or twenty years, to confront the enemy, they may extend it for whatever period the need requires.

Shaykh al-Islam said: It is permissible to conclude a truce indefinitely, without specifying a term, if there is an interest in doing so. However, it is then a non-binding contract, meaning that the Muslims may revoke it if they see an interest in revoking it. Thus, there are three views:

The first view: It is not permissible to conclude a peace treaty or truce for more than ten years. (1)

The second view: A longer period is permissible, but it must be specified, because a contract concluded indefinitely entails abolishing jihad.

The third view: It is permissible, in the interest of the Muslims, to conclude it indefinitely without specifying a term. However, according to this view it is a non-binding contract, meaning that if the Muslims find themselves strong, they may renounce the treaty. This was the view chosen by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him. Yet they must inform their enemy: “We concluded this truce with you out of necessity, but now we no longer need it. So either accept Islam or we will fight you.”

What Shaykh al-Islam said is in accordance with the madhhab’s reasoning: the matter is determined by what serves the interest, even if it exceeds ten years. Since you maintain that we may extend beyond the ten years which the Prophet ﷺ stipulated in the peace treaty between himself and Quraysh for the sake of the interest, then let us likewise say that we may consider the interest to lie in ten years—for example—or twenty