32/12. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1750c — Spoils of War and Khums
Spoils of War
Hadith About Spoils of War and the Rule of Khums
Sahih Muslim : 1750c
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1750c
وَحَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ شُعَيْبِ بْنِ اللَّيْثِ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، عَنْ جَدِّي، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عُقَيْلُ، بْنُ خَالِدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ سَالِمٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَدْ كَانَ يُنَفِّلُ بَعْضَ مَنْ يَبْعَثُ مِنَ السَّرَايَا لأَنْفُسِهِمْ خَاصَّةً سِوَى قَسْمِ عَامَّةِ الْجَيْشِ وَالْخُمْسُ فِي ذَلِكَ وَاجِبٌ كُلِّهِ .
`Abdullah bin `Umar Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to give (from the spoils of war) to small troops seat on expeditions something more than the due share of each fighter in a large force. And Khums (one-fifth of the total spoils) was to be reserved (for Allah and His Apostle) in all cases.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1750cIn-book reference : Book 32, Hadith 46USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 19, Hadith 4337
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1750c
This Hadith about spoils of war explains how the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم dealt with some small expedition groups. The text says that he used to give certain troops something more than the normal share given to each fighter in the larger army. At the same time, the Hadith makes one point very clear: Khums, meaning one-fifth of the total spoils, still had to be reserved in all cases. So the main teaching is balance. Extra reward could be given to a small group because of their specific mission, but the fixed share of Khums was not ignored. The Hadith shows an orderly way of handling war booty, special awards, and the rights connected to public distribution.
What we learn from this hadith
- A small expedition could receive an extra award beyond the general share of the army.
- The one-fifth share, known as Khums, remained required in all cases mentioned here.
- Distribution of spoils was handled with rules, not personal choice alone.
- Special effort could be recognized while still keeping the wider distribution intact.
