SECTION VE CHAPTER 13 – DUTIES TOWARDS THOSE UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF A SUPERVISOR
Abu Maryam al-Azdi, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
I presented myself before Mu'awiya on one occasion. Mu'awiya said to me, “What good have you done, son of so-and-so?” (This is a saying among Arabs.) I replied, "I came to relate to you a hadith that I heard from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.”
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whenever Allah appoints someone as governor over the affairs of the Muslims, and the governor turns a blind eye to their needs, necessities, and the state of the poor, then Allah will turn a blind eye to the needs, necessities, and the state of that governor.”
The narrator, Abu Maryam, said: Upon this, Mu'awiya appointed a man to investigate the needs of the people.
Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: “I cannot give you anything from [treasure] wealth, nor can I forbid you from it. I am only a guardian, acting according to the command given to me.”
COMMENTARY:
Spoils of war are the property of the community. Allah, who is the true owner of the spoils and the people, knows where they should be spent. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: “My Lord commands me as to whom and where [these spoils] should be given, so I give them accordingly.”
Malik ibn Yavs ibn al-Hadsan (may Allah be pleased with him) related:
One day ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke about fay’ (spoils taken without fighting) and said: “I am no more deserving of this fay than any of you. None of us is more deserving of the fay than another. Except that we have a place, ordained by the Exalted and Majestic Allah and His Messenger, in its distribution. According to it, consideration is given to precedence in Islam, valor in battles, and need.”