whenever it is presented and they occupy themselves with it, a share is granted to them, because they are in the position of others regarding Jihad, and they only occupy themselves with other things when they have finished with it.
Section: If a group that lacks protection (man'a) enters enemy territory without the permission of the Imam and takes spoils, there are three narrations from Ahmad regarding this. The first is that their spoils are like the spoils of others; the Imam takes a fifth (khums) and divides the remainder among them. This is the opinion of the majority of scholars, including al-Shafi'i, due to the generality of His, the Almighty's, saying: "And know that anything of booty that you take, indeed for Allah is its fifth" (28), and the analogy to when they enter with the permission of the Imam. The second is that it belongs to them without being subject to the fifth. This is the opinion of Abu Hanifah, because it is permissible acquisition without Jihad, so it belongs to them, resembling gathering firewood (30), for Jihad is only truly through the permission of the Imam or a group that possesses protection and power; as for this, it is banditry, theft, and mere acquisition. The third is that they have no right to it. Ahmad said regarding a slave who fled to the Romans and then returned with goods: The slave belongs to his master, and the goods and wealth he has with him belong to the Muslims, because they were disobedient in their action, so they had no right to it. The first (31) is more appropriate. Al-Awza'i said: When Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz sent back the army that had been with Maslama, the ship of some of them broke, and the polytheists captured some of the Copts, who became their servants. They went out one day to a festival of theirs, leaving the Copts behind in their ship, and the others got drunk. The Copts raised the sails [while still in the ship] (33) along with the others' goods and weapons. They did not lower the sails until they arrived in Beirut. This was written to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, and Umar wrote back: Give them the sails and everything they brought as a gift (nafal), except for the fifth. Sa'id and al-Athram narrated it (34). And if the group possesses protection,
(27) Omitted from: (B). (28) Surah al-Anfal 41. (29) In (A), (B), and (M): "ashbaha" (it resembled). (30) In (A) and (B): "ka-al-ihtitab" (like the gathering of firewood). (31) In (A): "wa-al-awwal" (and the first). (32) In (M): "kana" (was). (33) Omitted from: the original. (34) Recorded by Sa'id, in: The Chapter on What is Subject to the Fifth from Spoils (Nafal), from the Book of Jihad. Al-Sunan 2/264.
