“It is not for a prophet to have captives until he has thoroughly subdued the enemy in the land” (1)—to the end of the verse [Surah al-Anfāl: 67].
He said (2): “Thus Allah made the spoils of war lawful for them.” (3)
It was also narrated by Abdullah ibn Masūd, whose version states that the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said:
“You, Abū Bakr, are like Abraham, who said: ‘Whoever follows me is truly of me, and whoever disobeys me—You are indeed All-Forgiving, Most Merciful’ [Surah Ibrāhīm: 36]; or like Jesus, who said: ‘If You punish them, they are Your servants; but if You forgive them, You are indeed the Almighty, All-Wise’ [Surah al-Mā’idah: 118]. And you, Umar, are like Noah, who said: ‘My Lord, do not leave even one of the disbelievers upon the earth’ [Surah Nūh: 26].”
He also said: “Umar, you are like Moses (4), who said: ‘And harden their hearts, so that they will not believe until they see the painful punishment.’” [Surah Yūnus: 88] (5).
(1) Muslim includes the passage from “the land” through His words: “So eat of what you have taken as spoils, lawful and good” [Surah al-Anfāl: 69].
(2) “He said” does not appear in Muslim.
(3) Muslim reads: “Then Allah made the spoils of war lawful for them.” This hadith also appears in Umar’s musnad in *al-Musnad*, Maārif ed., 1:244–245. Ahmad Shākir—may Allah have mercy on him—said: “Ibn Kathīr cited this hadith from *al-Musnad* in his *Tafsīr*, 4:18–19, and stated: ‘It was also narrated by Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Jarīr, and Ibn Mardawayh through several routes from Ikrimah ibn Ammār with the same chain. Alī ibn al-Madīnī and al-Tirmidhī graded it authentic.’”
(4) (H) and (B) read: “a single soul, or like Moses.”
(5) The hadith, with some differences in wording, is narrated from Abdullah ibn Masūd—may Allah be pleased with him—in al-Hākim’s *al-Mustadrak*, 3:21–22. Al-Hākim said: “This hadith has an authentic chain of transmission, though neither al-Bukhārī nor Muslim included it,” and al-Dhahabī concurred. The hadith also appears in *al-Musnad*, Maārif ed., 5:227–229. Ahmad Shākir—may Allah have mercy on him—said: “Its chain is weak because it is interrupted”; see his discussion of it. Ibn Kathīr also cited the hadith in his history, *al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah*, ed. Mustafā Abd al-Wāhid, 2:458–459, and said: “It was likewise narrated by al-Tirmidhī and al-Hākim through Abū Muāwiyah.” Al-Tirmidhī included an abridged version of the hadith in two places in his *Sunan*: 3:129, Book of Jihad, chapter “Reports Concerning Consultation,” where he said: “Reports on this subject are also narrated from Umar, Abū Ayyūb, Anas, and Abū Hurayrah. This is a sound hadith, though Abū Ubaydah did not hear from his father”; and 4:335–336, Book of Tafsīr, Surah al-Anfāl. In both places, the hadith begins: “What do you say concerning these captives?” The hadith also appears in *Fadā’il al-Sahābah*, 1:181, where the editor said: “Its chain is weak because it is interrupted.”