‘Uthmān ash-Shahhām and Farqad as-Sabakhi asked Muslim, the son of the noble Companion Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him): Had he heard a Hadīth from his father about the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) regarding trials and fighting among Muslims? He replied: Yes. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that there will be trials after his death. In these trials, the one who sits and remains uninvolved is better than the one who walks towards them without waiting for them or searching for them, and the one who walks is better than the one who hastens towards them, searching for them and participating in them. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) then advised anyone living in a time or place where a trial happens or occurs, that if he can find a refuge to withdraw to, he should do so. Whoever has camels grazing should retreat to his camels, whoever has sheep grazing should retreat to his sheep, and whoever has land or a farm should retreat to his land. A man said: O Messenger of Allah, what about the one who has no refuge, neither camels, nor sheep, nor land? He said: Let him take his weapon, break it, and render it useless. Then let him flee to save himself and his children, if he can escape. Then he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) testified three times, saying: O Allah, have I conveyed (the message)? O Allah, have I conveyed (the message)? O Allah, have I conveyed (the message)? A man said: O Messenger of Allah, what if I am forced to join one of the two sides or groups, and a man strikes me with his sword, or an arrow comes and kills me? He said: He will bear his sin and the sin of the one he killed and, on the Day of Judgment, he will be from the dwellers of Hellfire.
- Informing about the occurrence of trials is meant to warn against them, so that people may prepare themselves, avoid getting involved, and ask Allah for patience and safety from their evil.
- An-Nawawi said: His statement (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): (The one sitting among them is better than the one standing) and so on, means to highlight the great danger of these trials, to encourage avoiding and fleeing from them, and that their harm and turmoil will be proportionate to one's involvement in them.
- An-Nawawi said: The sin is lifted from the one who is coerced into being present there. However, killing is not permitted under coercion; rather, the one who is coerced to commit the act of killing bears the sin by the consensus of scholars.
- Ibn Hajar said: Others said: If a group rebels against the ruler, refusing to fulfill their obligations and initiating war, then fighting them becomes obligatory. Similarly, if two groups of Muslims fight each other, it is incumbent upon anyone capable of restraining the wrongdoer and supporting the one on the right. This is the view of the majority of scholars. Others have provided an elaboration, stating: Any fighting between two groups of Muslims in the absence of a unified ruler for the community is prohibited. The Hadīths related to this matter and others should be applied in this context.
- An-Nawawi said: Scholars have differed regarding fighting during times of trials. One group stated: One should not fight in such times when there are trials among Muslims, even if others enter his home and seek to kill him; defending oneself is not permissible because the aggressor might be acting based on an interpretation. This was the view of the Companion Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) and others. Ibn ‘Umar, ‘Imrān ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them), and others said: One should not participate in the Fitnah (trial) but may defend himself if directly attacked. These two views agree on avoiding involvement in all the trials of Islam. However, the majority of the Companions, the Tābi‘is, and the majority of the Muslim scholars said: It is obligatory to support the one on the right during such trials and to fight against the aggressors, as Allah Almighty says: {Fight against the transgressing group until they submit to the rule of Allah}. This is the correct view. The Hadīths forbidding participation are understood to apply to those who are unclear about who is on the right, or to two unjust groups, with neither having a valid justification.
صحيح مسلم (4/ 2212) (2887). النهاية في غريب الحديث والأثر (91). شرح سنن أبي داود للعباد (478/ 3).