Military Skills, Fear of Allah and Knowledge
Question:- Is it true that when a person asked Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal (may Allah’s blessings be upon him) related to a problem he faced, he (may Allah’s blessings be upon him) replied, “A person who is virtuous and pious but lacks military skills, his piety and virtue will benefit him only, while the lack of his military skills will cause harm to the whole nation as well as the Islamic Army. On the other hand, if a person is less virtuous and pious, the lack of his piousness will only harm him, but his military skills will benefit the whole nation and the Islamic Army.
Answer:- Before we delve into this matter, first keep in mind that the religion of Islam orders its believers to strengthen and stabilize themselves in every aspect so that Muslims do not lag behind in any aspect and become weak being at the mercy of the Non-Muslims. Hence, to strengthen and stabilize in any field has its own requirements. It requires some people who are experts in that particular field. That is why, we find several examples of the prophetic era in the history books and in biographies of Prophet SAW that even though there were glorious companions of Prophet who were unparalleled in their piousness and devoutness, but still Prophet (peace be upon him) granted commandership to those companions (may Allah be pleased with them) who were less pious and devout in comparison to those former companions but they were well-versed in military tactics and war strategy. On the battlefield, only the one who is well-acquainted with the war strategies and ups and downs of the battlefield can truly lead the army.
