Is it true that when the number of stubborn disbelievers and infidels in Jihad exceeds two hundred مقابل twenty Muslims, it is impermissible to participate in the war because Allah Almighty has specified a number for fighting?

Jurists have agreed on the obligation of steadfastness in jihad and the prohibition of fleeing, citing Quranic verses such as Allah's saying: (O you who have believed, when you meet those who disbelieve advancing [for battle], then do not turn to them your backs), and prophetic hadiths. Three cases are exempted from this: fleeing "for a tactical maneuver to fight" or "to rejoin another company [of believers]", or if the number of disbelievers exceeds double that of the Muslims (more than double); based on Allah's saying: (Now has Allah lightened [the hardship] for you, and He knows that there is weakness in you. So if there are from you one hundred [men] patient, they will overcome two hundred).

The statement that participation in war is impermissible when the number of disbelievers exceeds double is incorrect. The issue is the permissibility of fleeing, not its obligation or the prohibition of fighting. Rather, steadfastness is permissible, as occurred in great battles.

It must be noted that if the enemy attacks Muslim lands, defense is obligatory even if the disbelievers are many times the number of Muslims. Fleeing is impermissible except for a tactical maneuver to fight or to rejoin another company. This type of fighting is called "defensive fighting," and retreating from it is never permissible.

Ibn Qudamah clarified that steadfastness is obligatory under two conditions: that the number of disbelievers does not exceed double that of the Muslims (if they exceed, fleeing is permissible), and that fleeing is not with the intention of rejoining another company or a tactical maneuver. "A tactical maneuver to fight" means moving to a position where fighting is tactically more suitable, and "to rejoin another company" means joining a group of Muslims to strengthen the ranks. In conclusion, Ibn Qudamah affirmed that if the enemy is more than double, and the Muslims expect victory, steadfastness is preferable. If they retreat, it is permissible. If they predominantly expect destruction and retreat offers salvation, then retreating is preferable. If they remain steadfast, it is permissible.