MY PROVISION WAS PLACED FOR ME IN THE SHADE OF MY SPEAR By Ibn Rajab Al Hanbali This a commentary on the hadith of Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم), “MY PROVISION WAS PLACED FOR ME IN THE SHADE OF MY SPEAR.” The hadīth was reported by Imām Ahmad and others on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar and it is Sahīh. The commentary is from the book by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbalī titled “Al Hikam Al Jadīrah Bil Idhā’ah.” This hadīth indicates that Allah did not send His messenger to endeavour to seek the dunya, nor to gather the dunya and its treasures, nor to strive to seek its causes, rather He sent him as a caller to His tawhīd with the sword. What is implied by this is that he kills Allah’s enemies who refuse to accept tawhīd, legitimizes the spilling of their blood and the taking of their wealth, and enslaves their women and children, and thereby his provision becomes what Allah has given him of spoils from the property of His enemy. This is because wealth was created by Allah for the children of Adam only to assist them in obeying and worshipping Him. So whoever uses it to assist himself in kufr of Allah and shirk with Him, then Allah will give mastery to His Messenger and his followers over him, so that they seize it from him and return it back to one who is more worthy than him from the people who worship Allah, practice tawhīd of Him, and submit obediently towards Him. For this reason, their wealth is called fay’ [the root of the word means to restore or return], because it returns to one who is more deserving of it and it returns to the usage for which it was created. From amongst the abrogated [verses] of the Qur’an [in recitation, not in legislation] was the verse, {WE ONLY SENT DOWN WEALTH SO THAT PRAYER WOULD BE ESTABLISHED AND ZAKĀH WOULD BE GIVEN.} So, the people of tawhīd and obedience to Allah are more deserving of wealth than the people of kufr in Allah and shirk. Therefore, they seized their wealth. He also made the provision of His Messenger from that wealth, because it is the purest of wealth. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: {SO, CONSUME WHAT YOU HAVE TAKEN OF WAR BOOTY [AS BEING] LAW- FUL AND GOOD} (Surah Al Anfāl 8:69) This was a matter through which Allah favoured Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) and his ummah, for He legalized war booty for them. It has also been claimed that the Ummah was favoured with the legality of ghanīmah taken through fighting, not fay’; and that what is taken without fighting [fay’] was halāl and mubāh for those nations before us. He made the provision of His Messenger from the latter [the fay’]. War booty is more lawful than other income for a number of reasons. It is seized from one who does not deserve it, because he uses it to aid himself in disobeying Allah and associating others with Him. So, if it is taken from one who uses it contrary to the obedience of Allah, the practice of tawhīd and the da’wah to worship Him, then such wealth becomes the most beloved of wealth to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and the purest form of income in His sight. Also, he (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would not perform jihād except so that Allah’s word would be the highest and His religion the most manifest. He did not perform jihād for the sake of ghanīmah. So, provision would come to him pursuant to his worship and jihād fī sabīlillāh. Therefore, he did not dedicate any of his time solely towards seeking provision. Rather he would worship Allah in all his time, and practice tawhīd of Allah and be sincere to Him. So, Allah made his provision easy during such worship, without him intending to seek it or endeavouring to pursue it. It was reported in the mursal narration (i.e. reported with no mention of the Sahābī in the isnād) that, He (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “I AM THE MESSENGER OF MERCY. I AM THE MESSENGER OF THE MALHAMAH (BLOODY BATTLE). ALLAH SENT ME WITH JIHĀD AND HE DID NOT SEND ME WITH AGRICULTURE” [reported by Ibn Sa’d in “at-Tabaqat”] Al-Baghawī reported in his “Mu’jam” a marfū’ hadīth (i.e. a hadīth whose words are conveyed as the Prophet’s) that, The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “INDEED, ALLAH HAS SENT ME WITH GUIDANCE AND THE RELIGION OF TRUTH. HE DID NOT MAKE ME A FARMER, NOR A MERCHANT, NOR A SHOUTER IN THE MARKETS. AND HE PLACED MY PROVISION IN MY SPEAR.” He mentioned the spear rather than the sword so that it is not understood that he got provision from the ghanīmah wealth. Rather, his provision was from the fay’ that Allah granted him from Khaybar and Fadak. Fay’ is what the enemy leaves behind after fearfully fleeing, contrary to ghanīmah, which is taken through fighting with the sword. Therefore, mention of the spear more clearly indicates the acquirement of fay’, because the spear is seen by the enemy from a distance, so he flees, and thus he flees from the spear’s shade by which fay’ is taken. The provision of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) was from fay’, not ghanīmah, which is taken by fighting with a sword. And Allah knows best.