Prohibition of misappropriating spoils (ghulul)

A legal and ethical ruling in Islam's laws of war: an absolute prohibition on any taking or concealing of spoil wealth before its just division among the army; the Prophet stressed it at al-Ji'rana, warning against even thread and needle ¹.

Amr ibn Shu'ayb related that when the people crowded upon the Prophet at al-Ji'rana asking for the fay', he leaned against a camel, took a tuft of hair from its hump between two fingers and raised it, saying: "People, by God I have nothing of your fay' — not even this hair-tuft — save the fifth, and the fifth is returned to you. Hand over thread and needle, for ghulul is upon its people a disgrace, a fire and a shame on the Day of Resurrection" ¹.

A man of the Ansar came with a ball of spun camel hair and said: "I took this to mend my camel's pack-saddle." The Prophet said: "What was mine and Banu Abd al-Muttalib's is yours." The man said: "If it has reached this, I have no need of it" — and threw it down ¹.