What is the ruling concerning those bound by a truce (Hudna) who subsequently break the covenant?

General Chapter

Al-Mughni

Book of Jihad

Book 54 · Issue 1 · Bab 1

Open in Qurani

Primary text

When the people bound by a truce break their covenant, their lives and property become permissible to take, and their offspring become subject to captivity. This ruling is established because the Prophet (peace be upon him) killed the men of Banu Qurayza, captured their families, and seized their property after they violated their treaty. Similarly, when he made a truce with the Quraysh and they broke it, everything that had been forbidden to him concerning them became permissible. A truce is a temporary agreement that terminates upon the expiry of its term, and thus its violation or annulment ends the commitment, similar to the termination of a lease contract (Ijarah).