Fi sabilillah

The phrase fi sabilillah (فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّٰهِ, fī sabīli llāhⁱ) is an Arabic expression meaning "in the cause of God", or more befittingly, "for the sake of God".^[1] Alternative spellings for fi sabilillah include fisabilillah and fisabillillah

The phrase - which relates the distribution of zakat - is found frequently in the Quran, e.g. in surah 9, verse 60:

As-Sadaqat (zakat) are only for the Fuqara' (the poor), and Al-Masākīn (the needy) and those employed to collect (the funds); and to attract the hearts of those who have been inclined (towards Islam); and to free the captives; and for those in debt; and for Fi sabilillah (Allah's cause), and for Ibn As-Sabil a duty imposed by Allah. And Allah is All-Knower, All-Wise.^[2]

From the above context it is closely associated with alms-giving or charity, meaning "he dedicated the revenue or profit to be used in the cause of God", i.e. "he gave to charity". A classical example discussed by Lane in his Arabic-English Lexicon of 1863 is that of Umar who decided to give the revenue of a palm grove of his to charitable use. Because of these connotations, the phrase is closely associated with the concept of zakah in fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence).^{[citation needed]}

With regards to this phrase's use in Qur'an 9:60 above, according to Maududi majority of earliest Muslim scholars opined fi-sabilillah to mean Jihad,^[3] for example, the 14th century scholar Ibn Kathir explained it as: "In the cause of Allah is exclusive for the benefit of the fighters in jihad, who do not receive compensation from the Muslim Treasury."^[4] However, Maududi also points out that early scholars were mistaken in limiting Jihad here only to fighting as its peaceful, non-militaristic connotation is also relevant and applicable here.^[3] Shafi Usmani interprets it as a religious cause which can include military Jihad or performing some other personal religious duty, such as the Hajj.^[5] The progressive scholar, Ghamidi, interprets it broadly as "works in the service of religion".^[6]

See also

• Jihad – which contains further explanations and applications for the term 'Fi sabilillah'
• Zakat – which contains information relating to the distribution to 'Fi sabilillah' recipients
• Kiddush Hashem - a similar term in Judaism
• Brahmacharya - a term for religious self conduct in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism

References

1. Lane, p. 1301, s.v. سبل: "in the way meaning cause, of God, or religion; or in the doing of anything , or all, that God has commanded, or of the works whereby one pursues the way that leads to advancement in the favour of God "
2. Ibn Kathir. "Tafsir Ibn Kathir (English): Surah Al Tawbah". Quran 4 U. Tafsir. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
3. Maududi, Syed Abul Ala. Tafhim al-Qur'an.
4. Tafsīr Ibn Kathir, Surah Tawba.
5. Shafi, Muhammad. Ma'ariful Qur'an. p. 413.
6. Ghamidi, Javed Ahmed. Al-Bayan.