سورة الأنفال

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: یا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا إِذا لَقِیتُمُ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا زَحْفاً [O you who believe, when you meet those who disbelieve advancing]; that is, [when] you have drawn near to one another, do not turn your backs to them [and do not flee].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Aqil al-Khuza'i: whenever Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) took part in a battle, he would exhort the Muslims with these words and say: "Fear and dread of jihad against one who deserves to be fought, and against those who have joined hands with one another on the path of misguidance, is itself misguidance in religion and causes the loss of this world along with humiliation and disgrace, and brings on the fire of Hell on account of fleeing from confrontation on the battlefield. Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: یا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا إِذا لَقِیتُمُ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا زَحْفاً فَلا تُوَلُّوهُمُ الْأَدْبارَ [O you who believe, when you meet those who disbelieve advancing, do not turn your backs to them]. So in these battlefields, in which patience is nobility and felicity and, in this world and the next, deliverance from the disgrace of terror and fear, hold fast to this divine command; for Allah the Mighty and Majestic gives no weight to what the servants do by night and day [if it is not in accord with the divine commands], and He is precisely aware of their deeds."

Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him): When you face your enemy on the battlefield, speak little and remember Allah the Mighty and Majestic; do not turn your backs to them [and do not flee], for that causes the wrath of Allah and makes you deserving of His anger.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): It was narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that he was asked: "Why, when those events were plotted and carried out against Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), did he not fight?" He said: "Because of what existed in the knowledge of Allah, namely that Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) could not fight when only three men were with him — so with [this small number] how could he fight? Have you not heard the words of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, who said: يَا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُواْ إِذَا لَقِیتُمُ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُواْ زَحْفاً فَلاَ تُوَلُّوهُمُ الأَدْبَارَ، وَ مَن یُوَلِّهِمْ یَوْمَئِذٍ دُبُرَهُ إِلاَّ مُتَحَرِّفاً لِّقِتَالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَیِّزاً إِلَی فِئَةٍ فَقَدْ بَاء بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللهِ وَ مَأْوَاهُ جهنّم وَ بِئْسَ المَصِیرُ [O you who believe! When you meet those who disbelieve marching for war, then turn not your backs to them; and whoever turns his back to them on that day — unless turning aside for the sake of fighting or withdrawing to a company — has indeed drawn upon himself wrath from Allah, and his abode is Hell, and an evil destination it is]. Given this, how could Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) fight, when on that day none of the believers were with him except three men!"

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ubayd ibn Zurara said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "Inform me about the major sins." The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "The major sins are five, and they are the sins for which Allah has made the Fire of Hell obligatory. He says: Allah does not forgive [ever] that partners be associated with Him! (al-Nisa/48). And He says: Those who consume the property of orphans unjustly, [in reality] consume only fire, and they shall soon burn in the blazing flames (of Hell). (al-Nisa/10). And He says: O you who believe! When you meet the disbelievers on the battlefield, do not turn your backs to them [and do not flee]."

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has forbidden fleeing from the battlefield, and the reasons for it are several: a) Fleeing causes weakness and defeat in religion. b) Fleeing from battle leads to belittling the messengers and the just leaders of religion. c) Fleeing from jihad means abandoning the support and assistance of the Imams (peace be upon them) against the enemies, forsaking those noble ones (peace be upon them) and not accompanying them in punishing and disciplining the enemies for their rejection of what they have been called to by the leaders of the religion — namely acknowledgement of Lordship, the manifestation of justice, the abandonment of tyranny and oppression, and the eradication of corruption. d) Fleeing from the battlefield causes the enemies to grow bold against the Muslims and to stretch out their hands to capture and kill the Muslims and to ruin and nullify the religion of Allah.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): If a Muslim in battle flees from the assault of two men, he is counted as a deserter; and if he flees from the assault of three men, he is not counted as a deserter.