lot of diseases in our hearts, but these diseases do not show up until we are involved in this act of worship, then these diseases show up. So for example, many of the Munāfiqīn blended very well in the society, they were only exposed in the Battle of Badr and in the Battle of Uhud and the sequence of battles that followed that, and that is why Allāh ﷻ says about them: Do they not see that they are tried every year once or twice…158 because the average Ghazawāt of Rasūlullāh ﷺ per year were one or two. So their hypocrisy was showing up in these battles because that is the ultimate test.

To Punish and Humiliate the Enemies of Allāh

Number Five: To punish and humiliate the enemies of Allāh ﷻ. Allāh says: And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allāh and your enemy and others besides them whom you do not know but whom Allāh knows. And whatever you spend in the cause of Allāh will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged.

Allāh ﷻ also says: Fight them; Allāh will punish them by your hands and will disgrace them and give you victory over them and satisfy the breasts of a Believing people. And remove the fury in the Believers' hearts. And Allāh turns in forgiveness to whom He wills; and Allāh is Knowing and Wise.

And Allāh ﷻ says: And you did not kill them, but it was Allāh who killed them. And you threw not, O Muhammad, when you threw, but it was Allāh who threw that He might test the Believers with a good test. Indeed, Allāh is Hearing and Knowing. That is so, and also that Allāh will weaken the plot of the Disbelievers.

Exposing of the Hypocrites

The sixth objective is the exposing of the Hypocrites, and we talked about this a bit. Allāh ﷻ says: Allāh would not leave the Believers in that state you are in presently until He separates the evil from the good. So the way the separation happens is by fighting Fee Sabeelillāh. These Āyāt were revealed after Gazwat Uhud because ‘Abdullāh Ibn Ubaÿ withdrew with one third of the army.

Defence against the Aggression of the Enemies of Allāh

The seventh objective is that it is a defence against the aggression of the enemies of Allāh who plan to transgress against the Ummah, so Allāh says: So fight, O Muhammad, in the cause of Allāh; you are not held responsible except for yourself. And encourage the Believers to join you that perhaps Allāh will restrain the military might of those who disbelieve. And Allāh is greater in might and stronger in exemplary punishment. So Allāh ﷻ did not say that Da’wah will restrain the military might of those who disbelieve, He did not say that involving in dialogue or discourse will weaken the military might of those who disbelieve; Allāh ﷻ said that the way to weaken the military might of those who disbelieve is to fight.

Permission to Fight Granted

As we mentioned earlier, the Muslims were not allowed to fight in the beginning, the command was, “Isbirū Fa'innī Lam U'mar Biqitāl – Be patient because I have not been given permission to fight.” And they were wronged. We talked about all of the forms of oppression that the Muslims suffered from in Makkah, we covered that part in the talks of the Makkah Period. They used all the various forms of aggression against the Muslims. Now, for the Arabs to be restrained from fighting was not easy, you know; these were tribesmen, they did not have a heritage or an anti-war movement at that time, they did not have any peace activists in those days, they did not

have the likes of Martin Luther King or Ghandi. A tribesman, if you transgress against him he will fight back. So for them to be restrained from fighting back and avenging for what happened to them was very difficult, but it was a test of their patience, and that was why Rasūlullāh ﷺ was saying, “Isbirū! – Be patient!” It was testing them. But for example Abū Bakr As-Siddīq said, “Walaqad ‘Alimtu Annahū Sayakūnū Qitāl – I knew that there was going to be fighting,” ultimately we are going to have to fight; there is no way to get out of this difficult situation they we are in except by fighting in the path of Allāh, so he knew that it was coming along. The permission was given during the early days of Madīnah, some say it was given before Hijrah, but the actual practise of it did not happen except in Madīnah. Now, to fight against the enemies of Allāh ﷻ demanded preparation, so Rasūlullāh ﷺ was now preparing the Muslim community and training it, and this training took two forms; one was spiritual training and the second was physical training or preparation. So this would lead us into the fourth project which is the establishment of the Muslim army. We talked about the establishment of the Masjid, we talked about brotherhood, we talked about the covenant, and now number four, the establishment of the army.

Establishment of the Muslim Army

Now, to state it this way; the establishment of the Muslim army, is not really very accurate, because there were not any professional soldiers, this was not a professional army, it was more of a militia. The linguistic definition of the word militia would fit the situation more. It says in the American Dictionary a militia is “a citizen’s army, as distinct from a body of professional soldiers.” So there were not any professional soldiers in the time of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, everyone who fulfilled five requirements was expected to participate in Jihād Fee Sabeelillāh, and these requirements were:

1 Islām

2 Bulūgh – The age of puberty

3 Al-‘Aql – Sanity

4 As-Salāma Min Al-‘Uyūb – To be free of defects that would prevent a person from being able to participate, such as being blind or handicapped. 5 Financial ability, because Rasūlullāh ﷺ did not have the ability to sponsor every fighter like a government would sponsor its army, they had to finance themselves.

Also it says that a militia is “a whole body of physically fit male civilians eligible by law for military service.” So the word militia suits it more than the word army.

Spiritual Preparation

Āyāt of Qur'ān Preparing Believers Spiritually So Rasūlullāh ﷺ was preparing them spiritually, and Āyāt of Qur'ān were also preparing them for that, for example Allāh ﷻ says: Indeed, Allāh has purchased from the Believers their lives and their properties in exchange for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allāh, so they kill and are killed. It is a true promise binding upon Him in the Torāh and the Gospel and the Qur'ān. And who is truer to his covenant than Allāh? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment.

And Allāh is teaching them to be patient: If a wound should touch you - there has already touched the opposing people a wound similar to it. And these days of varying conditions We alternate among the people (one day you win one day you lose) so that Allāh may make evident those who believe and may take to Himself from among you martyrs - and Allāh does not like the wrongdoers - And that Allāh may purify the Believers through trials and destroy the Disbelievers. Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while Allāh has not yet made evident those of you who fight in His cause and made evident those who are steadfast? And you had certainly wished for martyrdom before you encountered it, and you have now seen it before you while you were looking on.

So these are examples of Āyāt in which Allāh ﷻ was preparing the Muslims.

Ahādīth Preparing Believers Spiritually

Examples of Ahādīth: In Bukhārī, narrated by Abū Hurairah, “A man came to Rasūlullāh ﷺ and said, ‘Yā Rasūlullāh ﷺ, Dullanī ‘Alā ‘Amalin Ya’dilul Jihād – O Rasūlullāh ﷺ, tell me about something that is as virtuous as Jihād.’ Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, ‘I cannot find any.’ And then Rasūlullāh ﷺ told the man, ‘When the Mujāhid goes out in the path of Allāh, can you enter your mosque and pray continuously without any rest, and fast continuously without breaking your fast?’ So the man said, ‘And who could do that?’” Meaning that the reward of the Mujāhid is greater than fasting continuously and praying continuously. So the fighting of the Disbelievers is more virtuous than Jihād An-Nafs, because praying and fasting is part of Jihād An-Nafs, and Rasūlullāh ﷺ is saying here that if a person is praying continuously and fasting continuously, they could not receive the rewards of someone who went out to fight in the path of Allāh ﷻ.

When they were coming back from the Ghazwah of Tabūk, Rasūlullāh ﷺ told Mu‘ādh Bin Jabal, “Inshi'ta Amba'tuka Bira'sil Amri Wa ‘Amūdihī Wa Dharwat Sināmihī – If you want, I will tell you about the head of the affair, its pillar, and its peak; the head of the affair is Islām, and its pillar is Salāh, and its peak is Jihād Fee Sabeelillāh.” So the most virtuous act, the peak of Islām, is fighting Fee Sabeelillāh.

Rasūlullāh ﷺ says in a Hadīth in Bukhārī and Muslim, “Wa’lamū Annahul Jannata Tahta Dhilālus Suyūf – Realise that Paradise is under the shade of swords.”

Rasūlullāh ﷺ says in Bukhārī and Muslim, “Man Jahada Ghāziyan Fee

Sabeelillāhi Faqad Ghazā Wa Man Khalafa Ghāziyan Fee Ahlihī Bikhairin

Faqad Ghazā – Whoever finances a fighter in the path of Allāh has fought, and whoever takes care of the family of a fighter has fought.”

The reward of Ribāt, which is being stationed in the path of Allāh ﷻ:

“Ribātu Yawmin Wa Laylah Khairum Min Siyāmi Shahrin Wa Qiyāmih –

Ribāt for one day in the path of Allāh is better than fasting an entire month and praying that month.” This is in Sahīh Al-Muslim And in Al-Hākim, ‘Umrā Bin Al-Hasīm says that Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Muqāmu Ar-Rajuli Fis-Saffi Afdal ‘Indallāhi Min ‘Ibāditir Rajuli Sittīna Sanah – Standing in the ranks before the battle starts, just standing in the ranks is better than worshipping Allāh for 60 years.”

All of these Ahādīth were to prepare the people spiritually for what was coming. They were facing enemies from every direction, so Rasūlullāh ﷺ was telling them about the virtues of fighting Fee Sabeelillāh.

Physical Preparation

Then you had the physical preparation, and that was military training. Now, the Sahābah did not need to be told to go jogging or go and lift weights, their lifestyle was active anyway so there was no need to tell them to be physically fit; they had an active lifestyle because of the type of work that they would do. A farmer going out in the farm and working from after Fajr until late in the day, it would not make sense to tell him to go jogging after that. So they were physically fit, so they did not need to be told to be fit. However in the areas where there were deficiencies, Rasūlullāh ﷺ did specify certain preparation, for example swimming. Because the Arabs of Makkah and Madīnah were far away from the sea and they were living in a desert, swimming was not a part of their life, so Rasūlullāh ﷺ told them in some Ahādīth to swim. So the areas where there were deficiencies, Rasūlullāh ﷺ did mention in Ahādīth ways to improve them in those areas.

Rasūlullāh ﷺ also told them for example to train in terms of targetshooting, marksmanship. In his Tafsīr of the Āyah: Wa A‘iddū Lahum Mastata’tum Min Quwwah – And prepare against them whatever you are able of power… Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Alā Innal Quwwatar Rāmī,

Alā Innal Quwwatar Rāmī, Alā Innal Quwwatar Rāmī – Strength is targetshooting, strength is target-shooting, strength is target-shooting.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ says in a Hadīth, “Everything that is not a Remembrance of Allāh ﷻ is a waste of your time, except four things; walking between the targets, training your horse, playing with your wife, and learning how to swim and teaching it to others.” When they used to practise target-shooting, it was archery, they would place two targets; they would stand next to the first one and shoot at the second, and then they would walk to the second and pick up their arrows and then stand next to it and shoot at the first one. So Rasūlullāh ﷺ says that this walking between the two targets is ‘Ibādah of Allāh ﷻ. So these four things are ‘Ibādah of Allāh ﷻ, and any other form of entertainment is a waste of your time.

So from these teachings, we can notice that there was what is referred to as absolute war, where there is a total mobilisation of the society gearing all of its resources towards the militarisation of the society in order to defend it – that process was happening in the time of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. Rasūlullāh ﷺ says in the Hadīth, “Jāhidul Mushrikīna Bi Amwālikum Wa Anfusikum Wa Alsinatikum – Fight the Non-Believers with your wealth, arms and tongues.” So it was a total effort; wealth, arms and tongues, all geared up to defend the newly formed Muslim community. I hope these points would clear some misconceptions or misunderstandings regarding what was happening in the time of Rasūlullāh ﷺ.

We need to look at it in the context of the situation; it was a very difficult time for the Muslims, Quraish was threatening them, for example, as soon as Rasūlullāh ﷺ made Hijrah to Madīnah, the people of Quraish sent a letter to ‘Abdullāh Ibn Ubaÿ telling him, “You have given sanctuary to As-Subāh (As-Subāh was a deragotory term they would use), and you either give them up and hand them over, otherwise we will kill you and leave your women as widows and leave your children as orphans.” So they were threatening the people of Madīnah; it was not like Quraish were turning a blind eye to the Sahābah, they were taking this Hijrah lesson very seriously, so the threat was there. Another example is when Sa’d Ibn Mu‘ādh went to visit Makkah.

He was friends with Ummayah Bin Khalaf, so he went to Umayyah and said, “O Umayyah, I want to make Tawāf around Al-Ka’bah so tell me about a time when it would be empty.” There would normally be crowds of people. So they waited until the late hour and then they went to go and make Tawāf. So Umayyah Bin Khalaf and Sa’d Bin Mu‘ādh, who were friends in Jāhiliyyah, were making Tawāf, and then Abū Jahl saw them. So Abū Jahl came to them and asked Umayyah, “Who is this man with you?” Umayyah said, “This is Sa’d Bin Mu‘ādh,” and Sa’d Bin Mu‘ādh was well-known, he was the head of Al-Aws, one of the two tribes in Madīnah who became Muslim. So Abū Jahl told Umayyah, “I do not want to see you having this man make Tawāf around Al-Ka’bah when they have given sanctuary to Muhammad and his followers.” So Sa’d Ibn Mu‘ādh responded back by saying, “If you prevent me from making Tawāf, I am going to prevent your caravans from reaching to Ash-Shām,” because the caravans of Quraish passed next to Madīnah. So they exchanged threats, but this shows you that the people of Quraish were plotting against Muhammad ﷺ and the Sahābah, and that was why there was a militarisation effort going on in Madīnah, it was to protect the Muslim community.

The Beginning of Jihād

Sarāyā and Ghazawāt

After receiving permission from Allāh ﷻ to fight – Udhina Lilladhīna Yuqātalūna Bi'annahum Zulimū - Permission to fight has been given to those who are being fought. Rasūlullāh ﷺ started sending out what is referred to as Sarāyā. So we have in our books of Seerah Sarāyā and we have Ghazawāt. So what is the difference between the two? So you would have Ghazwat Badr, and you would have Ghazwat Uhud, and you would have Ghazwat Al-Khandaq; on the other hand you would have Sariyyat Abū ‘Ubdaidah, Sariyyat ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh, Sariyyat Sa’d Ibn Abī Waqqās. The difference is that Sarāyā refers to the armies that were sent out by Rasūlullāh ﷺ without him participating in them, while a Ghazwah is an

army that is led by Rasūlullāh ﷺ, so that is the difference between a Ghazwah and a Sariyyah. If you are reading a book of Seerah, you will run into this; Sariyyah and Ghazwah. So Rasūlullāh ﷺ started sending out Sarāyā and he was leading Ghazawāt. Now, in terms of the linguistic meaning of the two words, Ghazwah and Sariyyah, Ghazwah means an army of conquest, while Sariyyah means an army but it does not really mean that it is involved in conquest or not. These are just the linguistic meanings of the words that are not really relevant when it comes to how the scholars of Seerah are using the two words.

Ghazwat Al-Abwā' – The First Ghazwah

The first Ghazwah in which Rasūlullāh ﷺ participated in is called Ghazwat Al-Abwā', but no fighting occurred; this army went out but they not meet the enemy. And then Rasūlullāh ﷺ sends out a Sariyyah led by ‘Ubaydah Ibn Al-Hārith. These were 60 of Al-Muhājirūn, all of them were Muhājirūn, on foot, there were no mounts, and they would walk at night and hide during the day. They exchanged arrows but no one was killed. So the first shots fired in Jihād Fee Sabeelillāh were in Sariyyat ‘Ubaydah Bin Hārith, and the first one to shoot was Sa’d Ibn Abī Waqqās, he said, “I am the first one to shoot an arrow in the path of Allāh.”

Sariyyat Hamzah Bin ‘Abdul Muttalib

Then you have Sariyyat Hamzah Bin ‘Abdul Muttalib. This was a Sariyyah led by Hamzah Bin ‘Abdul Muttalib with about 30 Muhājirūn, but this time they were riding camels. This was a Sariyyah that went out to raid a caravan that belonged to Quraish, but the caravan was supported by a large number of guards. Anyway, no fighting occurred because one of the tribesmen in the area who had a peace agreement with Muhammad ﷺ and with Quraish interfered and he saw that no fighting occurred. But when this happened, Abū Jahl was with the caravan, he went back to Quraish and he was giving a warning to his people and he said, “Muhammad is out there to get you, be careful. He is like an angry lion, because we have driven them out of their land like insects would be driven off the back of a camel.” So he

is telling his people to be careful; Muhammad ﷺ is out there and he is trying to lay hands on our caravans and on us, so be careful.

Other Sarāyā and Ghazawāt

And then there was another Ghazwah called Ghazwah Bu‘āt. They went to raid a caravan but could not find it. And then you have Ghazwat Al- ‘Ashīrah; they also went to pursue a caravan but were not able to find it, these caravans were a bit elusive, they were trying to hide their tracks in the desert. And then you have Sariyyat Sa’d Ibn Abī Waqqās and Ghazwat Badr Al-Ūlā; all of these occurred within the first two years of Hijrah before the Battle of Badr.

Sariyyah ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh

Then there is another Sariyyah that happened and this Sariyyah is quite important because of the consequences of it, and this Sariyyah is called the Sariyyah of ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh. This was a small group of Sahābah who were sent out to pursue a caravan belonging to Quraish. ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh, the leader of this Sariyyah, was handed a letter by Rasūlullāh ﷺ. That letter was sealed and Rasūlullāh ﷺ told ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh not to open it until after two days. So Rasūlullāh ﷺ told him to go to such and such place, and after two days you open this letter and you read it. ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh opens the letter after two days and it states in there, “I instruct you to go to such and such place,” and this place was between Makkah and At-Tā'if, “and to ask the members of your Sariyyah to follow you, but make it voluntary on them.” So this was a voluntary Sariyyah; you ask them if they want to join you or not. Probably the reason was because this was quite a risky operation; these men were going deep into the territory of AlKuffār, they were going between Makkah and At-Tā'if. So now Rasūlullāh ﷺ was not raiding a caravan that was passing next to Madīnah – you know, because the route that leads from Makkah to Syria passes next to Madīnah, so Rasūlullāh ﷺ had the opportunity of intersecting those caravans – now Rasūlullāh ﷺ was going after the caravans of Quraish which were between Makkah and At-Tā'if. So this was quite risky and they

would be quite far away from their base Al-Madīnah, so Rasūlullāh ﷺ makes this a voluntary Sariyyah.

‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh tells the members of his Sariyyah, “This is what Rasūlullāh ﷺ says. I am going to go, and whoever wants to follow me it is up to you.” So it was voluntary on all of them including ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh. They all said, “We are willing to go with you, we are going to go,” because ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh told them, “Whoever wants to stay can stay, and whoever wants to go and die, you are welcome to come.” So they saw it as quite a risky operation. They said, “We are all willing to die Fee Sabeelillāh, we are going to go with you.” So none of them stayed behind. You can contrast this with all of the news of soldiers defecting from their armies, so you can see how some people are forced to fight while some people volunteer for it, and this shows you the difference between when someone is doing something for the sake of this world – for greed or for expansion of territory or for power – compared to when someone is doing something virtuous for the sake of Allāh ﷻ. This again shows you the difference between fighting for the sake of Allāh and fighting for other reasons which we talked about in our previous session, that all war is evil except if it is fought for the sake of Allāh ﷻ. So here, they all volunteered to go.

They do spot the caravan of Quraish; the caravan was lightly guarded, only four guards, and they were within striking distance, but they were in a dilemma; this was a sacred month. There were four months in the year in which Arabs did not fight, and this was agreed upon among them and they held this up in high esteem. They took these months seriously, they would not violate them and they would not fight in them. They were in the last day of the month of Rajab, which was one of the Sacred Months, so they were not supposed to fight. So you might ask the question, well why not wait for another day? Pursue this caravan and you just have one more day to go and then you will be in the month of Sha’bān and you can attack them. Well, there was another problem; if they wait for another day, this caravan would enter into the sacred limits of Makkah where they are not supposed to fight either. So either way they will be violating either the sanctity of the four

months or the sanctity of Makkah, so it was a dilemma. They made Shūrā and they decided to go ahead and attack in the month of Rajab, in the Sacred Month. They shot their arrows; one of the four guards was killed, AlHadramī, one of them ran away, and two of them were taken prisoners and the whole caravan fell into the hands of the Muslims, so they drove them back to Madīnah.

This was breaking news, everyone was talking about it. Quraish made a big deal about it; they took this opportunity and milked it to the limits. They went around saying that Muhammad and his people are violating the Sacred Months, they are shedding blood, they have taken prisoners, they have stolen our wealth – all in the Holy Months! It says in Al-Bayhaqī, “Muhammad and his people have violated the Sacred Months, and they have shed blood, and they have taken our wealth, and they have taken our men prisoners.” So again, this was breaking news on all networks, splashing the front pages of every newspaper in the country; the Muslims are terrorists who are violating the sanctity of the Holy Month, shedding blood, and they went around spreading this news in Arabia and it was a big deal.

Well, when the men of the Sariyyah came back to Madīnah, Rasūlullāh ﷺ told them, “I did not tell you to fight in the Holy Month, I did not give you those instructions.” And the Muslims were reproaching the Sahābah, ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh and his people, they were telling them, “Who told you to fight in this Sacred Month?! Who told you to violate it?!” So Subhān'Allāh, these men of the Sariyyah were in a very difficult situation, they were worried, they were very worried thinking what have we done?! And what will this be considered in the Eyes of Allāh ﷻ?And Rasūlullāh ﷺ refused to take the prisoners and he refused to take the caravan, so you can imagine how desperate the Sahābah would be. We went out there, we risked our lives, and then here we are; all what that we have done is not accepted and everyone is upset with us, Rasūlullāh ﷺ and the Sahābah alike. And Quraish were taking advantage of this and they made a big deal out of it. And then Āyāt from Qur'ān were revealed:

They ask you about the Sacred Month - about fighting therein. So now people are asking: what is the ruling of Allāh ﷻ concerning fighting in the Sacred Month? So Allāh ﷻ says: Say, "Fighting therein is great sin,… Subhān'Allāh. So what ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh and his men did was a great sin. Allāh ﷻ was saying that fighting in the Sacred Month is a great sin. But then what did Allāh ﷻ say after that? …but averting people from the way of Allāh and Disbelief in Him and preventing access to Al-Masjid Al-Harām and the expulsion of its people therefrom are greater evil in the sight of Allāh. And Fitnah is greater than killing."168 So here Allāh is putting things into perspective, Allāh ﷻ is saying that yes, what the Sahābah have done in violating the sanctity of the Sacred Month was wrong, it was a great sin, but then Allāh ﷻ lists four other sins: 1 Averting people from the way of Allāh – The People of Quraish on the other hand were averting people from the path of Allāh, they were standing between people and becoming Muslim, they were standing between them and becoming Muslim.

2 And Disbelief in Him – That is a great sin.

3 And preventing access to Al-Masjid Al-Harām – The Muslims were not allowed to go to Makkah.

4 And the expulsion of its people therefrom – And the Muhājirīn were driven out of Makkah.

Allāh ﷻ says those sins are greater than what ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh did. So averting people from the way of Allāh is a greater sin than killing in the Sacred Month. Disbelieving in Allāh is a greater sin than killing in the Sacred Month. And preventing access to Al-Masjid Al-Harām is a greater evil in the Eyes of Allāh than fighting in the Sacred Month. And the expulsion of people from Makkah and forcing them out of their land is a greater sin in the Eyes of Allāh than fighting in the Sacred Month. So Allāh is putting things into perspective.

And then Allāh ﷻ says: Wal Fitnatu Ashaddu Minal Qatl – And fitnah is greater than killing. Fitnah, seducing people away from Islām, is greater

than killing. Ibn Is'hāq says, “The people of Quraish would seduce a Muslim until he gave up Islām.” Allāh ﷻ says that is worse than fighting in the Sacred Month.

Then Allāh ﷻ says about the Disbelievers: And they will continue to fight you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able. And whoever of you reverts from his religion to Disbelief and dies while he is a Disbeliever - for those, their deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and those are the Companions of the Fire, they will abide therein eternally.This Āyah is clearing up the minds of people, it is telling them look at what ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh and his people did, and on the other hand, look at what the Kuffār of Quraish have been doing for 13 years. Do not just make a big deal about what ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh did and completely forget about the sins of the people of Quraish. Even though what ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh did was wrong, but what the people of Quraish have been doing outweighs all of that.

So when these Āyāt were revealed, ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh and his followers were happy that at least Allāh ﷻ had mentioned that the people of Quraish had committed greater sins, so now they were eager to get credit for what they had done. So now, if these Āyāt make them break even, or at least that is how it appears now, they went to Rasūlullāh ﷺ and they wanted to get reward for what they had done! Even though the Āyah says that it was a mistake, it was a sin. So Allāh ﷻ reveals the following Āyah in which He says: Indeed, those who have believed and those who have emigrated and fought in the cause of Allāh - those expect the mercy of Allāh. And Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.170 Subhān'Allāh! So Allāh ﷻ is telling them that you can expect the mercy of Allāh ﷻ and expect to get credit for what you have done and expect to be given the reward of Al-Mujāhidīn. Not only that, but according to our scholars, ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh and his Sariyyah were the first to take prisoners in the path of Allāh, they were the first to take booty of war in the path of Allāh, and they were the first to kill a

Disbeliever in the path of Allāh, so they were the first in these three areas and that was an honour that was bestowed on them.

When these Āyāt were revealed, Rasūlullāh ﷺ took the caravan and he took the two men as prisoners. Two of the members of the Sariyyah of ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh lost a camel, so they went looking for it and they did not come back yet. The people of Quraish came to ransom the two prisoners, but Rasūlullāh ﷺ told them, “Akhāfu An Takūnu Qad Asabtum Sa’d Ibn Mālik 171 Wa ‘Utbah Bin Ghazwān – I am not going to hand over the prisoners until my two men come back, I fear that you might kill them.” So this shows you the care that Rasūlullāh ﷺ had for his followers. He said I am not giving you your two men until my two men come back, and this is how Muslims should be, they should never give one another up. So when Sa’d Ibn Abī Waqqās and ‘Utbah Bin Ghazwān came back, Rasūlullāh ﷺ released the two prisoners of Quraish; they were ransomed, the people of Quraish had to pay money to free them, and Subhān'Allāh, one of them, AlHakam Bin Kaithān, became Muslim and he stayed, he did not go back, and he died as a Shahīd later on, while the other, ‘Uthmān Bin Mughīrah, went back to Makkah and died as a Disbeliever.

Lessons from Sariyyah ‘Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh

The Enemies of Allāh ﷻ Will Present you in the Worst Form

Number One: The enemies of Allāh ﷻ are going to pick on your actions and they are going to try to blow them out of proportion, they might try to twist the truth, and they will try to present you in the worst form that they are capable of presenting you in. So the Muslim needs to be aware of that and needs to study the reality of the situation and put things in perspective just like these Āyāt of Allāh ﷻ put things in perspective. So if Muslims are ever accused of being terrorists or that Islām is promoting violence, let whoever

is saying that remember that hundreds of thousands of people were killed in ‘Irāq, that Palestinians have been suffering for over 50 years, that Muslims in Kashmīr, Chechnya, Philippines, and one can go on and on and on, have been suffering for a very long time. Bring these things up, and it will become clear that even if the Muslims do something that is not justified, something that cannot fall under justifiable resistance, it can never reach to the level of violence and evil that is committed against the Muslims from the Disbelievers, it can never reach to that level. More than a million have been killed in the sanctions that were laid upon ‘Irāq, more than a million. So things need to be put in the right perspective, and do not be gullible and naïve and just fall into what the media is saying, because the media is not on your side, and the enemies of Allāh ﷻ are never going to be on your side. So the Muslim needs to be aware of the reality of the situation and not just take things as you hear it on the radio or TV, but look deep into what is happening and you will see the evil that is caused by the enemies of Allāh ﷻ. Look at how, Subhān'Allāh, what Quraish did to Muhammad ﷺ the enemies of Allāh are doing to the Muslims today. The preachers who are preaching the true Islām are being thrown in jail or killed or subjugated to threats, if Muslims try to present the truth as it is they are fought against and they are restricted, Muslim lands are taken as booty and milking cows for the enemies of Allāh ﷻ, Muslim blood has become very cheap, in fact it has not only become cheap it has become worthless.

The Care that Muslims Should Have for one another The second lesson is the care that Muslims should have for one another. Rasūlullāh ﷺ refused to give up the two prisoners of war until ‘Utbah and Sa’d Ibn Mālik would come back.

Reasons for Sarāyā

And then a few lessons regarding the issue of Sarāyā in general.

To Establish Military Presence of Rasūlullāh ﷺ and Muslims

Number one: These Sarāyā were to establish the military presence of Rasūlullāh ﷺ and the Muslims. So Rasūlullāh ﷺ was sending these Sarāyā north, south, west, and east to let the people know that the Muslims have force and they are capable of using it and this is a strong State so be careful, do not attack it. Because in the tribal system of old Arabia, if one tribe felt that the other tribe was weak, they would take advantage of that. So Rasūlullāh ﷺ was sending out these Sarāyā as a deterrence to others, to the Bedouins who were surrounding Madīnah who still had the respect of Quraish in their hearts, because Quraish was seen as the centre of Arabia, of the noble men, they were the people who were the custodians of Al-Ka’bah, so they were held in high esteem by the rest of Arabia. Rasūlullāh ﷺ was trying to break that and trying to let the people know that there is now a rival power in the area.

Winning Over Tribes and Establishing Alliances

Number Two: Rasūlullāh ﷺ was winning over tribes and establishing alliances, and this was still in the stage where Rasūlullāh ﷺ could establish alliances with Polytheists. We talked about the stages of fighting Fee Sabeelillāh, that in the final stage Rasūlullāh ﷺ was instructed to fight all of the Mushrikīn, but we are still in the stage here where Rasūlullāh ﷺ could establish alliances with these tribes, and he did with some of the Bedouin tribes surrounding Madīnah, he established alliances; this was done through these Sarāyā, and we can translate Sariyyah as expedition.

Economical Reasons

Number Three: These Sarāyā were mostly for economical reasons. Mostly, these Sarāyā were sent out to raid the caravans of Quraish. That is because in the Islāmic Fiqh, if the Muslim State is in a state of war with another, that makes the lives and the wealth of the enemy State Halāl. So Rasūlullāh ﷺ was attacking the economical network of Quraish. And this was a serious threat to Quraish and this was what led to the Battle of Badr, because it

started out, as we will see, as an attempt to take over the biggest caravan of Quraish which was led by Abū Sufyān.

Training for Muslims

Number Four: These Sarāyā were training for the Muslims. Now Rasūlullāh ﷺ is not fighting a tribal warfare, this is an army with a new identity, so these Sarāyā were a great chance for the Sahābah to experience and to learn. He would send out groups of 30, groups of 60; in many of these these Sarāyā they would learn reconnaissance methods, they would learn how to ambush, they would learn the area, they would get to know the tribes around them, so they were benefitting greatly from these Sarāyā, and overall they were quite successful. In this war that carried on for a few years between Rasūlullāh ﷺ and Quraish, you would find that Quraish did not have a similar tactic of sending out Sarāyā against the Muslims, this was pretty much an Islāmic thing, and they were very successful and they were a serious threat to the people of Quraish.

Insecurity in Madīnah

Rasūlullāh ﷺ was not totally secure in Madīnah; Madīnah was small and the number of Muslims was not that large. Rasūlullāh ﷺ one night could not sleep, and he said, “I wish there was someone to guard me this night.” And suddenly he heard the sound of someone outside carrying his weapons, so Rasūlullāh ﷺ asked, “Who is it?” And it turned out to be Sa’d Ibn Abī Waqqās, he came to guard Rasūlullāh ﷺ.

Ibn Hajar gives us some lessons from this incident, he says, “This shows that the Muslim should not be careless when care is needed.” So Rasūlullāh ﷺ felt threatened in Madīnah and he was not careless about it, he could not actually sleep that night because he wanted someone to be his guard. So the Muslim should be careful. Number two, he Ibn Hajar says. “The Muslims should protect and guard their leaders.” They should guard their ‘Ulamā',

they should guard their military leaders. Number three, he said, “Rasūlullāh ﷺ did this as a lesson for his Ummah.” The fact that he was not able to sleep and then was asking for someone to guard him, this is a lesson to his Ummah that we should be careful, we should be alert, and this carried on until Allāh ﷻ revealed the Āyah: Wallāhu Ya’simuka Minan-Nās – And Allāh will protect you from the people. 172 So Allāh was telling Muhammad ﷺ that you do not need to have guards, Allāh ﷻ will protect you. And that is when Rasūlullāh ﷺ came out and said, “Go back, Allāh has given me His protection.”