"Whoever wishes, let him seize it." It was narrated by Abū Dāwūd (3). This follows the same manner as nithār (scattering). It has been narrated that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was invited to a feast of a man from the Anṣār, then they were brought something to be looted (nahb), so it was looted upon him. The narrator said: I looked at the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) jostling with the people and grabbing handfuls (4) of it. I said: "O Messenger of Allah, have you not forbidden us from looting (nuhbā)?" He said: "I forbade you from the looting of the armies (5)." And because it is a type of permissibility, it resembles the permissibility of food for guests. Our evidence [for the opposing view] is what was narrated from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), that he said: "Looting (nuhbā) and mutilation (muthlah) are not permissible." Narrated by al-Bukhārī (7). In another wording, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) forbade looting and mutilation. And because it involves looting, jostling, and fighting, and perhaps someone takes it whom the owner of the nithār dislikes due to his greed, gluttony, and the baseness of his soul, while someone whom the owner likes is deprived of it due to his dignity, self-restraint, and protection of his honor. This is the common case, for people of dignity protect themselves from jostling with the lowest of people over some food or otherwise. Also, because there is baseness in this, and Allah loves matters of high standing and dislikes the trivialities thereof. As for the report of the camels, it is possible that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) knew there was no looting involved in that due to the abundance of meat and the small number of those taking it, or he did that because he was too occupied with the rites of pilgrimage to distribute it. In sum, the disagreement is only regarding the dislike (karāhiyyah) of that, but as for its permissibility (8), there is no disagreement regarding it, nor regarding picking it up, because it is a type of permission for his wealth, so it resembles other forms of permissibility.
(3) Its verification has preceded in: 5/301. (4) In B and M: "or similar to it". (5) Al-Ṭaḥāwī narrated the like of it in: The Chapter on Looting What is Scattered Among the People... from the Book of Marriage. Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār 3/50. (6) In A: "al-nuhbah". (7) In: The Chapter on Prohibition Without the Owner's Permission, from the Book of Grievances (Maẓālim), and in: The Chapter on What is Disliked Regarding Mutilation, Bound Prey (Maṣbūrah), and Staked Animals (Mujaththamah), from the Book of Slaughtering. Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3/178, 7/122. It was also narrated by Abū Dāwūd in: The Chapter on the Prohibition of Looting... from the Book of Jihād. Sunan Abī Dāwūd 2/60. And al-Nasāʾī in: The Chapter on Plucking, from the Book of Adornment. al-Mujtabā 8/123. And Ibn Mājah in: The Book of Prohibition of Looting, from the Book of Fitnah. Sunan Ibn Mājah 2/1299. And al-Dārimī in: The Book of What is Not Eaten of Predators, and the Chapter on the Prohibition of Looting, from the Book of Sacrifices. Sunan al-Dārimī 2/85, 88. And Imām Aḥmad in: al-Musnad 2/325, 3/140, 323, 4/117, 134, 135, 194, 307, 5/193, 195, 6/445. (8) In the original: "al-ibāḥah" (the permission).
"مَنْ شَاءَ اقْتَطعَ". رواه أبو داودَ (٣). وهذا جارٍ مَجْرَى النِّثارِ، وقد رُوِىَ أَنَّ النَّبِىَّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- دُعِىَ إلى وَلِيمةِ رجلٍ مِن الأنصارِ، ثمْ أُتُوا بنَهْبٍ فأُنهِبَ عليه. قال الرَّاوى: ونظرتُ إلى رسولِ اللَّهِ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- يُزَاحِمُ النَّاسَ ويَحْثُو (٤) ذلك. قلتُ: يا رسولَ اللَّهِ، أو مَا نَهَيْتَنا عن النُّهْبَةِ؟ فال: "نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْ نُهْبَةِ الْعَسَاكِرِ" (٥). ولأنَّه نوعُ إباحةٍ فأشبَهَ إباحةَ الطَّعامِ للضِّيفَانِ. ولَنا، ما رُوِىَ عن النَّبِىِّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-، أنَّه قال: "لَا تَحِلُّ النُّهْبَى (٦) وَالْمُثْلَةُ". روَاه البُخارِىُّ (٧). وفى لفظٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِىَّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- نَهَى عن النُّهْبَى وَالْمُثلَةِ. ولأنَّ فيه نَهْبًا، وتَزاحُما، وقِتالًا، ورُبَّما أخَذَه مَن يَكْرَهُ صاحِبُ النِّثارِ، لحِرْصِه وشَرَهِه ودَناءةِ نفْسِه، ويُحْرَمُه مَن يُحِبُّ صاحبُه؛ لمُروءتِه وصِيَانةِ نفسِه وعِرْضِه، والغَالِبُ هذا، فإنَّ أهلَ المُروآتِ يصُونونَ أنفسَهُمْ عن مُزَاحمةِ سَفِلَةِ النَّاسِ على شىءٍ مِن الطَّعامِ أو غيرِه، ولأنَّ فى هذا دَناءةً، واللَّه يحبُّ مَعالِىَ الأمورِ، ويَكْرَهُ سَفْسَافَها. فأمَّا خبرُ البَدَنَاتِ؛ فيَحْتَمِلُ أَنَّ النَّبىَّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- علمَ أنَّه لا نُهْبةَ فى ذلك؛ لكَثْرةِ اللَّحْمِ، وقِلَّةِ الآخذِيْنَ، أو فعَلَ ذلك لاشْتغالِه بالمَناسِك عن تَفْريقِها. وفى الجملةِ، فالخلافُ إنَّما هو فى كَراهِيَةِ ذلك، وأمَّا إباحتُه (٨) فلا خلافَ فيها، ولا فى الالْتِقاطِ؛ لأنَّه نَوْعُ إباحةٍ لمالِه، فأشْبَهَ سائرَ الإِباحاتِ.
(٣) تقدم تخريجه فى: ٥/ ٣٠١.(٤) فى ب، م: "أو نحو".(٥) أخرج نحوه الطحاوى، فى: باب انتهاب ما ينثر على القوم. . .، من كتاب النكاح. شرح معانى الآثار ٣/ ٥٠.(٦) فى أ: "النهبة".(٧) فى: باب النهى بغير إذن صاحبه، من كتاب المظالم، وفى: باب ما يكره من المثلة والمصبورة والمجثمة، من كتاب الذبائح. صحيح البخارى ٣/ ١٧٨، ٧/ ١٢٢.كما أخرجه، أبو داود، فى: باب فى النهى عن النهبى. . .، من كتاب الجهاد. سنن أبى داود ٢/ ٦٠. والنسائى، فى: باب النتف، من كتاب الزينة. المجتبى ٨/ ١٢٣. وابن ماجه، فى: كتاب النهى عن النهبة، من كتاب الفتن. سنن ابن ماجه ٢/ ١٢٩٩. والدارمى، فى: كتاب ما لا يؤكل من السباع، وباب النهى عن النهبة، من كتاب الأضاحى. سنن الدارمى ٢/ ٨٥، ٨٨. والإمام أحمد، فى: المسند ٢/ ٣٢٥، ٣/ ١٤٠، ٣٢٣، ٤/ ١١٧، ١٣٤، ١٣٥، ١٩٤، ٣٠٧، ٥/ ١٩٣، ١٩٥، ٦/ ٤٤٥.(٨) فى الأصل: "الإباحة".
