On the way home to Medina Abdullah set aside a fifth of the booty for Muhammad.
But when they returned to the Muslim camp, Muhammad refused to share in the loot
or to have anything to do with them, saying only: “I did not order you to fight in the sacred month.” But then Allah revealed v. 217, explaining that the Quraysh’s opposition to Muhammad was more offensive in his eyes than the Muslims’ violation of the sacred month: the raid was therefore justified: “for persecution is worse than slaughter.” Whatever sin the Nakhla raiders had committed in violating the sacred month was nothing compared to the Quraysh’s sins. Ibn Ishaq explained this verse: “they have kept you back from the way of God with their unbelief in Him, and from the sacred mosque, and have driven you from it when you were with its people. This is a more serious matter with God than the killing of those whom
you have slain.”
I think this is part of the basis for arguing that Muslims can fight during the holy months of Ramadan. It is interesting that when the war in Afghanistan was starting there was talk in America about holding back during the holy month. Clearly if we had done that, the terrorists would have used that month to attack us before we attacked them.
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