supreme is fighting in the cause of Allah.” Both al-Bukhārī and Muslim recorded it in their Sahih collections (1).
The objective, then, is that religion should belong wholly to Allah and that the word of Allah should reign supreme. “The word of Allah” is a collective expression encompassing His words as contained in His Book (2). Thus Allah, Exalted is He, says: “We indeed sent Our messengers with clear proofs and sent down with them the Scripture and the balance, so that people might uphold justice” [al-Hadīd: 25]. The purpose of sending the messengers and revealing the scriptures is therefore that people uphold justice with respect to the rights of Allah and the rights of His creation. He then says: “And We sent down iron, in which there is mighty power and benefits for people, and so that Allah may make known those who support Him and His messengers without seeing Him.” Whoever turns away from the Scripture is set straight by iron. Thus, religion is upheld by the Quranic codex and the sword.
It is related that Jābir ibn Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: “The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him [أ/ق 10] and grant him peace—commanded us to strike with this—meaning the sword—anyone who turned away from this—meaning the Quranic codex.” (3)
(1) Al-Bukhārī (7458) and Muslim (1904), from the hadith of Abū Mūsā al-Asharī (may Allah be pleased with him). The words “Both al-Bukhārī and Muslim recorded it in their Sahih collections” are absent from manuscript *fāʾ*.
(2) The author also explained it as follows: “The word of Allah comprises what He communicates and what He commands. His command is therefore obeyed and given precedence over the command of anyone else, while what He communicates is affirmed as true and given precedence over what anyone else communicates.” *Majmū al-Fatāwā*, 5/238.
(3) Recorded by Ibn Asākir in *Tārīkh Dimashq*, 52/279, with the following wording: Amr ibn Dīnār said: “I saw Jābir ibn Abd Allah holding a sword and a Quranic codex, saying: ‘The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) commanded us to strike with this anyone who opposes what is in this.’” However, Saīd ibn Mansūr in his *Sunan*, 2/333, al-Hākim, 3/436, and Ibn Asākir, 39/322, recorded it in a different account in which these were not Jābir’s own words. Amr ibn Dīnār said: “I heard Jābir ibn Abd Allah say: ‘Uthmān dispatched fifty of us on horseback under the command of Muhammad ibn Maslama. When we reached Dhū Khushub, we were met by a man with a Quranic codex hanging from his neck and his sword strapped on, his eyes streaming with tears. He said: “This commands us to strike with this”—meaning the sword—“in accordance with what is in this.” Muhammad told him: “Sit down. We struck with this in accordance with what is in this before you—or before you were born.”’ He continued speaking to them until they turned back.” Al-Hākim graded it authentic according to the criteria of al-Bukhārī and Muslim.