On the Way to Badr: Two Principles of Islamic Ethics

Dr. Yasir Qadhi relates two peripheral incidents from the lead-up to the Battle of Badr, each carrying a principle with lasting relevance.

❧Incident 1: Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān: A Promise Must Be Kept

Background: Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) and his father al-Yamān ibn al-Ḥakam were an unusual case among the early Muslims. Al-Yamān was originally from the Banū ʿAbs tribe, not from Makkah or Madīnah. He had killed a man among his own people, fled the blood-vengeance, and settled in Madīnah, where he was adopted by the Anṣār. He embraced Islam and his son Ḥudhayfah was raised in Madīnah. They were therefore, as the speaker says, 'neither Qurashī Muhājirūn nor Aws or Khazraj Anṣār in the traditional sense', they were Muslims of Madīnah through adoption.

The Capture: Some months before Badr, Ḥudhayfah and his father were captured by the Quraish while traveling. The Quraish had no particular grudge against them, they were not prominent figures in the Makkah–Madīnah conflict. So one of the Quraish offered a pragmatic deal: 'We will not kill you, on the condition that you promise never to fight against us alongside Muḥammad.' Father and son gave their word and were released.

The Prophet's ﷺ Decision: When they returned to Madīnah and informed the Prophet ﷺ of the promise, he said: 'Go back, we will fulfill your promise to them, and we will seek Allāh's help against them.' He did not allow either of them to participate in Badr or any subsequent offensive battle against the Quraish.

The principle: al-Muslimūna ʿalā shurūṭihim, 'Muslims are bound by their conditions and agreements.' This is a ḥadīth. The Qurʾānic command: Yā ayyuhā lladhīna āmanū awfū bil-ʿuqūd, 'O you who believe, fulfill your covenants' (Q 5:1).

The promise was extracted under duress, they were about to be killed. They could have argued later that a coerced promise is not binding. Yet neither Ḥudhayfah nor his father sought to do so, and the Prophet ﷺ honored the promise completely. Even sitting out the most historically significant battle in early Islamic history was not enough justification to break a sworn word.

Modern Application: The speaker applies this directly to civic obligations: a Muslim who holds a visa, a residency permit, or citizenship has made explicit or implicit agreements about conduct. These are legally binding conditions. One cannot take an oath of citizenship and then act contrary to that oath. If one is unwilling to uphold such obligations, one should not take them. Al-Muslimūna ʿalā shurūṭihim. The speaker notes he has addressed the specific contemporary implications more explicitly in dedicated talks.

❧Incident 2: The Pagan Who Wanted to Join for the Booty

As the Muslim army was departing Madīnah, a man who was still a pagan (mushrik), known for his physical courage and fighting skill, rode up to the Prophet ﷺ and asked to join the expedition. His motivation was explicit: the Ghanīmah (war booty). The Companions were pleased to see him, valuing his fighting ability.

The Prophet ﷺ asked him: 'Do you testify that there is no god but Allāh and that I am His Messenger?' He said no, he was still a mushrik. The Prophet ﷺ replied:

إِنَّا لَا نَسْتَعِينُ بِمُشْرِكٍ (Innā lā nastaʿīnu bi-mushrik), 'We do not seek help from those who associate partners with Allāh.'

The man went away. Then returned an hour later (presumably the thought of 1,000 camels was difficult to abandon). Same question, same answer, same response. He went away again. Then returned a third time, and this time said: 'Ashhadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh wa-ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlullāh.' He accepted Islam. He was then allowed to join.

❧The Fiqh Controversy: Can One Seek Military Help from Non-Muslims?

This ḥadīth (innā lā nastaʿīnu bi-mushrik) has been cited in major political and military controversies, including Gulf War 1 and Gulf War 2, where the question arose whether Muslim governments could invite non-Muslim military forces to assist them.

The four Madhāhib differ:

- Some hold: categorically prohibited, you may never seek military assistance from non-Muslims.

- Others (including Imam al-Nawawī in his Sharḥ of Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim) hold: the general rule is non-permissibility, but exceptions exist, evidenced by the Prophet's ﷺ own actions:

1. He sought the help of ʿAbdullāh ibn Urayqiṭ (a non-Muslim at the time) as his guide during the Hijra, entrusting his life and that of Abū Bakr to this man, with a 100-camel bounty on his head.

2. He sought the Jiwār (formal protection/sanctuary) of Muṭʿim ibn ʿAdī (a pagan) to re-enter Makkah after being rejected at Ṭāʾif.

Imam al-Nawawī's condition for the exception: if the non-Muslim has a genuinely good opinion of Islam, can be trusted, and the situation necessitates it, then seeking their assistance is permissible.

The speaker's position: this is an ijtihādī issue requiring case-by-case assessment. When such situations arise, the scholars of the relevant land and context must deliberate together and issue a ruling suited to the specific circumstances. He declines to rule on specific modern political applications here, having addressed them in dedicated lectures.