was not even entitled to it, your liability is cleared, and that is a blessing from Allah. In other words, if you hand your zakah to a person and later discover that he is not among those eligible—despite your best efforts—there is no sin upon you; your zakah remains valid.

The seventh category is found in His words, “and in the cause of Allah” (at-Tawbah, 9:60). Jihad in the cause of Allah is defined as fighting so that the word of Allah becomes supreme. The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—settled this matter when he was asked about a man who fights out of bravery, another out of tribal zeal, and a third to be seen by others: which of them is in the cause of Allah? He replied, “Whoever fights so that the word of Allah is uppermost is in the cause of Allah.” This statement is both comprehensive and definitive, and we have already discussed it earlier.

Note: It is permissible to kill an unjust Muslim in battle, even though he is a Muslim. Someone may ask, “What if he was coerced?” Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah have mercy on him—answered: “If Muslims fight alongside the Tatars, they are to be fought, even though they are Muslims and even if they were coerced.” If they are truthful in claiming coercion, they receive the reward of a martyr, for they were killed unjustly by the one who forced them; the wrongdoing lies with the coercer. But if they are not truthful—having fought willingly and by choice—then what befell them is the consequence of their own actions.