If they hold prisoners from the people of justice and provide hostages from among themselves, the Imam shall accept them and seek to gain the advantage for the Muslims. If they release the Muslim prisoners who are with them, their hostages are released; but if they kill those who are with them, it is not permissible to kill their hostages, for they are not to be killed for the killing of others. Once the war ends, he releases the hostages, just as the prisoners among them are released.

If the Imam fears that the just faction is too weak to handle them, he shall delay fighting them until he gains the power to do so, for one cannot be certain against annihilation and extermination; thus, he delays them until the might of the people of justice is strengthened, then he fights them. If they ask him to grant them a permanent respite, to leave them to their current state, and to refrain from fighting the Muslims, one must consider: if he does not know his power over them and fears their overpowering him if he fights them, he leaves them. If he is stronger than them, it is not permissible to confirm them in that, for it is not permitted for some of the Muslims to abandon obedience to the Imam, nor can one feel secure against the strength of their might, such that it leads to the Imam of justice and those with him being overpowered.

Furthermore, if it is possible to repel them without killing, it is not permissible to kill them, because the objective is to repel them [not to kill them], and because if the objective is achieved without killing, killing is not permissible without necessity. If someone is with them who does not fight, it is not permissible to kill him. The companions of Al-Shafi'i said: There is another view, which is that it is permissible, because Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) forbade his companions from killing Muhammad ibn Talha, known as al-Sajjad (the Prostrator), and said: "Beware of the man in the burnus (woolen hooded cloak)." A man killed him and composed the following lines:

And an ash'ath (disheveled) man, constant in reciting the verses of his Lord, Little of harm, as far as the eye can see, a Muslim. I tore with my spear the pocket of his garment, So he fell down, struck in his hands and his mouth. For no reason other than that he was not following Ali, and whoever does not follow the truth commits injustice. He pleaded with me by "Ha-Mim" while the spear was fixed, Would that he had recited "Ha-Mim" before the advancement.

Al-Sajjad was the standard-bearer for his father and was not fighting, yet Ali did not censure his killing, for he had become a source of support.