Can the example of Abu Basir & Abu Jandal be used to justify guerilla warfare & sabotage by Muslims today?

The story of Abu Basir and Abu Jandal is often quoted by extremists and twisted to justify carrying out criminal acts like the murder and theft of civilians in non-Muslim countries. Such acts are recommended in The Declaration of the World Islamic Front for Jihad on Jews and Crusaders (بيان الجبهة الإسلامية العالمية لجهاد اليهود والصليبيين) published in 1998 and attributed to the then leaders of Al-Qaeda. The extremist argument is based on the notion that Muslims living outside of the territory of Islam do not owe a duty of trust to the non-Muslims amongst whom they live.

Abu Jandal was a young Muslim held captive by his father, Suhayl, who, on behalf of the pagan Arabs of Quraysh, negotiated the terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiyah with the Prophet (P) in 6 AH/628 CE. The following excerpt from Musnad Ahmad (no. 18928) includes an account of the negotiations and of the escape of Abu Basir from captivity at the hands of the pagans of Mecca, and of how he was later joined by Abu Jandal (N.B. an English translation follows the Arabic text):

عن المسور بن مخرمة ومروان بن الحكم، يصدق كل واحد منهما حديث صاحبه، قالا: خرج رسول الله صلعم زمان الحديبية في بضع عشرة مائة من أصحابه. [...] فجاء سهيل بن عمرو، فقال: هات اكتب بيننا وبينكم كتابا. فدعا الكاتب، فقال رسول الله صلعم: "اكتب بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم" فقال سهيل: أما الرحمن، فوالله ما أدري ما هو، [...] ولكن اكتب باسمك اللهم كما كنت تكتب. فقال المسلمون: والله ما نكتبها إلا بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، فقال النبي صلعم: "اكتب باسمك اللهم،" ثم قال: "هذا ما قاضى عليه محمد رسول الله" فقال سهيل: والله لو كنا نعلم أنك رسول الله، ما صددناك عن البيت ولا قاتلناك، ولكن اكتب محمد بن عبد الله، فقال النبي صلعم: "والله إني لرسول الله وإن كذبتموني، اكتب محمد بن عبد الله." [...] فقال النبي صلعم: "على أن تخلوا بيننا وبين البيت فنطوف به" فقال سهيل: والله لا تتحدث العرب أنا أخذنا ضغطة، ولكن لك من العام المقبل. فكتب، فقال سهيل: على أنه لا يأتيك منا رجل، وإن كان على دينك، إلا رددته إلينا. فقال المسلمون: سبحان الله، كيف يرد إلى المشركين وقد جاء مسلما؟ فبينا هم كذلك، إذ جاء أبو جندل بن سهيل بن عمرو يرسف، [...] وقد خرج من أسفل مكة حتى رمى بنفسه بين أظهر المسلمين. فقال سهيل: هذا يا محمد، أول ما أقاضيك عليه أن ترده إلي. فقال رسول الله صلعم: "إنا لم نقض الكتاب بعد" قال: فوالله إذا لا نصالحك على شيء أبدا. فقال النبي صلعم: "فأجزه لي" قال: ما أنا بمجيزه لك. قال: "بلى، فافعل" قال: ما أنا بفاعل. [...] فقال أبو جندل: أي معاشر المسلمين، أرد إلى المشركين وقد جئت مسلما، ألا ترون ما قد لقيت؟ وكان قد عذب عذابا شديدا في الله. فقال عمر رضي الله عنه: فأتيت النبي صلعم فقلت: ألست نبي الله؟ قال: "بلى!" قلت: ألسنا على الحق وعدونا على الباطل؟ قال: "بلى!" قال: قلت: فلم نعطي الدنية في ديننا إذا؟ قال: "إني رسول الله، ولست أعصيه، وهو ناصري." قلت: أولست كنت تحدثنا أنا سنأتي البيت فنطوف به؟ قال: "بلى!" قال: "أفأخبرتك أنك تأتيه العام؟" قلت: لا. قال: "فإنك آتيه، ومتطوف به." [...] ثم رجع إلى المدينة، فجاءه أبو بصير، رجل من قريش، وهو مسلم، [...] فاستأجر الأخنس بن شريق رجلا كافرا من بني عامر بن لؤي ومولى معه، وكتب معهما إلى رسول الله صلعم يسأله الوفاء فأرسلوا في طلبه رجلين، فقالوا: العهد الذي جعلت لنا فيه. فدفعه إلى الرجلين، فخرجا به حتى بلغا به ذا الحليفة، فنزلوا يأكلون من تمر لهم، فقال أبو بصير لأحد الرجلين: والله إني لأرى سيفك يا فلان هذا جيدا. فاستله الآخر، فقال: أجل والله إنه لجيد، لقد جربت به، ثم جربت. فقال أبو بصير: أرني أنظر إليه. فأمكنه منه، فضربه به حتى برد، وفر الآخر حتى أتى المدينة، فدخل المسجد يعدو، فقال رسول الله صلعم: "لقد رأى هذا ذعرا." فلما انتهى إلى النبي صلعم قال: قتل والله صاحبي، وإني لمقتول. فجاء أبو بصير، فقال: يا نبي الله، قد والله أوفى الله ذمتك قد رددتني إليهم، ثم أنجاني الله منهم. فقال النبي صلعم: "ويل أمه مسعر حرب لو كان له أحد." فلما سمع ذلك عرف أنه سيرده إليهم، فخرج حتى أتى سيف البحر، قال: وينفلت أبو جندل بن سهيل، فلحق بأبي بصير، فجعل لا يخرج من قريش رجل قد أسلم إلا لحق بأبي بصير حتى اجتمعت منهم عصابة، قال: فوالله ما يسمعون بعير خرجت لقريش إلى الشام إلا اعترضوا لها، فقتلوهم، وأخذوا أموالهم. فأرسلت قريش إلى النبي صلعم تناشده الله والرحم لما أرسل إليهم، فمن أتاه فهو آمن، فأرسل النبي صلعم إليهم، فأنزل الله عز وجل {وهو الذي كف أيديهم عنكم وأيديكم عنهم} حتى بلغ {حمية الجاهلية}، وكانت حميتهم أنهم لم يقروا أنه نبي الله، ولم يقروا ببسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، وحالوا بينه وبين البيت.

Al-Miswar ibn Makhramah and Marwan ibn al-Hakam, each of them corroborating the statement of his companion, said: God's Messenger (PBUH) went forth at the time of al-Hudaybiyah with some ten hundred of his Companions. [...] Suhayl ibn 'Amr came and said: “Come, write an agreement between us and you.” So he called a scribe, and God's Messenger (PBUH) said: “Write, 'In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful'.” Suhayl said: “As for the 'Merciful', by God, I know not what he is, […] rather write 'In Your name, O God,' as you used to.” The Muslims said: “By God, we will not write except, ' In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful'.” So the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Write 'In Your name, O God'.” Then he said: “This is what has been decided on by Muhammad, the Messenger of God.” So Suhayl said: “By God, if we knew that you were the Messenger of God, we would not block your way to the House, nor would we fight you. Rather write 'Muhammad ibn Abdullah'.” So the Prophet (PBUH) said: “By God, I am certainly God's Messenger, and you treat me as a liar. Write 'Muhammad ibn Abdullah'. […] Then the Prophet (PBUH) said: “that you will vacate [the area] between us and the House that we might perform the circumambulation (tawaf) of it.” So Suhayl said: “By God, don't tell the Arabs that we succumbed to pressure; rather you will have next year.” So it was written. Then Suhayl said: “that no man comes to you from us, even if he be of your religion, except you return him to us.” The Muslims said: “Glory be to God! How should he be returned to the idolaters if he has come as a Muslim?” While they were thus [debating], Abu Jandal ibn Suhayl ibn 'Amr came shackled. […] He had left from the lower part of Makkah until he threw himself before the Muslims. Suhayl said: “This, O Muhammad, is the first thing that I call on you to return to me.” God's Messenger (PBUH) said: “We have yet to complete the agreement.” [Suhayl] said: “By God, then we will not enter into a pact with you over anything ever.” So the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Permit him for my sake.” [Suhayl] said: “I  won't permit him for your sake.” He said: “Surely? Do it.” He said: “I'm not doing [it].” […] So Abu Jandal said: “O gathering of Muslims, shall I be returned to the idolaters when I came as a Muslim? Don't you see how I've been treated?” He had been tortured severely due to [his belief] in God. 'Umar (RA) said: “I came to the Prophet (PBUH) and said: 'Are you not the Prophet of God?' He said: “Of course.” I said: 'Aren't we in the right, and our enemy in the wrong?' He said: “Of course.” I said: “So why do we abase our religion?” He said: “I am God's Messenger, I do not disobey Him; and He is my Help.” I said: “Didn't you tell us that we would approach the House and perform the circumambulation of it?” He said: “Of course.” He [added]: “Did I inform you that you would approach it this year?” I said: “No!” He said: “You will approach, and you will perform the circumambulation of it.” […] Then he returned to Madina. And there came Abu Basir, a man of Quraysh who was a Muslim. […] Al-Akhnas ibn Shurayq hired a man from the disbelievers of Banu 'Amir ibn Lu'ayy, and with him a client [of the tribe], and wrote [sending] with them to God's Messenger (PBUH), asking him to be true [to the treaty]; and they sent the two men to fetch him. They said: “The contract that you made for us regards him.” So he sent him towards the two men, who left with him until they reached Dha al-Halifah, where they stopped to eat some of their dates. Abu Basir said to one of the two men: “By God, O so-and-so, I see you have a fine sword.” So the other unsheathed it, saying: “Yes, by God! It is fine. I have tried it and tried it again.” Abu Basir said: “Let me have a look at it.” Then he grabbed it and struck him with it until he was cold, meanwhile the other fled until he reached Madina, and entered the mosque running. God's Messenger (PBUH) said: “This [man] has seen terror.” When he finally reached the Prophet (P), he said: “By God, he killed my companion; and I'm a dead man.” The Abu Basir came up and said: “O Prophet of God, by God, God caused you to be true to your pledge. You returned me to them, then God rescued me from them.” The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Woe to his mother! A right firebrand of war, if ever there was one.” When [Abu Basir] heard that, he knew that he would be returned to them; so he left until he reached Sayf al-Bahr. [Then] Abu Jandal ibn Suhayl escaped and joined Abu Basir. Thus is was that no man who had become a Muslim left Quraysh except he joined Abu Basir, until they became a gang. He said: “By God, they did not hear of a single camel leaving for Syria on behalf of Quraysh except that they confronted it, killing them and seizing their goods.” So Quraysh sent [word] to the Prophet (PBUH) imploring him by God and the ties of kinship to send to them [his agreement that] whoever came to him [thereafter] would be safe. So the Prophet (PBUH) sent them [his agreement]. Then God (be He exalted) revealed (Q. 48:24-26) {It is He Who held back their hands from you and your from them} up to {the bigotry of ignorance}. Their bigotry was that they did not declare him to be the Prophet of God; that they did not begin with “In the name of God, the Compassion-ate, the Merciful”; and that they barred the way between him and the House.

Concerning account, those who twist the story in order to justify brigandage claim that the words “A right firebrand of war, if ever there was one” can be interpreted to mean that the Prophet (PBUH) was signalling covertly to Abu Basir that he had his blessing to engage in guerilla warfare and sabotage behind enemy lines. And they add to this that the expression “Woe to his mother!” is as much one of joy as of sorrow. Indeed, evidence for this latter claim can be found in the qur'anic story of Ibrahim (PBUH), when the angel came to announce that his wife Sarah would bear a child (Q. 11:71-72):

وَامْرَأَتُهُ قَائِمَةٌ فَضَحِكَتْ فَبَشَّرْنَاهَا بِإِسْحَاقَ وَمِنْ وَرَاءِ إِسْحَاقَ يَعْقُوبَ * قَالَتْ يَا وَيْلَتَى أَأَلِدُ وَأَنَا عَجُوزٌ وَهَذَا بَعْلِي شَيْخًا إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَيْءٌ عَجِيبٌ

And his wife was standing, then she laughed, and We gave her the glad tidings of Ishaq and, after Ishaq, of Ya'qub. * She said: “Woe to me! Will I give birth though I am post-menopausal, and this my spouse is an old man? This is indeed a strange thing.”

Based on this sort of interpretation, there are in our Muslim communities those who, although not extremists themselves, nevertheless out of a sense of grievance find it hard to criticise, let alone to condemn, terrorist acts perpetrated by our co-religionists against the White European descendants of the former colonial powers. The more intellectual amongst them may stretch the rules of Islamic jurisprudence in order to contend that, since the Prophet is not reported explicitly to have disapproved of Abu Basir's guerilla force, which Abu Jandal and others joined to target the economic interests of Quraysh, then he (PBUH) must have tacitly approved of the activities of Abu Basir's band which, if they had been carried out within the borders of Dar al-Islam, would have been deemed brigandage, a crime which carries the sternest of all prescribed punishment in the Qur'an:

إِنَّمَا جَزَاءُ الَّذِينَ يُحَارِبُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِي الأَرْضِ فَسَادًا أَنْ يُقَتَّلُوا أَوْ يُصَلَّبُوا أَوْ تُقَطَّعَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُمْ مِنْ خِلافٍ أَوْ يُنْفَوْا مِنَ الأَرْضِ ذَلِكَ لَهُمْ خِزْيٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَلَهُمْ فِي الآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيم

The penalty for those who wage war on God and His Messenger and strive to wreak corruption in the land is to be killed or crucified, or that their hands and feet be cut off on opposite sides, or to be exiled. That is a humiliation for them in this world, and in the Hereafter theirs is a mighty torment.
(Q. 5:33)

However, against this interpretation of the hadith in order to support a desire to use of violence against non-combatants, we have the explicit statement that “When Abu Basir heard that, he knew” that it was the Prophet's (PBUH) intention not to dispatch him to conduct guerilla operations behind enemy lines, but to return him to his captors in Mecca. There is no need to interpret it because the meaning has been made absolutely clear within the text. According to the account, Abu Basir knew the Prophet's (PBUH) mind on this occasion, which was to send him back.

Muslims claim that the Prophet (PBUH) had agreed to one thing in writing whilst implying the opposite through the use of ambiguous words, although they will not admit it, are effectively imputing that he (PBUH) displayed the same tendency to double standards that we criticise in many senior Western politicians. Such people, although they declare that they want peace in the Middle East, continue to offer unflinching support to the Israeli state despite its utter disregard for UN resolutions on the Occupied Territories and its flagrant abuses of military power, which disproportionately harm Palestinian civilians. To demonstrate the fallacy of any suggestion that the Prophet (PBUH) might have said or agreed to one thing whilst meaning another, it is useful to reflect on his parting words in another narration of the same story (Musnad Ahmad, no. 18910):

فبينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يكتب الكتاب إذ جاءه أبو جندل بن سهيل بن عمرو في الحديد قد انفلت إلى رسول الله صلعم. قال: وقد كان أصحاب رسول الله صلعم خرجوا وهم لا يشكون في الفتح لرؤيا رآها رسول الله صلعم، فلما رأوا ما رأوا من الصلح والرجوع، وما تحمل رسول الله صلعم على نفسه، دخل الناس من ذلك أمر عظيم حتى كادوا أن يهلكوا، فلما رأى سهيل أبا جندل، قام إليه، فضرب وجهه، ثم قال: يا محمد، قد لجت القضية بيني وبينك قبل أن يأتيك هذا. قال: "صدقت." فقام إليه، فأخذ بتلبيبه، قال: وصرخ أبو جندل بأعلى صوته: يا معاشر المسلمين، أتردونني إلى أهل الشرك، فيفتنوني في ديني. قال: فزاد الناس شرا إلى ما بهم. فقال رسول الله صلعم: "يا أبا جندل اصبر واحتسب، فإن الله عز وجل جاعل لك ولمن معك من المستضعفين فرجا ومخرجا، إنا قد عقدنا بيننا وبين القوم صلحا، فأعطيناهم على ذلك، وأعطونا عليه عهدا، وإنا لن نغدر بهم."

While God's Messenger (PBUH) was [overseeing the] writing [of] the agreement, along came Abu Jandal ibn Suhayl ibn 'Amr in irons, having escaped to God's Messenger (PBUH). [The narrator] said that the Companions of God's Messenger (PBUH) had gone forth not complaining over the victory that God's Messenger (PBUH) had seen in a vision. Yet when they saw what they saw regarding the treaty and [their] return [to Madina], and what God's Messenger (PBUH) had taken upon himself, a great question arose among the people because of that, to the extent that they were on the point of perishing. When Suhayl saw [his son] Abu Jandal, he got up, struck his face and then said: “O Muhammad, the decision between you and me was fixed before this came to you.” He said: “You have spoken the truth.” So [Suhayl] arose and grabbed [Abu Jandal] by the collar, whereupon Abu Jandal cried out as loudly as he could: “O gathering of Muslims, will you return me to the people of idolatry so that they can corrupt me in my religion?” This only increased in the people their sense of foreboding at their situation. Then God's Messenger (PBUH) said: “O Abu Jandal, persevere and control yourself. God (be He exalted) has prepared for you and for the powerless ones who are with you a way out. We have concluded a treaty between [those] people and us, in which we granted them that; and they have made us a promise thereon. We will not act treacherously towards them.”

Added to this explicit statement that the Prophet (PBUH) had no intention to break his treaty is what Abu Basir himself understood to be implied by the Prophet's (PBUH) idiomatic reference to a “firebrand of war” in the first excerpt. We are left in no doubt as to this hotheaded young man's enthusiasm for Islam, but what is less obvious is the extent of understanding of the Sharia and the finer points of Islamic ethics: certainly neither he nor Abu Jandal are in the first rank of hadith transmitters. In context, what the Prophet (PBUH) most likely meant by “firebrand of war” was that he could well imagine Abu Basir acting rashly and so putting the treaty in jeopardy, and hence the Ummah in danger.

Despite Abu Basir's attempt to find a loophole in the Prophet's (PBUH) promise to Quraysh (“O Prophet of God, by God, God caused you to be true to your pledge. You returned me to them, then God rescued me from them.”), he realised that the Prophet's (PBUH) words meant that he was to be returned to captivity in Mecca. The narrator says as much quite clearly, not making the least suggestion that Abu Basir thought he was being given “a nod and a wink” to go and wage a guerrilla war behind enemy lines. To maintain otherwise is not only to contradict the evidence but also impute duplicity to the Prophet (PBUH), who had just concluded a peace treaty. Not only the Prophet's (PBUH) name, but the entire message of Islam, rested on his reputation for honesty and trustworthiness. Having seen the provocation over the fate of Abu Jandal, is it reasonable to maintain that the pagans of Mecca would not have leapt at the slightest chance to declare the Prophet (PBUH) in breach of the terms of the Treaty of al-Hudaybiyah?

If the explicit wording quoted above from Musnad Ahmad (“When [Abu Basir] heard that, he knew that he would be returned to them”) is not enough to rebut the argument of those who claim that the Prophet (PBUH) had indirectly sanctioned the raids of Abu Basir and his comrades on caravans along the coastal route, then the single example of Abdallah ibn Sa'd ibn Abi al-Sarh is sufficient. He was one of the handful of people whom the Prophet (PBUH) had ordered be put to death on the conquest of Makkah. However, Abdallah ibn Sa'd asked Uthman ibn 'Affan (RA) to intercede when he went to pledge allegiance. Twice the Prophet (PBUH) refused to take his hand, only accepting it on his third attempt (Sunan al-Nasa'i, no. 4066):

ثم أقبل على أصحابه فقال: أما كان فيكم رجل رشيد يقوم إلى هذا حيث رآني كففت يدي عن بيعته فيقتله؟ فقالوا: وما يدرينا يا رسول الله ما في نفسك، هلا أومأت إلينا بعينك؟ قال: إنه لا ينبغي لنبي أن يكون له خائنة أعين

Then he (PBUH) turned to his Companions and said: “Wasn't there a single right-thinking man amongst you to stand up to him, when you saw me hold back my hand from his pledge, and kill him?” They said: “And how were we to know, O Messenger of God, what was inside you? Why didn't you signal to us with your eye?” He said: “It is not fitting for a prophet to have treacherous eyes.”

As the above-mentioned analysis of the Treaty of al-Hudaybiyah and the anomalous status of Abu Basir and Abu Jandal demonstrates, it is not possible for a truly Islamic state to be simultaneously at peace and at war with the same people. The Medina Constitution states (al-Sirah al-Nabawiyah / Ibn Hisham):

وَإِنَّ سِلْمَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَاحِدَةٌ لَا يُسَالَمُ مُؤْمِنٌ دُونَ مُؤْمِنٍ فِي قِتَالٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إلَّا عَلَى سَوَاءٍ وَعَدْلٍ بَيْنَهُمْ

The peace of the believers is one. A believer may not forge a peace while another believer is fighting in the way of God, except it be fair and just [to all] between them.

Although scholars differ regarding the meaning of the word 'peace' in the following verse (Q. 2:208), with most agreeing that it refers to Islam, it is clear that it urges commitment and warns against the traits of half-heartedness and duplicity, which some - no doubt unwittingly - ascribe to our Prophet (PBUH):

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً وَلا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ

O you who believe, enter into peace fully, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan; he is a clear enemy to you.

However, there is no ambiguity about the next verse (Q. 9:36).

وَقَاتِلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ كَافَّةً كَمَا يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ كَافَّةً وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ

Engage fully in fighting the polytheists just as they engage fully in fighting you; and know that God is with the pious.

Nor about these (Q. 8:61-62):

وَإِنْ جَنَحُوا لِلسَّلْمِ فَاجْنَحْ لَهَا وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ * وَإِنْ يُرِيدُوا أَنْ يَخْدَعُوكَ فَإِنَّ حَسْبَكَ اللَّهُ هُوَ الَّذِي أَيَّدَكَ بِنَصْرِهِ وَبِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ

And if they embrace peace then you embrace it [also] and put your trust in God; He is indeed All-hearing, All-knowing. * And if they mean to trick you, God is sufficient for you. It is He Who helped you with His victory and with the believers.

For this reason, it does not make sense for groups of individual Muslims to claim to be waging a war against a land with which Dar al-Islam generally is at peace, regardless of the fact that we live today in a post-colonial, post-caliphate era, in which Dar al-Islam comprises a number of separate “nation states”. Like the fighting that arose between the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) during the caliphate of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the case of Abu Jandal and Abu Basir was special and ought not to be used as a precedent.