harmful in that office. Thus, in military command, a capable, courageous man—even if he is wicked—is given preference over a weak, ineffectual man, even if the latter is trustworthy.

Imam Ahmad was asked about two men commanding military expeditions, one capable but wicked, the other righteous but weak: “With which of them should one go on campaign?”

He replied: “As for the capable but wicked man, his words benefit the Muslims, while his wickedness harms himself. As for the righteous but weak man, his righteousness benefits himself, while his weakness harms the Muslims. One should therefore go on campaign with the capable but wicked man.”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Indeed, Allah supports this religion through a wicked man.”

Another version reads: “Through people who have no share in goodness.”

If he is not wicked, he has an even stronger claim to military command than someone more righteous in religion, if the latter cannot perform as effectively as he does.

For this reason, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, appointed Khālid ibn al-Walīd to military command from the time he embraced Islam, and said:

“Indeed, Khālid is a sword Allah has drawn against the polytheists.”

Yet Khālid sometimes did things of which the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, disapproved. On one occasion, he stood up, raised his hands towards heaven, and said:

“O Allah, I declare before You that I am free of responsibility for what Khālid has done.”

This was when he sent him to Banū Jadhīmah, and Khālid killed people among them and seized their property on the basis of a certain misapprehension. This was not permissible, and some of the Companions accompanying him objected to his actions. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, subsequently paid blood money for those killed and compensated them for their property. Nevertheless, he continued to give Khālid precedence in military command, because he was better suited to this role than others, and had acted as he did on the basis of a particular interpretation.