Mishkat al-Masabih

Ibn Mas'ud told that when Ibn an-Nawwaha and Ibn Uthal, Musailima’s messengers, came to the Prophet he asked them whether they testified that he was God’s Messenger. On their replying, "We testify that Musailima is God’s messenger,” he said, "I believe in God and His Messenger. If it was my custom to kill a messenger I would kill you.” ‘Abdallah (i.e. Ibn Mas'ud) said that the sunna that a messenger should not be killed then came into force. Ahmad transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, "Spoils were not lawful for anyone before us, that being because God saw our weakness and incapacity and made them allowable for us.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

We went out with God’s Messenger in the year of Hunain, and when the armies met, the Muslims suffered a reverse. I saw one of the polytheists getting the better of one of the Muslims, so I struck him with my sword from behind on his shoulder-blade and cut his coat of mail. He came at me and closed with me, so that I felt death was near, but he was overtaken by death and let me go. I then caught up on ‘Umar b. al-Khattab and asked him what was the matter with the people, to which he replied that it was what God had commanded.1 Then they returned and the Prophet sat down and said, "If anyone kills a man and can prove it he will get his spoil.” I said, "Who will testify for me?” and then sat down. The Prophet said the same again and I said, "Who will testify for me?”2 and then sat down. Again the Prophet said the same and I stood up He asked, "What is the matter with you, Qatada?” and when I informed him a man said, "He has spoken the truth. I have his spoil, so make him agreeable to take something in exchange.” Abu Bakr said, “In that case I swear by God that he did not do so. One of God’s heroes3 does not fight for God and His Messenger and then give you his spoil.” The Prophet said he had spoken the truth and told the man to hand it over to me. He did so, and I bought a garden among the B. Salima. This was the first property I acquired in the Islamic period. 1. He wondered why the Muslims had fled from the enemy, and 'Umar replied that it was what God had decreed. 2. There is doubt as to whether Abu Qatada spoke aloud the first two times, or inwardly. In the translation I have kept strictly to the wording in the Arabic. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Umar told that God’s Messenger allotted three portions for a man and his horse, one for him and two for his horse. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Yazid b. Hurmuz told that Najda al-Haruri wrote to Ibn ‘Abbas asking whether a slave and a woman should be allotted a portion when they are present at the division of the spoil, and he told Yazid to write telling him they are not entitled to a portion, but may have a small amount given them. A version says that Ibn ‘Abbas wrote to him, “You have written asking me whether God’s Messenger took women on military expeditions and whether he allotted them a portion. He used to take them on military expeditions to tend the sick, and they would be given a little of the spoil, but so far as a portion is concerned he allotted them none.’’ Muslim transmitted it.

God’s Messenger sent his riding-beasts with his servant Rabah and I went along with him. In the morning ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Fazari raided God’s Messenger’s riding-beasts, so I went up on a mound and shouted three times facing Medina, “A morning raid!” I then went after the people shooting arrows at them and composing words in the rajaz metre saying, “I am the son of al-Akwa‘; today is the day of the ignoble ones.”* I kept on shooting at them and killing their beasts so that they had to go on foot till there was no riding beast of God’s Messenger created by God which I had not gone ahead of. Then I followed them shooting at them till they threw away more than thirty cloaks and thirty lances to lighten themselves, and they threw nothing away without my putting stones on it to mark it for God’s Messenger and his companions to notice them. This went on till I saw God’s Messenger’s horsemen. Aba Qatada, God's Messenger's horseman, caught up on 'Abd ar-Rahman and killed him, and God's Messenger said, “Our best horseman today is Abu Qatada and our best footman Salama.” He then gave me two portions a horseman’s and a footman’s, and after giving me them both he took me up behind him on al-‘Adba’ on our way back to Medina. *The line, which is evidently an example of the dimeter of the rajaz metre, has something missing at the beginning. It goes: انا ابن الاکوع والیوم الرضع The full form of the rajaz has the foot mustaf'ilun six times; the dimeter has it four times. In the line above two extra syallables are required at the beginning. Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar told that God's Messenger used to give to some of the detachments he sent out booty for themselves in particular apart from the division made to the whole army. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

God’s Messenger gave us booty apart from our share of the fifth, and I got a sharif, which is a very old camel. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He told that in the time of God's Messenger a horse of his went off and was taken by the enemy, but when the Muslims conquered them it was returned to him. A version says that after the death of the Prophet a slave of his ran away and joined himself to the Byzantines, and when the Muslims conquered them Khalid b. al-Walid returned him to him. Bukhari transmitted it.

Jubair b. Mut'im told that ‘Uthman b. ‘Affan and he went to the Prophet and said, “You have given the B. al-Muttalib some of the fifth from Khaibar and left us out although we are all alike in relationship to you."* He replied, “The only people who are one and the same are the B. Hashim and the B. al-Muttalib." Jubair said that the Prophet gave no share to the B. ‘Abd Shams and the B. Naufal. *They were all descendants of 'Abd Manaf. Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported Gods Messenger as saying, “Whatever town you come to and stay in, your portion is in it; but whatever town disobeys God and His Messenger, a fifth of it goes to God and His Messenger and what remains is yours.” Muslim transmitted it.

Khaula al-Ansariya told that she heard God's Messenger say, “Men will wrongfully acquire God’s property and will go to hell on the day of resurrection." Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira told that God's Messenger stood up among them one day and mentioned dishonesty regarding spoil, treating it and everything connected with it as a serious matter. He then said, “Let me not find any of you coming on the day of resurrection with a camel rumbling on his neck and asking me to rescue him,* for I shall say that I can do nothing for him as I have given him full instruction. Let me not find any of you coming on the day of resurrection with a horse whinnying on his neck and asking me to rescue him, for I shall say that I can do nothing for him as I have given him full instruction. Let me not find any of you coming on the day of resurrection with a sheep bleating on his neck and asking me to rescue him, for I shall say that I can do nothing for him as I have given him full instruction. Let me not find any of you coming on the day of resurrection with a soul shouting on his neck asking me to rescue him, for I shall say that I can do nothing for him as I have given him full instruction. Let me not find any of you coming on the day of resurrection with patches flapping on his neck and asking me to rescue him, for I shall say that I can do nothing for him as I have given him full instruction. Let me not find any of you coming on the day of resurrection with gold and silver on his neck asking me to rescue him, for I shall say that I can do nothing for him as I have given him full instruction. *Here and in the following phrases the man seeks to be rescued from the thing about which he was dishonest, it being tied to his neck. (Bukhari and Muslim, this being Muslim’s wording which is more complete.)

He told that a man presented God’s Messenger with a slave called Mid'am, and while Mid'am was unsaddling a camel belonging to God’s Messenger he was struck by a random arrow which killed him. The people said, “Congratulations to him! He will go to paradise;” but God’s Messenger said, “Not at all. By Him in whose hand my soul is, the cloak he took on the day of Khaibar from the spoils which was not among the shares divided will blaze with fire upon him.” When the people heard that, a man brought a sandal-strap, or two sandal-straps, to the Prophet and said, “A sandal-strap of fire,” or, “Two sandal-straps of fire.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

'Abdallah b. ‘Amr told that when a man called Karkara* who was in charge of the Prophet’s belongings died God’s Messenger said, “He will go to hell. “The people went off and looked and found a striped woollen garment which he had dishonestly appropriated from the spoil. *There is doubt about the spelling of this man’s name. Karkira and Kirkira are also mentioned. Bukhari transmitted it.

On our expeditions we used to get honey and grapes and eat them without bringing them to the Prophet. Bukhari transmitted it.

On the day of Khaibar I got a skin of fat, and when I decided not to give anyone any of it that day I turned round and saw God’s Messenger smiling at me. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Umama reported the Prophet as saying, “God has given me superiority over the prophets,” or as saying, “has given my people superiority over other peoples and made spoils lawful to us.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Anas reported God’s Messenger as saying on that day, meaning the day of Hunain, “He who kills an infidel gets what he takes from him.” Abu Talha killed twenty men that day and got what was taken from them. Darimi transmitted it.

‘Auf b. Malik al-Ashja‘i and Khalid b. al-Walid told that God’s Messenger gave judgment that the killer should have what was taken from the man he killed, and did not make this subject to division into fifths. Abu Dawud transmitted it.