Prohibition of Treachery in War Booty
✍ Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
Treachery is absolutely forbidden.
❶ Divine Command:
Allah ﷻ says:
وَمَن يَغْلُلْ يَأْتِ بِمَا غَلَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ [آل عمران: 161]
“Every treacherous one shall come forth on the Day of Resurrection with what he has embezzled.”
❷ Narration of Hazrat Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه):
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) once stood among us to deliver a sermon. He mentioned treachery in war booty, described its sin as very great, and emphasized its severity, saying:
لا ألفين أحدكم يوم القيامة على رقبته بعير على رقبته فرس على رقبته شاة
“I should not find one of you on the Day of Resurrection with a camel upon his neck, or a horse upon his neck, or a sheep upon his neck...”
And that person would call me for help, but I would say:
لا أملك لك شيئا
“I can do nothing for you.”
[Bukhari: 3073, 1402, Kitab al-Jihad wa al-Siyar: Bab al-Ghulul, Muslim: 1831]
❸ Narration of Hazrat Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه):
A man presented a slave to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as a gift. His name was Mid‘am. One day, while Mid‘am was unloading the Prophet’s saddle, an arrow struck him and killed him.
People said: “Congratulations to him, Paradise is his.”
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
كلا والذي نفسي بيده إن الشملة التى أخذها يوم خيبر من المغانم لم تصبها المقاسم لتشعل عليه نارا
“By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! The cloak he took on the day of Khaybar from the booty, before it was distributed, is blazing as fire upon him.”
When people heard this, a man brought back one or two shoelaces to the Prophet (ﷺ). He said:
شراك من النار أو شرا كان من النار
“One shoelace or two shoelaces, they too are from the Fire.”
[Bukhari: 4234, Muslim: 115, Muwatta: 459/2, Nasa’i: 24/7, Abu Dawud: 2711, Kitab al-Jihad: Bab fi ta‘zīm al-ghalul]
➡ This proves that even a small act of treachery with booty can lead to a person’s destruction.
❹ Narration of Hazrat Ibn ‘Umar (رضي الله عنهما):
There was a man called Karkarah who was in charge of the Prophet’s belongings. He died. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“He is in the Fire.”
The people went and found that he had hidden a cloak from the war booty.
[Bukhari: 3074, Kitab al-Jihad wa al-Siyar: Bab al-Qalīl min al-Ghulul, Musnad Ahmad: 160/2]
Opinions of Scholars
✔ Imam al-Shawkani (رحمه الله):
These Ahadith prove that treachery is forbidden, whether small or great.
[Nayl al-Awtar: 60/5]
✔ Imam al-Nawawi (رحمه الله):
There is consensus (ijma‘) that treachery is a major sin.
[Sharh Muslim: 458/6]
On the Narrations of Burning the Property of the Treacherous
❀ The narrations that mention burning the property of the treacherous are weak.
❶ Narration of ‘Amr bin Shu‘ayb from his father from his grandfather:
The Prophet (ﷺ), Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه), and ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه) burned the property of a treacherous man.
[Da‘if: Da‘if Abu Dawud: 582, Kitab al-Jihad: Bab fi ‘uqubah al-ghal, Abu Dawud: 2715, Al-Hakim: 131/2, Al-Bayhaqi: 103/9. The chain contains Zuhayr bin Muhammad al-Khurasani, considered majhul. His narrations from the people of Sham are unreliable. Taqrib al-Tahdhib: 264/1, Al-Jarh wa al-Ta‘dil: 589/3, Mizān al-I‘tidal: 84/2]
❷ Narration from Hazrat ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه):
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“Whenever you see a treacherous person, burn his property.”
[Da‘if: Da‘if Abu Dawud: 582, Kitab al-Jihad: Bab fi ‘uqubah al-ghal, Abu Dawud: 2713, Musnad Ahmad: 22/1, Tirmidhi: 1461, Al-Hakim: 127/2, Al-Bayhaqi: 102/9. The chain contains Salih bin Muhammad bin Zaydah, declared munkar al-hadith by Imam Bukhari, and weak by Imam Ahmad and Imam al-Daraqutni. See Al-Majruhin: 367/1, Al-Jarh wa al-Ta‘dil: 411/4, Mizān al-I‘tidal: 299/2, Taqrib al-Tahdhib: 362/1. Shaykh Subhi Hasan Talaq said this Hadith is weak. Al-Ta‘liq ‘ala al-Rawdah al-Nadiyyah: 747/2]
✔ Imam al-Bukhari (رحمه الله):
“Our companions usually cite this Hadith as evidence regarding treachery, but it is baseless and not authentic.”
[Fath al-Bari: 304/6]
Summary:- Treachery in war booty (ghulul) is a major sin according to Qur’an, Sunnah, and scholarly consensus.
- Even small items taken unjustly can lead to Hellfire.
- Reports about burning the property of the treacherous are weak and unreliable.
