Market-Place Preemption

Overview

Al-Baladhuri relates that Ali went out to the market and saw that his people had taken possession of their places. He said: "That is not theirs. The market of the Muslims is like their place of prayer; whoever reaches a spot first has it for the day, until he leaves it." ¹

After Ali

In the time of al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba they used to go out to the market, and whoever sat in a place had the better right to it until nightfall. When Ziyad came, he said: "Whoever sits in a place has the better right to it so long as he is in it." ²

The matter is connected with fay' in al-Baladhuri's Futuh al-buldan.

Conquest by force (anwa)

Fath 'anwa in al-Baladhuri is taking a town or land by combat and siege: his example is Khaybar — he reports via Abd al-Razzaq from Ma'mar from al-Zuhri 'that the Prophet took Khaybar by force ('anwatan)', so its goods and Khaybar itself were divided among the fighters — in Ibn Abbas's report 'Khaybar was divided into one thousand five hundred and eighty shares' matching the number of combatants, the Prophet's safaya from it being an allotment from which he provisioned his wives, his uncle Abbas, Abu Bakr, Umar, al-Hasan, al-Husayn and Banu al-Muttalib; 'anwa contrasts with sulh — what was taken by treaty remained with its people on the treaty terms, like Fadak, while what was taken by force became booty divided among those present at the conquest.

At a glance

Overview

After Ali

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

Ideas

Conquest by force (anwa)