Section: The commander should not take along with him anyone who discourages others, which is the one who puts people off from participating in combat, makes them uninterested in going out for it, fighting, and performing Jihad, such as by saying: "The heat or cold is severe, the hardship is great, and there is no guarantee that this army will not be defeated," and similar remarks. Nor should he take along an alarmist, who is the one who says: "The Muslim detachment has perished, they have no reinforcements, they have no capability against the disbelievers, and the disbelievers have power, reinforcements, and endurance, and no one can stand against them," and the like. Nor [should he take] anyone who aids the disbelievers by spying for them, informing them of the vulnerable points of the Muslims, corresponding with them regarding their news, guiding them to their weaknesses, or sheltering their spies. Nor [should he take] anyone who sows enmity between the Muslims and strives to spread corruption, because of the saying of Allah the Exalted: {But Allah disliked their being sent forth, so He kept them back, and it was said, "Sit with those who sit." If they had gone forth with you, they would not have increased you except in confusion, and they would have hurried about in your midst, seeking [to cause] you fitnah (discord)} [Surah al-Tawbah: 46-47]. This is because these people are a source of harm to the Muslims, so he is obligated to prevent them [from joining]. If one of these people went out with him, he is not to be given a share of the spoils, nor a portion, even if he outwardly supports the Muslims; because it is possible that he displayed this support as a matter of hypocrisy, and evidence of that has already appeared, making him purely a source of harm, so he does not deserve anything from what they have captured. If the commander is one of these people, it is not recommended to go out with him, because if his own participation is prohibited as a follower, it is more strictly prohibited as the one being followed, and because one is not safe from the harm caused by those who accompany him.

1623 - Issue; He said: (And every people shall fight those of the enemy who are adjacent to them)

The basis for this is the saying of Allah the Exalted: {O you who have believed, fight those who are adjacent to you among the disbelievers} [Surah al-Tawbah: 123]. This is because those who are closest are the most harmful, and fighting them serves to ward off their harm from those who are confronting them and from those who are behind them, whereas busying oneself with the distant enemy enables the nearby enemy to seize the opportunity against the Muslims while they are occupied elsewhere.