ensuring that he intends thereby to fight for this land because it is an Islamic land, wishing to safeguard the Islam that it contains. If in the course of that he is killed, he is a martyr and receives the reward of the martyrs; and if he gains spoils, he is blessed and has profited—whether it be the profit of this world or that of the Hereafter. We have already discussed this issue in detail. Allah alone grants success.

58 — Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “A prophet from among the prophets—upon all of them be blessings and peace—went out to fight. He said to his people: ‘No man should follow me who has contracted marriage with a woman and wishes to consummate it but has not yet done so; nor anyone who has built houses yet has not put the roofs on them; nor anyone who has bought sheep or pregnant she-camels and is waiting for them to give birth.’

He marched until he approached a village at the time of the afternoon prayer, or near that time, and he said to the sun: ‘You are under command and I am under command. O Allah, hold it back for us.’ So it was held back until Allah granted him victory.

He then gathered the spoils, but when the fire—meaning the fire that used to consume lawful spoils—came to devour them, it would not touch them. He said: ‘Among you there is misappropriation. Let a representative of every tribe pledge allegiance to me.’ The hand of one man stuck to his hand. He said: ‘There is misappropriation among you. Let your tribe pledge allegiance to me.’ The hands of two—or three—men then stuck to his hand. They produced a head the size of a cow’s head made of gold and placed it there; the fire came and consumed it.

‘The spoils were not permissible to any people before us. Then Allah saw our weakness and incapacity and made them lawful for us.’”

(Agreed upon)