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the ruling of Allah that applies to all believers shall apply to them, yet they will have no share of the spoils or the fayʾ unless they fight alongside the Muslims. Should they refuse, then the jizyah is due from them; if they agree, accept it from them and refrain from attacking them. But if they refuse, seek Allah’s help and fight them). (1) He then quoted the remainder of the ḥadith.
The ḥadith mentions no pitched battle at all. This—Allah knows best—is because no cohesive group remained willing to stand and fight in regular ranks, (2) for the unbelievers had withdrawn into their fortresses and were therefore placed under siege; that state of siege is the muḥṣar to which he referred.
This ḥadith clarifies that the muḥṣar is:
(1) Reported by Muslim, Hadith no. 1731, on the authority of Buraida (may Allah be pleased with him).
(2) Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah writes in Minhaj al-Sunnah (4/423), after citing the narrations of Buraida and Saʿd ibn Muʿadh: “These two sound hadiths show that Allah has prescribed a specific ruling even in matters where the ruler is apparently given a discretionary choice for the sake of benefit. Thus, in the domain of fighting, one of the two options—either undertaking it or refraining from it—is more beloved to Allah and His Messenger, and this is determined by assessing benefit and harm. Fighting is only legitimate against a defiant group; therefore, if that group commits aggression but then accepts a just reconciliation, it is no longer deemed defiant, and it is unlawful to fight it.”
يَجْرِي عَلَيهِمْ حُكْمُ اللهِ الَّذِي يَجْرِي عَلَى المُؤْمِنِينَ، وَلَا يَكُونُ لَهُمْ فِي الغَنِيمَةَ وَالفَيءِ شَيءٌ، إَلَّا أَنْ يجاهِدُوا مَعَ المُسْلِمِينَ، فَإِنْ هُمْ أَبَوا فَلَهُمْ الجِزَيَةُ، فَإِنْ هُمْ أَجَابُوكَ فَاقْبَلْ مِنْهُمْ، وَكُفَّ عَنْهُمْ، فَإِنْ هُمْ أَبَوا فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللهِ وَقَاتِلْهُمْ) (١) وَذَكَرَ الحدِيثَ.
وَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِي الحدِيثِ قِتَالُ مَصَافَّة، هَذَا - وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ - لَأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ قَدْ بَقِيَ طَائِفَةٌ مُمْتَنِعَةٌ تُقَاتِلُ مَصَافَّة (٢)، وَإِنَّمَا لَجَأَ الْكُفَّارُ إِلَى حُصُونِهِمْ فَكَانُوا يُحْصَرُونَ، وَهُوَ المُحْصَرُ الَّذِي ذَكَرَهُ.
وَقَدْ بَيَّنَ فِي هَذَا الحَدِيثِ أَنَّ المَحْصُورَ:
(١) أخرجه مسلم (ح/ ١٧٣١) من حديث بريدة ﵁.
(٢) قال شيخ الإسلام في منهاج السنة (٤/ ٤٢٣) بعد أن ذكر حديث بريدة هذا وحديث سعد بن معاذ (فدل هذان الحديثان الصحيحان على أن لله حكمًا معينًا فيما يكون ولي الأمر مخيرًا فيه تخيير مصلحة .. فما كان من باب القتال فهو أولى أن يكون أحد الأمرين أحب إلى الله ورسوله إما فعله وإما تركه، ويتبين ذلك بالمصلحة والمفسدة، والقتال إنما يكون لطائفة ممتنعة، فلو بغت ثم أجابت إلى الصلح بالعدل لم تكن ممتنعة فلم يجز قتالها).