The Companions of the Prophet - may Allah bless him and grant him peace - continued to engage in dueling during the era of the Prophet - may Allah bless him and grant him peace - and after him, and no one denied it; thus, it became a consensus. Abu Dharr used to swear that the saying of the Almighty: {These two are adversaries who have disputed over their Lord} (11) was revealed regarding those who dueled on the day of Badr, who were Hamza, Ali, and Ubayda; they dueled with Utba, Shayba, and Al-Walid ibn Utba (12). Abu Qatada said: I dueled with a man on the day of Hunayn and killed him (13). Once this is established, it is appropriate that the commander be asked for permission for the duel if possible. This is the opinion of Al-Thawri and Ishaq, while Malik, Al-Shafi'i, and Ibn al-Mundhir permitted it [without express permission], due to the report of Abu Qatada, for it is not known that he sought the permission of the Prophet - may Allah bless him and grant him peace - and likewise, most of those from whom we have narrated accounts of dueling, no seeking of permission is known from them. Our argument is that the Imam is more knowledgeable about his cavalry and the cavalry of the enemy (14), and when a person steps out to face someone they cannot handle, they are exposing themselves to destruction, which breaks the hearts of the Muslims; therefore, it is appropriate that this be delegated to the Imam so that he may choose for the duel whomever he is pleased with, which would be closer to victory, bolstering the hearts of the Muslims, and breaking the hearts of the polytheists. If it is said: You have permitted him to plunge into the ranks of the disbelievers, which is a cause for his death, we say: When he is a duelist, the hearts of the army are attached to him, and they await his victory; if he is victorious, it strengthens their hearts and gladdens them while breaking the hearts of the disbelievers, and if he is killed, the opposite is true. As for the one who plunges into the ranks, he is seeking martyrdom and no victory or resistance is expected from him, so they are different. As for the duel of Abu Qatada, it is not binding because it occurred after the engagement of battle; he saw a man wanting to kill a Muslim, so he struck him, and the man turned towards Abu Qatada and embraced him in a grip that nearly killed him. This is not the dueling about which there is a difference of opinion; rather, the disagreement concerns when a man steps out between the two lines before the engagement of battle, calling for a duel. This is what requires the Imam's permission, because the eyes of both groups are fixed upon them, and the hearts of both parties are attached to them; whichever of them overcomes, he gladdens his companions and breaks the hearts of his enemies, unlike anyone else.