37/28. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 4115 — Fighting for Blind Group Loyalty
Seriousness of Fighting for a Cause that is Not Clear
Tribalism in Islam: Fighting Under an Unclear Banner
Sunan an-Nasai : 4115
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4115
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عِمْرَانُ الْقَطَّانُ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي مِجْلَزٍ، عَنْ جُنْدُبِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَنْ قَاتَلَ تَحْتَ رَايَةٍ عُمِّيَّةٍ يُقَاتِلُ عَصَبِيَّةً وَيَغْضَبُ لِعَصَبِيَّةٍ فَقِتْلَتُهُ جَاهِلِيَّةٌ " . قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عِمْرَانُ الْقَطَّانُ لَيْسَ بِالْقَوِيِّ .
Jundab bin `Abdullah Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: 'Whoever fights for a cause that is not clear, advocating tribalism, getting angry for the sake of tribalism, then he has died a death of Jahiliyyah.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4115In-book reference : Book 37, Hadith 150English translation : Vol. 5, Book 37, Hadith 4120
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4115
This hadith focuses on fighting for a cause that is unclear and driven by tribalism. The Prophet describes a person who fights because of group loyalty and becomes angry for that same loyalty. If the person is killed in such fighting, the death is described as a death of Jahiliyyah. The warning is not about healthy family care or ordinary community ties. The text targets blind partisanship that pushes someone into violence without a clear and right cause. The hadith about tribalism in Islam asks a person to examine why he is angry and why he is fighting. Group identity must not replace moral judgment or turn loyalty into bloodshed.
What we learn from this hadith
- Fighting under an unclear cause is strongly warned against.
- Blind tribal loyalty must not drive violence.
- Anger for one's group can lead to conduct associated with Jahiliyyah.
- A person should examine the cause and motive behind conflict.
