Praiseworthy Courage & His Firm Conviction Regarding the Tribes that Refused to Pay Zakat
In any case, one should always remember that those people rebelled and started a war. This war was not fought against them simply because someone had claimed [prophethood]. In fact, they were contending against a rebellion and were responding to the war that was waged against them. Whilst mentioning the victory against those who refused to pay the Zakat and Hazrat Abu Bakr’s (ra) courage and determination, Abdullah bin Mas‘ud relates:
“After the demise of the Messenger (sa) of Allah, we were faced with such a situation that had Allah not helped us through Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra), we were surely going to perish. All of the Muslims unanimously agreed that we would not fight against the enemy over the camels belonging to Zakat and instead would occupy ourselves in the worship of Allah until we attained complete victory. However, Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) had made a firm resolve to fight against those who refused to pay the Zakat. He put two options before those who refused [to pay the Zakat] and no third option was given to them. Either they were to accept humiliation and failure or they prepared to be exiled or fight. To accept humiliation and failure meant that they accept that those who had been slain from among them were hell-bound and those who had been killed from amongst us were destined for Paradise and also to pay the blood-money for those they had killed. Moreover, they were not to demand anything back from the spoils of war which we had acquired from them, but whatever they had taken from us would have to be returned. With regard to being exiled, it meant that after having been defeated they would have to leave their areas and dwell in far-off lands.”
(Muhammad Husain Haikal, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) – Translated [Lahore: Shirkat Printing Press], p. 118)