Prophetic Strategies in Jihad: Concealment and Use of Spies

The Ruler’s Strategy in Jihad: Concealment and Espionage
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✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori

Strategic Measures Permissible for a Leader in Jihad​

It is permissible for a ruler, when setting out for Jihad, to indicate towards a destination other than his actual intention, and to send spies to keep informed of the enemy’s situation.

It is narrated from Ka‘b ibn Malik رضي الله عنه:

أنه صلى الله عليه وسلم كان إذا أراد غـروة ورى بغيرها
“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ intended to set out for a battle, he would conceal it by indicating another direction.”
[Al-Bukhari: 4418, Kitab al-Maghazi: Bab Hadith Ka‘b ibn Malik; Muslim: 2769; Ahmad: 6/390; Abu Dawud: 2637]

❶ Jabir رضي الله عنه narrated: On the Day of the Battle of Ahzab, the Prophet ﷺ said:

من يأتيني بخبر القوم
“Who will bring me the news of the people (the enemy)?”

Zubair رضي الله عنه replied, “I will.” The Prophet ﷺ then said:
“Every Prophet has a disciple, and my disciple is Zubair.”
[Al-Bukhari: 2846, 2847, Kitab al-Jihad wa al-Siyar: Bab Fadl al-Tali‘ah; Ahmad: 3/307; Muslim: 2415; al-Tirmidhi: 3745; Ibn Majah: 112; al-Nasa’i fi al-Fada’il: 107]

❷ Another narration states:

أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم بعث عينا ينظر عير أبى سفيان
“The Prophet ﷺ sent a spy to observe Abu Sufyan’s caravan.”
[Muslim: 1771, Kitab al-Jihad wa al-Siyar: Bab Ghazwat Badr; Abu Dawud: 2681]

❸ During the Battle of Badr, the Prophet ﷺ dispatched some men as spies to ascertain the number of the polytheists’ army.
[Sirah Ibn Hisham: 2/307–308]