✦ Spoils of War in Previous Nations and the Sign of Divine Acceptance by Fire ✦
❖ Question:
Did fire come down to consume and accept spoils of war in previous nations?
❖ Answer by:
Shaykh Abdul Wakeel Nasir (Hafizahullah)
❖ Historical Practice of Acceptance Through Fire
Yes, in previous nations, particularly among the Children of Israel, the spoils of war (māl-e-ghanīmah) were accepted only when a fire descended from the sky and consumed them. This has been reported in Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith No. 3124), in a narration from Abu Hurairah (RA).
❖ Summary of the Hadith:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
The Prophet Yushaʿ ibn Nun (AS) prepared his people for battle and gave clear instructions:
◈ Those who had just married,
◈ Built a new house,
◈ Or purchased a pregnant animal,
…were not to participate in the battle.
When the army approached the enemy territory, sunset was near. Yushaʿ (AS) prayed to Allah ﷻ to stop the sun, and Allah stopped it until the victory was achieved.
❖ Fire as a Sign of Divine Acceptance
After the battle:
◈ The spoils of war were gathered.
◈ A fire descended from the sky to consume them—but did not.
◈ Yushaʿ (AS) announced that someone had committed theft from the spoils.
Upon investigation, it was found that a piece of gold had been stolen.
Once the gold was returned, the fire descended again and consumed the spoils, signifying divine acceptance.
❖ Why Spoils of War Were Made Lawful for the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
“Then Allah made the spoils of war lawful for us because He saw our weakness and incapacity.”
“ثُمَّ أَحَلَّ اللهُ لَنَا الغَنَائِمَ، رَأَى ضَعْفَنَا وَعَجْزَنَا فَأَحَلَّهَا لَنَا”
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 3124)
Unlike previous nations, the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ was granted a special concession:
Spoils of war are lawful for us and do not require a supernatural sign (such as fire) for acceptance.
❖ Key Points:
✔ In previous nations, spoils of war were only accepted when fire consumed them.
✔ Theft or deceit in these spoils prevented divine acceptance.
✔ For this Ummah, Allah ﷻ made spoils of war ḥalāl as a mercy and a divine ease, recognizing our weakness and limitations.
