52 – The Book of Military Expeditions (Kitab al-Siyar)

Jihad is a communal obligation (fard kifaya); if a sufficient number of people undertake it, the duty falls from the rest, but if no one does, the whole community is blameworthy for abandoning it.

Warfare against the unbelievers is obligatory even when they have not attacked first. Jihad is not required of a minor, a slave, a woman, a blind person, a cripple, or an amputee.

If the enemy suddenly overruns a town, its defense becomes incumbent on every Muslim: a woman may go out without her husband’s permission and a slave without his master’s.

When Muslims enter enemy territory (dar al-harb) and lay siege to a city or fortress, they must invite its inhabitants to embrace Islam; if they accept, fighting ceases. Should they refuse, they are then invited to pay the jizya; if they agree, they enjoy the same protection and obligations as Muslims.

It is forbidden to fight people who have not yet received the call to Islam until after they have been invited. For those who have already heard the summons, repeating it is recommended but not obligatory. If they still refuse, the Muslims rely on Allah’s help, wage war against them, deploy catapults, burn them, flood them with water, cut down their trees, and ruin their crops.

There is no harm in bombarding them even if a Muslim prisoner or merchant is among them. If the enemy uses Muslim children or captives as human shields, the Muslims do not desist from shooting but aim their fire at the unbelievers.

It is permissible to take women and Qur’ans with a large, secure army, but it is disliked to do so with a small detachment whose safety is uncertain.

A woman may not fight without her husband’s consent, nor a slave without his master’s—unless the enemy attacks.

Muslims should neither betray, nor embezzle spoils, nor