—they are the ones who brought it upon themselves. Shaykh al-Islam—may Allah have mercy on him—explained the rationale: it is impossible to distinguish the coerced fighter from the willing one, for both coercion and choice dwell in the heart, hidden from human sight. Consequently, the combatant who claims coercion is fought in defense of the truth, and his reckoning is with Allah. Yes, should he be captured alive and is undeniably a Muslim, it is unlawful to kill him; on the battlefield, however, he is fought.

Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned this ruling in his al-Fatāwā, Book of Jihād, vol. ?, pp. 544–553.

Allah’s words, “and in the cause of Allah” (at-Tawbah 9:60), cover both distributing zakah to the combatants themselves and purchasing weapons for them; buying arms with zakah funds is therefore permissible for the sake of jihad in Allah’s cause.

The scholars also included under this heading a person who devotes himself full-time to seeking sacred knowledge even though he is able to earn a livelihood. Such a person may be given from the zakah whatever meets his needs, because the pursuit of knowledge is a form of jihad in the cause of Allah. By contrast, someone who merely frees himself for personal acts of devotion is not entitled to zakah; he is told to work for his living. From this we recognize the superiority of knowledge over worship.

Hence, if two men were to come: one, a righteous individual, says, “I can work, but I wish to devote myself to worship—prayer, fasting, remembrance, and recitation of the Quran—so support me from the zakah and relieve me of earning,” we would reply, “We will not give you anything; rather, go and earn.” Then another man comes and says, “I want to devote myself wholly to seeking knowledge, and I am able to work, but if I set out to earn I will not be able to study, so provide me with enough