Distribution of spoils when multiple individuals contribute to a killing.
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Jihad
Primary text
If two individuals strike an enemy, and one inflicted the more severe wound leading to death, the spoils belong to the one who inflicted the more severe wound. This is based on the incident involving Abu Jahl, where both Mu'adh ibn 'Amr ibn al-Jamūḥ and Mu'adh ibn al-'Afra claimed the kill; the Prophet (PBUH) awarded the spoils entirely to Mu'adh ibn 'Amr ibn al-Jamūḥ, stating that both killed him. If two individuals jointly inflict a disabling injury (e.g., cutting limbs), one view states the spoils go to the one who inflicted the greater disabling injury, while another view suggests the spoils enter the general treasury, as the disabling blow did not fully neutralize the enemy's threat.
Supporting text
If two individuals strike simultaneously, one view suggests they share the spoils based on the generality of the saying, 'Whoever kills a person, his spoils belong to him,' implying both share the cause. However, the established position is that if two jointly kill an enemy, the spoils enter the general treasury, as the condition of exposing oneself to danger is not met by two, similar to a group killing.