If I had not the fear of committing (sin) for concealing the knowledge I would not have written to him. Najda wrote to him saying (after praising the Almighty and invoking blessings on the Prophet): Tell me whether the Messenger of Allah ﷺ took women to participate with him in Jihad; (if he did), whether he allotted them a regular share from the booty; whether he killed the children of (the enemy in the war), how long an orphan would be entitled to consideration as such, and for whom the Khums (fifth part of the booty) was booty. Ibn Abbas wrote to him: You have written asking me whether the Messenger of Allah ﷺ took women with him to participate in Jihad. He did take them to the battle and sometimes he fought along with them. They would treat the wounded and were given a reward from the booty, but he did not assign any regular share for them. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not kill the children of the enemy, so you should not kill the children. Also you have written to me asking me when the orphanhood of an orphan comes to an end. By my life, if a man has become bearded but is still incapable of getting his due from others or fulfilling his obligation towards them, (he is yet an orphan to be treated as such), but when he can look after his interests like grown-up people, he is no longer an orphan. And you have written to me inquiring about Khums as to whom it is meant for. (In this connection) we (the kinsmen of the Messenger of Allah) used to say: It is for us, but those people (i.e. Banu Umayya) have denied it to us.  

أَنْ أَكْتُمَ عِلْمًا مَا كَتَبْتُ إِلَيْهِ كَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ نَجْدَةُ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَأَخْبِرْنِي هَلْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَغْزُو بِالنِّسَاءِ وَهَلْ كَانَ يَضْرِبُ لَهُنَّ بِسَهْمٍ وَهَلْ كَانَ يَقْتُلُ الصِّبْيَانَ وَمَتَى يَنْقَضِي يُتْمُ الْيَتِيمِ وَعَنِ الْخُمْسِ لِمَنْ هُوَ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ كَتَبْتَ تَسْأَلُنِي هَلْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَغْزُو بِالنِّسَاءِ وَقَدْ كَانَ يَغْزُو بِهِنَّ فَيُدَاوِينَ الْجَرْحَى وَيُحْذَيْنَ مِنَ الْغَنِيمَةِ وَأَمَّا بِسَهْمٍ فَلَمْ يَضْرِبْ لَهُنَّ وَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَقْتُلُ الصِّبْيَانَ فَلاَ تَقْتُلِ الصِّبْيَانَ وَكَتَبْتَ تَسْأَلُنِي مَتَى يَنْقَضِي يُتْمُ الْيَتِيمِ فَلَعَمْرِي إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَتَنْبُتُ لِحْيَتُهُ وَإِنَّهُ لَضَعِيفُ الأَخْذِ لِنَفْسِهِ ضَعِيفُ الْعَطَاءِ مِنْهَا فَإِذَا أَخَذَ لِنَفْسِهِ مِنْ صَالِحِ مَا يَأْخُذُ النَّاسُ فَقَدْ ذَهَبَ عَنْهُ الْيُتْمُ وَكَتَبْتَ تَسْأَلُنِي عَنِ الْخُمْسِ لِمَنْ هُوَ وَإِنَّا كُنَّا نَقُولُ هُوَ لَنَا فَأَبَى عَلَيْنَا قَوْمُنَا ذَاكَ  

[Machine] Al-Qa'nabi narrated that Sulaiman ibn Bilal narrated from Ja'far ibn Muhammad, who narrated from his father, who narrated from Yazid ibn Hurmuz, that Najdah wrote to Ibn Abbas asking him about five issues. Ibn Abbas said, "If it weren't for me keeping knowledge confidential, I wouldn't have written to him." So Najdah wrote to him, "Afterwards, inform me, was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ raiding with women? Was he striking them with arrows? Was he killing children? When does the orphan reach adulthood? And regarding the fifth, who does it belong to?" So Ibn Abbas wrote to him, "You wrote asking me, 'Was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ raiding with women?' He used to raid with them to heal the wounded and distribute from the booty. Regarding the arrow, he never struck them with it. And indeed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never killed children. You asked, 'When does the orphan reach adulthood?' By my life, a man reaches adulthood when his beard grows, and he is weak in taking care of himself and weak in providing for others. So when he takes for himself what is better than what people take, then he is no longer an orphan. And you asked, 'Regarding the fifth, who does it belong to?' We say it belongs to us and our people refuse that."  

ثنا الْقَعْنَبِيُّ ثنا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ بِلَالٍ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ هُرْمُزَ أَنَّ نَجْدَةَ كَتَبَ إِلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ؓماُ يَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ خَمْسِ خِلَالٍ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ لَوْلَا أَنْ أَكْتُمَ عِلْمًا لَمَا كَتَبْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ نَجْدَةُ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَأَخْبِرْنِي هَلْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَغْزُو بِالنِّسَاءِ؟ وَهَلْ كَانَ يَضْرِبُ لَهُنَّ بِسَهْمٍ؟ وَهَلْ كَانَ يَقْتُلُ الصِّبْيَانَ؟ وَمَتَى يَنْقَطِعُ يُتِمُ الْيَتِيمِ؟ وَعَنِ الْخُمُسِ لِمَنْ هُوَ؟ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ كَتَبْتَ تَسْأَلُنِي هَلْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَغْزُو بِالنِّسَاءِ؟ وَقَدْ كَانَ يَغْزُو بِهِنَّ فَيُدَاوِينَ الْجَرْحَى وَيُحْذَيْنَ مِنَ الْغَنِيمَةِ وَأَمَّا سَهْمٌ فَلَمْ يَضْرِبْ لَهُنَّ وَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ لَمْ يَقْتُلِ الصِّبْيَانَ وَكَتَبْتَ مَتَى يَنْقَضِي يُتْمُ الْيَتِيمِ؟ وَلَعَمْرِي إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ يَشِبُ لِحْيَتُهُ وَإِنَّهُ لَضَعِيفُ الْأَخْذِ لِنَفْسِهِ ضَعِيفُ الْإِعْطَاءِ مِنْهَا فَإِذَا أَخَذَ لِنَفْسِهِ مِنْ أَصْلَحِ مَا يَأْخُذُ النَّاسُ فَقَدْ ذَهَبَ عَنْهُ الْيُتْمُ وَكَتَبْتَ تَسْأَلُنِي عَنِ الْخُمُسِ لِمَنْ هُوَ؟ فَإِنَّا نَقُولُ هُوَ لَنَا وَأَبَى عَلَيْنَا قَوْمُنَا ذَلِكَ  

[Machine] Was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ raiding women? And did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ shoot arrows for them? And did he kill young boys? And when does the orphan reach maturity? And who does the fifth belong to? So Ibn Abbas wrote to him, "Indeed, you wrote asking me if the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was raiding women, while he would raid them to cure the sick and benefit from the spoils. As for the arrow, he never shot an arrow for them. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not kill children, so do not kill them except if you know from them, what Al-Khidr knew from the boy he killed, which differentiated between the believer and the unbeliever, so you may kill the unbeliever and spare the believer. And you wrote when does the orphan reach maturity, and by my life, a man's beard grows (indicating maturity) and he is weak in taking and giving. So when he takes for himself from the good that people take, then the orphanage has departed from him. And you wrote asking me about the fifth, and indeed, we used to say it is for us, but our people did not agree on that, so we accepted it."  

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَغْزُو بِالنِّسَاءِ؟ وَهَلْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَضْرِبُ لَهُنَّ بِسَهْمٍ؟ وَهَلْ كَانَ يَقْتُلُ الصِّبْيَانَ؟ وَمَتَى يَنْقَضِي يُتْمُ الْيَتِيمِ؟ وَعَنِ الْخُمُسِ لِمَنْ هُوَ؟ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ إِنَّكَ كَتَبْتَ تَسْأَلُنِي هَلْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَغْزُو بِالنِّسَاءِ وَقَدْ كَانَ يَغْزُو بِهِنَّ يُدَاوِينَ الْمَرْضَى وَيُحْذَيْنَ مِنَ الْغَنِيمَةِ وَأَمَّا السَّهْمُ فَلَمْ يَضْرِبْ لَهُنَّ بِسَهْمٍ وَأَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ لَمْ يَقْتُلِ الْوِلْدَانَ فَلَا تَقْتُلْهُمْ إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ تَعْلَمُ مِنْهُمْ مَا عَلِمَ الْخِضْرُ مِنَ الصَّبِيِّ الَّذِي قَتَلَ فَتُمَيِّزَ بَيْنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَالْكَافِرِ فَتَقْتُلَ الْكَافِرَ وَتَدَعَ الْمُؤْمِنَ وَكَتَبْتَ مَتَى يَنْقَضِي يُتْمُ الْيَتِيمِ وَلَعَمْرِي إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَتَنْبُتُ لِحْيَتُهُ وَإِنَّهُ لَضَعِيفُ الْأَخْذِ ضَعِيفُ الْإِعْطَاءِ فَإِذَا أَخَذَ لِنَفْسِهِ مِنْ صَالِحِ مَا يَأْخُذُ النَّاسُ فَقَدْ ذَهَبَ عَنْهُ الْيُتْمُ وَكَتَبْتَ تَسْأَلُنِي عَنِ الْخُمُسِ وَإِنَّا كُنَّا نَقُولُ هُوَ لَنَا فَأَبَى ذَلِكَ عَلَيْنَا قَوْمُنَا فَصَبَرْنَا عَلَيْهِ