the ones sitting back are not sinful while others are striving. Allah the Exalted also said: {It is not for the believers to go forth altogether. So why should there not be a group from every division of them to gain understanding of the religion?} (8). Furthermore, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to send out detachments while he and the rest of his companions remained behind. As for the verse they cited as evidence, Ibn Abbas said: It was abrogated by His saying, the Exalted: {It is not for the believers to go forth altogether}. This was narrated by Al-Athram and Abu Dawud (9). It is possible that he (Ibn Abbas) meant the time when the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) called them forth for the Battle of Tabuk, at which point their response was obligatory upon them; this is why the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) shunned Ka'b ibn Malik and his companions who were left behind, until Allah accepted their repentance thereafter (11). Likewise, it is obligatory upon whomsoever the Imam calls forth, due to the saying of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): "If you are called to arms, then go forth." This is agreed upon (12). The meaning of sufficiency (kifayah) in Jihad is that there arises for Jihad
(8) Surah At-Tawbah, 122. The phrase {to gain understanding} did not appear in the original text. (9) Narrated by Abu Dawud in: The Chapter on the Abrogation of the General Call to Arms by the Specific One, from the Book of Jihad. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/10. (10) In [A] and [M] there is an addition: "if". (11) Narrated by Al-Bukhari in: The Chapter on the Hadith of Ka'b ibn Malik... from the Book of Military Expeditions; and in the chapters: {Allah has accepted the repentance of the Prophet...}, and {And [He accepted the repentance of] the three who were left behind...} in the exegesis of Surah Bara'ah, from the Book of Exegesis; and in: The Chapter on Giving One's Wealth as a Form of Repentance and Vow, from the Book of Oaths. Sahih Al-Bukhari 6/3-9, 87, 88, 8/175. Also by Muslim in: The Chapter on the Hadith of the Repentance of Ka'b ibn Malik, from the Book of Repentance. Sahih Muslim 4/2120-2129. By Al-Nasa'i in: The Chapter on the Concession to Sit [in the Mosque] and Leave Without Prayer, from the Book of Mosques. Al-Mujtaba 2/42, 43. By Imam Ahmad in: Al-Musnad 2/456. By Abd al-Razzaq in: The Chapter on the Hadith of the Three Who Were Left Behind, from the Book of Jihad. Al-Musannaf 5/397-405. And by Ibn Abi Shaybah in: The Chapter on What Abu Bakr Preserved regarding the Battle of Tabuk, from the Book of Military Expeditions. Al-Musannaf 14/540-545. (12) Narrated by Al-Bukhari in: The Chapter on the Unlawfulness of Fighting in Mecca, from the Book of the Restricted and the Penalty of Hunting; and in: The Chapter on the Virtue of Jihad, the Chapter on the Obligation of the General Call to Arms..., and the Chapter on No Hijrah After the Conquest, from the Book of Jihad; and in: The Chapter on the Sin of the Treacherous Against the Pious and the Wicked, from the Book of Jizya. Sahih Al-Bukhari 3/18, 4/18, 28, 92, 127. Also by Muslim in: The Chapter on the Sanctity of Mecca, its Hunting, and its Plants..., from the Book of Hajj; and in: The Chapter on Pledging Allegiance After the Conquest of Mecca to Islam..., from the Book of Leadership. Sahih Muslim 2/986, 3/1487. It was also narrated by Abu Dawud in: The Chapter on Hijrah: Has it Ceased?, from the Book of Jihad. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/4. By Al-Tirmidhi in: The Chapter on What Has Been Said Concerning Hijrah, from the Chapters of Expeditions. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 7/88. By Al-Nasa'i in: The Chapter on the Mention of the Disagreement Concerning the Cessation of Hijrah, from the Book of Allegiance. Al-Mujtaba 7/131. By Ibn Majah in: The Chapter on Going Forth for the General Call to Arms, from the Book of Jihad. Sunan Ibn Majah 2/926. By Al-Darimi in: The Chapter on No Hijrah After the Conquest, from the Book of Expeditions. Sunan Al-Darimi 2/239. And by Imam Ahmad in: Al-Musnad 1/226, 266, 316, 355, 3/401, 6/466.
