Tirmidhi

Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith No: 3126, Chapter: «بَابُ مَنْ قَاتَلَ لِلْمَغْنَمِ هَلْ يَنْقُصُ مِنْ أَجْرِهِ:»
Relevance between the Chapter and the Hadith:
In the chapter heading, Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah has established the issue that if someone fights for the exaltation of Allah’s word (i‘la kalimat Allah) and, along with that, also intends to acquire war booty (ghanimah), then his reward will not be diminished. As evidence, he has established through the hadith that if someone fights only for booty or for fame and reputation, then he is not considered to be fighting in the way of Allah; rather, the true fighter is the one who fights for the exaltation of Allah’s word. What is the connection between the chapter heading and the hadith, and what is their relationship? In reality, the hadith mentions that whoever fights solely for the sake of booty, or solely for fame and reputation, his deed will be wasted. However, if someone’s primary intention is the exaltation of Allah’s word, and incidentally he also intends booty, then there is no harm in that.

Ibn al-Munir rahimahullah says:
«أراد البخاري أن قصد الغنيمة لا يكون منافيا للأجر و لا منقصا إذا قصد معها أعلاء كلمة الله.» [فتح الباري، ج 6، ص: 278]
“That is, Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah intends to show that desiring war booty is not contrary to reward, nor does it diminish the reward, as long as the (primary intention) is the exaltation of Allah’s word.”

Allamah Muhammad al-Tawwudi al-Maliki rahimahullah says:
«أما من قاتل للغنيمة فقط، أو كان أصل قتاله ذالك، فلا أجر له ولا أن قاتله فى سبيل الله.» [حاشية التأودي بن سودة، ج 3، ص: 280]
“That is, whoever fights solely for booty, then his actual fighting is for that purpose, so there is no reward for him, nor will he be counted among those who fight in the way of Allah.”

Imam Abu Dawud rahimahullah, in his Sunan, mentions the hadith and establishes a chapter on:
«في الرجل يغزو يلتمس الأجر و الغنيمة.»
“A person who fights for reward and for booty.”

To establish the issue, Imam Abu Dawud rahimahullah presents the hadith:
«إن ابن زغب الايادي حدثه قال: نزل على عبدالله بن حوالة الأزدي فقال لي: بعثنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لنغنم على اقدامنا فرجعنا، فلم نغنم شيئا وعرف الجهد في وجوهنا فقام فينا فقال: ”اللهم لا تكلهم إلي فاضعف عنهم . . .“» [سنن أبى داؤد، كتاب الجهاد، رقم الحديث: 2535]
Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Hawalah radi Allahu anhu narrates that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam sent us on foot (for jihad) so that we might acquire some booty. We returned, but no booty was granted to us. The signs of hardship and distress were visible on our faces, so he stood up and (supplicating) said: “O Allah! Do not entrust them to me, for I would be unable to care for them; and do not entrust them to themselves, for they would be unable to care for themselves; and do not entrust them to the people, lest they give preference to themselves.” Then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam placed his blessed hand on my head and said: “O Ibn Hawalah! When you see that the caliphate has reached the Holy Land (al-Sham), then earthquakes will occur, calamities will befall, and even greater signs will appear, and the Hour will be closer to the people than my hand is to your head.”

From the aforementioned hadith, it is established that if a person intends, along with the exaltation of Allah’s word, to also acquire war booty, then there is no harm for him. However, it is certainly the case that acquiring booty does cause a relative decrease in the reward of the Hereafter.

The noble statement of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is:
“Those who go out as mujahideen in the way of Allah and acquire booty, they receive two-thirds of their reward (in this world), and one-third remains for them; and if they do not acquire any booty, then their complete reward is reserved for them (for the Day of Judgment).” [سنن أبى داؤد، كتاب الجهاد، رقم: 2497 - صحيح مسلم، كتاب الامارة، رقم: 1906]

The conclusion of this discussion is that the inclination of Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah is that if someone fights for booty as well, but his primary intention is the exaltation of Allah’s word, then this does not harm him. However, if he fights solely for booty, then without doubt, he will have no reward, neither in this world nor in the Hereafter. Therefore, according to the chapter heading, the reward will be given to the one whose intention is for the exaltation of Allah’s word. However, there will certainly be a relative decrease, as mentioned in the hadith, and this has also been stated by Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah.

Hadith Commentary:

The sole objective of Islamic jihad is only to establish peace and security throughout the world in the light of the divine Shariah; acquiring land or wealth is never the purpose of Islamic jihad.

Therefore, it is as clear as daylight from history that those countries which aligned themselves with the objectives of Islam—their leaders were allowed to remain in their positions.

In this hadith, there is guidance for the mujahideen of Islam that they must never engage in jihad with the intention of acquiring spoils of war (ghanimah); rather, their intention must be purely to exalt the word of Allah.

Thus, in the event of victory, they will also receive the spoils of war (ghanimah), which is merely an incidental matter.

Hadith Commentary:
The purpose is that if the sole intention is the exaltation of Allah’s religion, then such a person will be given the full reward. And if, along with the exaltation of the religion, there is also the intention of acquiring spoils of war (ghanimah), then his reward will be diminished. However, if out of greed, the intention is solely for plunder or for fame and reputation, or to establish one’s own dominance, and the exaltation of Allah’s religion is not intended, then for such a person, instead of reward, there will be accountability before Allah.
In any case, a mujahid should perform jihad only so that Allah’s religion is exalted; nothing else should be the objective.

Hadith Commentary:
The point is that the real essence is sincerity; if this exists, then everything is attained, and if it does not, then nothing is achieved.
On the Day of Judgment, how many generous people, how many reciters (of the Qur'an), and how many warriors will be cast into Hellfire.
These will be those whose only objective was ostentation and display; they performed these deeds for fame and the pursuit of renown, and thus they will be cast directly into Hellfire.
(May Allah protect us from it)

Hadith Commentary:
➊
A mujahid should intend, at the time of battle, to elevate the religion of Allah; he should not seek spoils, desire fame, or aim to display his status and bravery, because by doing so, there is a risk that this excellent and fruitful deed will be rendered void.
➋
The difference between the second and third aspects mentioned by the questioner is that the one in the second aspect seeks fame, while the third is a show-off (riya kar); that is, some fight so that others may hear of their reputation, and some fight so that people may witness their bravery.

Hadith Commentary:

When polytheism (shirk) and disbelief (kufr) are suppressed and the word of monotheism (tawhid) and the Sunnah prevails, then that person is fighting in the path of Allah.

As for the rest, none of those battles are in the path of Allah.

Similarly, fighting for wealth, property, or government is also not considered fighting in the path of Allah.

Hadith Commentary:
The battle whose objective is to abase disbelief and polytheism and to elevate monotheism (tawhid) and the Sunnah is fighting in the path of Allah (fi sabilillah).
All other forms of war and fighting are acts of sabotage and terrorism, which are extremely detested actions in the Shari‘ah of Allah.
Similarly, fighting for the acquisition of wealth, property, or power is also not jihad in the path of Allah (jihad fi sabilillah).
In this hadith, the command of Allah Ta‘ala is mentioned.
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established the chapter heading with these very words, that is, whoever fights to elevate the words of Allah Ta‘ala and to make them dominant, he is fighting in the path of Allah, and for such people, Allah Ta‘ala’s predetermined decision is:
“Indeed, they will surely be aided, and indeed, Our army, it is they who will surely be victorious.” (XREF_شرح کتاب التوحید الغنمیان: 2/231__)

Explanation:
That is, when a Muslim reaches the battlefield to fight against the enemies of Allah, and fights with anger or zeal, all of this is to be understood as being for Allah alone. Since this question was asked by the person who stood up before the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the intended meaning of the narration is established: that, as appropriate, knowledge can also be acquired while standing. By raising the word of Allah, what is meant is the implementation of Islamic laws and the prescribed legal limits (hudud shar‘iyyah), which are entirely based on justice, fairness, and the welfare of humanity. In contrast, all other laws are against the well-being of mankind.

Hadith Commentary:
1.
It is mentioned in the hadith that whoever likes people to stand up for him out of respect, he should prepare his abode in Hell.
(Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi, Al-Adab, Hadith: 2755)
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam also said: “Do not stand up like the non-Arabs, for they stand up for each other out of reverence.”
(Musnad Ahmad: 253/5)
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah’s intent is that if someone asks a question while standing to a scholar who is seated, then this does not fall under the generality of the aforementioned ahadith, provided it is not done out of self-admiration or arrogance.
However, if the scholar does not permit the questioner to sit and desires that the questioner remain standing, and this satisfies his own ego, then this is not permissible. But if the questioner himself does not intend to sit, rather he wishes to leave quickly due to haste, then he does not fall under the warning mentioned in the ahadith.
(Fath al-Bari: 292/1)
2.
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah previously established a chapter with the words: “Sitting on one’s knees before the Imam or Muhaddith,” which means that for asking questions or seeking knowledge, one should adopt a posture of composure. In light of this heading, it could have been assumed that perhaps asking questions while standing is not permissible. However, he established the permissibility of asking questions while standing through the aforementioned hadith.
The basis for this permissibility is the narrator’s statement that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam raised his head because the questioner was standing. Apparently, it seems that the one clarifying this in the hadith is Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari radi Allahu anhu, who conveyed his own observation.
Even if it is another narrator, the inference remains valid, as he stated this based on his observation.
3.
This hadith mentions the motives for fighting.
Various narrations indicate that the motives can be as follows:
(1)
Exalting the word of Allah, the motive of revenge, and tribalism.
These are understood from this very hadith. Additionally, the acquisition of wealth, fame, and reputation, as well as bravery and valor, can also be causes for fighting.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Al-Jihad wa’l-Siyar, Hadith: 2810)
Besides these, lust, territorial expansion, and seizing valuable resources can also be motives.
Among all these, fighting in the way of Allah (qital fi sabilillah) is that in which the sole intention is the exaltation of the word of Allah and the dominance of the religion of Islam.
The Imam has established several headings for this hadith, which indicate his sharp understanding and power of deduction. For example:
In the Book of Jihad, one heading is:
“One who fights so that the word of Allah is supreme.”
Another heading is:
“If one fights for the acquisition of spoils, will his reward be lessened?” In the Book of Tawhid, this hadith is presented in the explanation of “the word of Allah.” From this, it is evident that Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, when formulating chapter headings, keeps in view the entire corpus of ahadith and is fully attentive to the subtleties of issues and rulings.
However, some people harbor envy and malice towards Imam Bukhari rahimahullah’s breadth and depth of vision, so whenever they get the chance, they openly express it. Thus, Amin Ahsan Islahi has said:
“The Imam has covered such an important narration with a meaningless chapter heading.”
(Tadabbur Hadith: 223/1)
This is what is meant by:
“A blind man, in darkness, perceives something far away.”

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: People participate in battle for various motives, objectives, or interests, but these are hidden. Therefore, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam presented a mirror before all those who fight, in which a person can see his true self automatically, or he can test himself against this criterion, and others too can form some opinion based on indications and signs. The principle and rule is that the person who participates in jihad solely and exclusively for the elevation and exaltation of Allah’s religion, with no other motive or interest attached, then indeed he is fighting in the way of Allah. But if he fights for spoils of war, to display bravery, for showing off and seeking fame, or out of family honor or provocation, then this is not fi sabilillah (in the way of Allah); these are worldly motives and interests that may be attained.

(1) By "the word of Allah" is meant the message and religion of Allah, the Exalted.
(2) Sincerity is a condition in worship.

Benefits and Issues:
➊
Sincerity (ikhlas) is necessary in every righteous deed; otherwise, that action will not be accepted.

➋
Even a seemingly great good deed is useless without sincerity.

➌
During jihad, the believer’s intention should be solely to attain Allah’s pleasure and to serve His religion. If, along with this, spoils of war (maal-e-ghanīmah) are obtained or his status is elevated in the eyes of the Muslims, then this is a reward from Allah. If these things are intended from the outset, then there will be no reward.