The Prophet's Guidance in Jihad — The Ghazwat and Military Expeditions

Ibn al-Qayyim devotes considerable attention to the Prophet's ﷺ guidance in jihad, which he presents not merely as a military doctrine but as a comprehensive code governing the conduct of warfare, the treatment of combatants and non-combatants, and the moral and spiritual dimensions of fighting in the way of Allah. He begins by enumerating the major expeditions and providing context for each.

The Prophet ﷺ personally led twenty-seven military campaigns (ghazwat) and dispatched approximately forty-seven expeditions (saraya and bu'uth) led by his companions. He fought personally in nine of these, according to the most reliable count. The first expedition was dispatched seven months after the Hijra, and the major campaigns included Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, the Conquest of Makkah, Hunayn, and Tabuk.

His guidance before battle included making a thorough assessment of the enemy, consulting his commanders, employing spies and scouts, sending emissaries with the call to Islam before combat, and making supplication. He never launched a surprise attack on a people at night without first calling them to Islam. His famous instruction was: 'Do not wish to meet the enemy, but ask Allah for safety; and if you meet them, be patient and steadfast.'

In warfare itself, his guidance was to prohibit the killing of women, children, the elderly, monks in their monasteries, and those who posed no threat. He prohibited the mutilation of bodies, the burning of trees, and the destruction of civilian property beyond what was necessitated by the campaign. He would say: 'March forth in the name of Allah, in the cause of Allah, fighting those who disbelieve in Allah. Do not be treacherous, do not be excessive, do not mutilate, and do not kill children.'

Regarding the division of spoils (ghanimah), the Prophet ﷺ established that one-fifth goes to Allah and His Messenger (for the public treasury and specified categories), and the remaining four-fifths are divided among the fighters — with a horseman receiving three shares (two for the horse, one for himself) and a foot soldier one share. He was meticulous about this division, personally accounting for all spoils before distribution.

Ibn al-Qayyim also discusses the Prophet's ﷺ treatment of prisoners of war, noting that the options available included release without ransom, release with ransom, exchange for Muslim prisoners, enslavement, or execution in cases of extreme treachery. The Prophet ﷺ generally inclined toward pardon and release, as demonstrated after the Conquest of Makkah when he declared a general amnesty for his former persecutors, saying: 'Go, you are free.'

The chapter also covers the conduct of siege warfare, the rules governing truces and peace treaties, and the Prophet's ﷺ correspondence with kings and rulers, calling them to Islam — demonstrating that jihad in his methodology was always preceded by invitation, never by aggression without justification.