Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
The Battle of Hunayn took place after the conquest of Makkah, in the 8th year of Hijrah.
It is mentioned in the Noble Qur’an in these words:
﴿لَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ فِي مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٍ وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ كَثْرَتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنْكُمْ شَيْئًا وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ ثُمَّ وَلَّيْتُمْ مُدْبِرِينَ (25)
ثُمَّ أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَعَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَنْزَلَ جُنُودًا لَمْ تَرَوْهَا وَعَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَذَلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْكَافِرِينَ﴾ (al-Tawbah: 25-26)
That is, “On the day of Hunayn, We also helped you, when your great numbers made you proud. But your pride availed you nothing, and the earth, despite its vastness, became constrained for you. And you turned your backs and fled. But Allah sent down His tranquility upon His Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and upon the believers, and He sent down armies which you did not see, and He punished those who disbelieved, and that is the recompense for the disbelievers.”

What happened was that after the conquest of Makkah, the Muslims began to think that the Islamic banner was now raised everywhere in Arabia, and who could now stand against them? This pride was disliked by Allah.
On the other hand, the brave people of Hunayn, who had not yet accepted Islam, came forth to confront Islam.
And on the battlefield, they began to shower arrows so fiercely that the Muslims’ ranks broke, and a large number of them began to flee.
To the extent that from the blessed tongue of the Noble Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) came the proclamation: “Ana an-nabiyyu la kadhib, ana ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib.”
“I am the true Prophet of Allah, in whom there is absolutely no falsehood.
And I am the son of ‘Abd al-Muttalib, the renowned and brave man of Quraysh.
Therefore, abandoning the battlefield is not my way.”
Meanwhile, when the fleeing Companions (radi Allahu anhum) were called out to, they came to their senses.
And thus, with great zeal and enthusiasm, they returned to gather under the banner of the Noble Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), so that the entire scene of the battlefield was transformed, and the Muslims achieved a magnificent victory, bringing back a large number of female and male slaves and wealth.
Later, from among those who fought, the tribe of Hawazin accepted Islam, and these people came into the noble presence of the Noble Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to reclaim their wealth and slaves.
And in Ta’if, they attained the honor of presenting themselves before the Noble Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
He said that one of their two requests could be considered: either take back your people, or take back your wealth.
He gave them time to respond.
And he waited for them at Ji‘ranah for ten days. This is the same place of Ji‘ranah from where, during this period, he donned the ihram for ‘umrah and proceeded to Makkah.
Ji‘ranah is outside the boundary of the Haram.
During the Hajj of 1389 AH, when I reached this hadith, I thought that I should visit Ji‘ranah once.
So I went.
And from there, I donned the ihram for ‘umrah, returned to Makkah, performed ‘umrah, and then released the ihram.
Now, at this place, a magnificent mosque has been built, and there are proper arrangements for water, etc.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) returned the captives from his share in response to their request.
And he also had the rest of the Muslims return theirs.
This is the distinction of Islam, that in every situation, it gives precedence to humanity.
He settled this matter through the representatives of the tribe.
From this, the absolute mujtahid, Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah), established the purpose of the chapter, and also that for resolving collective national matters, it is necessary to have representatives of the people.
In today’s terminology, they are called choudharies, panch, or members.
Since ancient times, every nation in the world has had such collective systems, where the decisions of their choudharies or panch are considered the national decision.
Islam supports such collective organizations, provided that matters are resolved with truth and justice.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
The delegation from the tribe of Hawazin that presented itself before the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) acted as their representative and also as an intercessor for the return of the captives. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) accepted their intercession and returned his own share of the captives to them, and regarding the remaining captives, he spoke to the people. All the Muslims gladly returned the captives.

(2)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah), quoting Ibn Munir, has written that apparently this gift (hibah) was for those who had come as representatives and intercessors on behalf of their people, but in reality, this gift was for everyone—both those who were present and those who were absent.

(3)
From this, it is understood that words are applied to intentions, not to apparent forms. On this basis, if someone intercedes for another regarding a gift (hibah), and it is said to the intercessor, "This thing has been gifted to you," then the intercessor does not have the right to consider the apparent words and keep the gift for himself; rather, it will be for the one for whom he interceded. (Fath al-Bari: 4/610)

(4)
This hadith also shows that when a collective matter arises, instead of negotiating individually, it is appropriate to summon representatives of the community and speak with them. If there is a national issue, it should be resolved through national representatives. Those representatives will be the national agents, and any national trust will also be handed over to the nation through them. In any case, there are many benefits to collectivity. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gave it great importance on numerous occasions.

Hadith Commentary:
The administrator and chief of specific people is called an ‘arif’.
In one hadith, it is stated that the ‘arif’ will enter Hellfire, and there is destruction for the leaders as well.
(Musnad Ahmad: 352/2)
By this are meant those administrators who transgress limits and commit oppression and injustice.
‘Urafa’ (pl. of ‘arif’) are not condemned in an absolute sense, because the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself permitted this system.
No individual can manage the affairs of the state alone; he needs ‘urafa’ (administrators, etc.) at the lower level,
who convey the needs and issues of the people to the supreme ruler, and communicate the laws and instructions of the government to the general public. Thus, Ibn Battal has written that in the aforementioned hadith, the legitimacy of ‘urafa’ and administrators is established, because the Imam of the time cannot directly manage all affairs.
He needs this system so that the affairs of the people can be resolved in the best manner and in a timely fashion, and so that they do not face any kind of difficulty.
(Fath al-Bari: 210/13)