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Sunan Abu Dawud
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Sunan Abu Dawud #2638

Jihad (Kitab Al-Jihad)

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ ثَوْرٍ، عَنْ مَعْمَرٍ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ إِذَا أَرَادَ غَزْوَةً وَرَّى غَيْرَهَا وَكَانَ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ الْحَرْبُ خُدْعَةٌ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ لَمْ يَجِئْ بِهِ إِلاَّ مَعْمَرٌ يُرِيدُ قَوْلَهُ ‏"‏ الْحَرْبُ خُدْعَةٌ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ إِنَّمَا يُرْوَى مِنْ حَدِيثِ عَمْرِو بْنِ دِينَارٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ وَمِنْ حَدِيثِ مَعْمَرٍ عَنْ هَمَّامِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏.‏
When the Prophet (ﷺ) intended to go on an expedition, he always pretended to be going somewhere else, and he would say: War is deception. Abu Dawud said: Only Ma'mar has transmitted this tradition. By this he refers to his statement "War is deception" through this chain of narrators. He narrated it from the tradition of 'Amr b. Dinar from Jabir, and from the tradition of Ma'mar from Hammam b. Munabbih on the authority of Abu Hurairah.
Narrated by Narrated Ka'b ibn Malik:

Context

In this hadith, narrated by Ka'b ibn Malik, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) demonstrated a strategic approach to warfare by suggesting that he would mislead others about his intentions. The statement 'War is deception' emphasizes the importance of strategy and cunning in military affairs, highlighting that appearances can be misleading in the context of conflict.

Modern Application

In today's world, the principle of strategic deception can be seen in various competitive environments, such as business and sports. Individuals and organizations often use tactics to mislead competitors about their true intentions or capabilities, aiming to gain an advantage without resorting to direct confrontation.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Military Might and Warfare and Prophetic Conduct because it illustrates the Prophet's (ﷺ) approach to strategy in warfare and reflects his conduct in managing conflict.

Military Might and WarfareProphetic Conduct

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Common Words

124 total103 unique13 repeated
ٱلله6x
فى3x
منهم3x
بما3x
إن3x
ٱلذين2x
سبيل2x
يقولون2x
ما2x
وما2x
كان2x
لا2x
فتبينوا2x
وليعلم1x
نافقوا1x
وقيل1x
لهم1x
تعالوا1x
قتلوا1x
أو1x
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About Sunan Abu Dawud

This hadith is #2638 from Sunan Abu Dawud, in the Book of Jihad (Kitab Al-Jihad) and narrated by Narrated Ka'b ibn Malik:.

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About This Hadith