1115 – ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf (may Allah be pleased with him) related, in the account of Abū Jahl’s death: “The two of them rushed at him with their swords and struck him until they killed him. They then returned to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and informed him. He asked, ‘Which of you killed him? Have you wiped your swords?’ They answered, ‘No.’ He examined the two swords and said, ‘Both of you killed him,’ yet he assigned the personal spoils to Muʿādh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-Jamūḥ.” Agreed upon. (1)

Vocabulary
• ibtadarāhu: from badara – to hasten toward someone or attack him swiftly.

Points derived from the two ḥadiths

1. The salab (personal spoils) comprises everything found on the slain unbeliever: clothing, jewelry, belt, coat of mail, coif, helmet, crown, boots, and weapons such as a sword, rifle, pistol, bullets, and even a gold-plated belt; likewise his car, tank, or aircraft that he is using in combat, and all other forms of apparel, weaponry, or mounts that are in his possession at the moment he is killed, whether little or much. All of this is called salab.
2. That entire salab belongs to the Muslim who kills the unbeliever in single combat or in the heat of battle, provided the killing occurs during the battle itself, not before it nor after it.
3. Granting the salab to the slayer of the unbeliever is a reward and recompense for his courage and noble deed; it serves to encourage him and to honor his heroism and sacrifice in the path of Allah Almighty.
4. Entitlement to the salab is established by legally acceptable proof; among such proofs is the trace of the killing left on the weapon, whether the fighting involved edged weapons or firearms and the like.