Food and fodder of which something is taken in enemy land

Hani' bin Kulthum al-Kinani said: I was the commander of the army that conquered Syria. I wrote to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): We have conquered a land in which food, drink and fodder are abundant, and I dislike taking the lead in anything without your permission and command, so write your opinion and inform us. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote back to me: Give the people permission to eat and to feed their animals with fodder, and whoever sells anything for gold or silver, then the fifth and the share of the Muslims are due from him.

Sayyiduna Fadalah bin Ubayd (may Allah be pleased with him), a Companion of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), was asked about selling food and fodder in the land of the Romans. Sayyiduna Fadalah said: Indeed, some people want to make me slip from my religion. By Allah, I hope that this will not happen until I meet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Whoever sells food for gold or silver, the fifth is obligatory on it, and the share of the Muslims is also required.

Sayyiduna Fadalah bin Ubayd al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Indeed, some people want to make me slip from my religion. By Allah, my wish is that my death comes while I remain firm upon this religion. Whoever sells any of it for gold or silver, the fifth and the share of the Muslims are binding on it.

Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said: When the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) obtained camels and cows among the spoils, they would eat from them, and their animals would eat fodder, and they would not sell it. If they had already sold it, they would return it to the place of division.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mughaffal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: On the day of Khaybar, a bag containing fat was let down. I took hold of it, saying: This is mine, I will not give anyone anything from it. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned toward me, smiling, and I felt very shy.

Mujahid said: We took part in jihad, and we had a share in food, fruits, fodder and honey without any division.

Ibrahim said: They used to eat food from the land of war and feed their animals with fodder before taking out the fifth.

Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said: When the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) conquered a city or a fortress, they would eat flour, sawiq (barley meal), ghee and honey from there.

Ata (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a group who took part in war and were in a raiding party (sariyyah), and who came upon containers (bags) of ghee, honey and food: what is the ruling? He said: They may eat from it, and whatever remains they should hand over to their leader.

Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: They used to permit the use of food and fodder, as long as people did not accumulate it as wealth.

Abu al-Aliyah narrates from Suwayd, the slave of Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him), who was mentioned in good terms. He said: When the fighters conquered al-Mada'in and went out in pursuit of the enemy, I found a basket. Sayyiduna Salman said to me: Do you have anything to eat? I said: I have found a basket. He said: Bring it. If it contains wealth, we will hand it over to these people, and if it is something to eat, we will eat it.

Abdullah bin Buraydah was asked: What is the ruling on food and the like obtained in the land of the enemy? He said: If he has sold it for a dirham, it should be returned; otherwise it will count as misappropriation of the spoils.

Abdullah bin Muhayriz, Khalid (bin Duraik) and others said about a person who obtains food and fodder in the land of the Romans: He may eat, feed others and use the fodder, and if he sells any of it for gold or silver, he should add it to the spoils of the Muslims.

Amir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: There is no harm in eating the food found in the land of the enemy and in feeding its fodder to the animals, and whatever of it is sold is shared among the Muslims.

Al-Dahhak (may Allah have mercy on him) said: When a raiding party sets out for jihad and obtains cows, goats or the like as spoils, they may eat as much as they need, but they should not waste it. If it is sent on to the army, it is shared among them all.

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: We would come upon fruit and honey during jihad, and we would eat it and would not take it to the place where the spoils were divided.