to make peace and refrain from civil strife, and one of the two groups then transgresses, it is to be fought until there is no more strife. The one commanded to fight is someone other than the party subjected to aggression: he is commanded to fight the transgressing group until it returns to the religion. Thus, he fights it as an act of jihad and in support of the wronged party subjected to aggression.

But if aggression occurs initially without fighting, such as the seizure of property or the unjust exercise of leadership, Allah has not authorized two groups of believers to fight one another merely on that account. For fighting merely over leadership or the seizure of property involving some injustice entails harm.

This is why the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade fighting the rulers when they commit injustice: fighting them causes greater harm than their injustice does.

Accordingly, the report in Sahīh al-Bukhārī, in the hadith of Umm Salamah, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said this does not contradict the mass-transmitted reports from him commanding people to refrain from fighting during civil strife, and declaring that one who sits during it is better than one who stands, one who stands is better than one who walks, and one who walks is better than one who runs.

He said:

“Soon the best property a Muslim owns will be sheep which he takes to the mountain peaks and places where rain falls, fleeing tribulations to safeguard his religion.”

He also instructed a person, during such strife, to go to