Allah, Most High, said:
٢٣٤ - باب وجوب الجهاد وفضل الغدوة والروحة
Allah, Most High, said:
Indeed, the number of months with Allāh is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allāh [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred.1 That is the correct religion [i.e., way], so do not wrong yourselves during them.2 And fight against the disbelievers collectively as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allāh is with the righteous [who fear Him].
And He, Most High, said:
Battle has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allāh knows, while you know not.
And He, Most High, said:
Go forth, whether light or heavy,1 and strive with your wealth and your lives in the cause of Allāh. That is better for you, if you only knew.
And He, Most High, said:
Alif, Lām, Meem.1
[at-Tawbah: 111]. And Allah, Most High, said:
Not equal are those believers remaining [at home] - other than the disabled - and the mujāhideen, [who strive and fight] in the cause of Allāh with their wealth and their lives. Allāh has preferred the mujāhideen through their wealth and their lives over those who remain [behind], by degrees. And to all [i.e., both] Allāh has promised the best [reward]. But Allāh has preferred the mujāhideen over those who remain [behind] with a great reward -
And He, Most High, said:
O you who have believed, shall I guide you to a transaction that will save you from a painful punishment?
The verses on this topic are many and well known.
As for the hadiths on the merit of jihad, they are too many to be enumerated; among them:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: ‘Which deed is best?’ He said: ‘Faith in Allah and His Messenger.’ It was said: ‘Then what?’ He said: ‘Jihad in the path of Allah.’ It was said: ‘Then what?’ He said: ‘An accepted pilgrimage.’ Agreed upon.
And on the authority of Ibn Masʿud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, which deed is most beloved to Allah Most High?’ He said: ‘Prayer at its proper time.’ I said: ‘Then which?’ He said: ‘Dutifulness to one’s parents.’ I said: ‘Then which?’ He said: ‘Jihad in the path of Allah.’ Agreed upon.
And on the authority of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, which deed is best?’ He said: ‘Faith in Allah, and jihad in His path.’ Agreed upon.
And on the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘A single morning’s march in the path of Allah, or an evening’s, is better than the world and all that is in it.’ Agreed upon.
On the authority of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: A man came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, “Which of the people is best?” He said, “A believer who strives with his self and his wealth in the path of Allah.” The man said, “Then who?” He said, “A believer in one of the mountain passes who worships Allah and spares the people from his harm.” Agreed upon.
On the authority of Sahl ibn Saʿd (may Allah be pleased with him): that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Standing guard for a single day in the path of Allah is better than the world and all that is upon it. The space a whip of one of you would occupy in Paradise is better than the world and all that is upon it. And the evening journey that the servant makes in the path of Allah the Exalted, or the morning journey, is better than the world and all that is upon it.” Agreed upon.
On the authority of Salmān (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “Standing guard for a day and a night is better than fasting a month and praying through its nights. If he dies, the deeds he used to perform continue to be credited to him, his provision continues to flow to him, and he is kept safe from the tempter.” Narrated by Muslim.
On the authority of Faḍālah ibn ʿUbayd (may Allah be pleased with him): that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Every dead person has his deeds sealed, except the one who stands guard in the path of Allah; for his deeds are made to grow for him until the Day of Resurrection, and he is kept safe from the trial of the grave.” Narrated by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī, who said, “A good and sound hadith.”
On the authority of ʿUthmān (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “Standing guard for a day in the path of Allah is better than a thousand days spent elsewhere among ordinary dwellings.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said, “A good and sound hadith.”
On the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Allah has taken upon Himself a guarantee for the one who goes out in His path—whom nothing brings out except striving in My path, faith in Me, and belief in My messengers—that He will admit him into Paradise, or return him to the dwelling from which he set out with whatever reward or spoils he has gained. By the One in whose Hand is the soul of Muḥammad, no wound is suffered in the path of Allah but that it will come on the Day of Resurrection just as it was on the day it was inflicted: its colour the colour of blood, but its scent the scent of musk. By the One in whose Hand is the soul of Muḥammad, were it not that it would be too hard upon the Muslims, I would never stay behind from any expedition that goes out to fight in the path of Allah; but I do not find the means to carry them, nor do they find the means, and it grieves them to remain behind me. By the One in whose Hand is the soul of Muḥammad, I would dearly love to fight in the path of Allah and be killed, then fight again and be killed, then fight again and be killed.” Narrated by Muslim, and al-Bukhārī narrated part of it. “Al-kalm” means the wound.
On his authority, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “There is no one wounded in the path of Allah but that he will come on the Day of Resurrection with his wound bleeding: the colour the colour of blood, but the scent the scent of musk.” Agreed upon.
On the authority of Muʿādh (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet ﷺ, who said, “Any Muslim man who fights in the path of Allah for [even] the interval between two milkings of a she-camel will have Paradise made obligatory for him. And whoever is wounded with a wound in the path of Allah, or suffers an injury, it will come on the Day of Resurrection at its most abundant flow: its colour saffron, and its scent like musk.” Narrated by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī, who said, “A good hadith.”
On the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: A man from among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by a mountain valley in which there was a small spring of sweet water. It pleased him, and he said, “If only I withdrew from the people and settled in this valley; but I shall not do so until I seek permission from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” He mentioned that to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said, “Do not do it, for the standing of one of you in the path of Allah is better than his praying in his house for seventy years. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you and admit you into Paradise? Go out and fight in the path of Allah; whoever fights in the path of Allah for the interval between two milkings of a she-camel will have Paradise made obligatory for him.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said, “A good hadith.” And “al-fuwāq” is the interval between the two milkings.
On his authority, who said: It was said, “O Messenger of Allah, what is equal to striving in the path of Allah?” He said, “You are not able to do it.” They put the question to him again twice or three times, and each time he said, “You are not able to do it!” Then he said, “The likeness of the one who strives in the path of Allah is like that of one who fasts and stands in prayer, devoutly reciting the verses of Allah, never flagging in fasting or prayer until the one who strives in the path of Allah returns.” Agreed upon, and this is the wording of Muslim. In al-Bukhārī's narration: A man said, “O Messenger of Allah, direct me to a deed equal to striving.” He said, “I do not find one.” Then he said, “Are you able, when the one who strives goes out, to enter your mosque and stand in prayer without flagging, and to fast without breaking your fast?” He said, “And who is able to do that?!”
On his authority: that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Among the best modes of living for people is a man holding the rein of his horse in the path of Allah, flying upon its back; whenever he hears an alarm or a cry to arms he flies to it, seeking to be slain or to meet death wherever it may be expected. Or a man with a small flock of sheep at the top of one of these peaks, or in the bottom of one of the valleys, establishing the prayer, giving the zakāh, and worshipping his Lord until certainty [death] comes to him—he has nothing to do with people except in good.” Narrated by Muslim.
On his authority: that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “In Paradise there are one hundred ranks that Allah has prepared for those who strive in the path of Allah; between every two ranks is as the distance between the heaven and the earth.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī.
From Abu Saʿid al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever is content with Allah as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad as Messenger, Paradise is assured for him.” Abu Saʿid was amazed at this and said, “Repeat it for me, O Messenger of Allah.” So he repeated it for him, then said, “And there is another [deed] by which Allah raises the servant a hundred degrees in Paradise, the distance between each two degrees being like that between the heaven and the earth.” He asked, “And what is it, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Jihad in the path of Allah; jihad in the path of Allah.” Narrated by Muslim.
From Abu Bakr ibn Abi Musa al-Ashʿari, who said: I heard my father (may Allah be pleased with him), while he was in the presence of the enemy, saying: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Indeed, the gates of Paradise are beneath the shade of the swords.” A man of shabby appearance then stood up and said, “O Abu Musa, did you yourself hear the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say this?” He said, “Yes.” So the man returned to his companions and said, “I convey peace to you,” then broke the scabbard of his sword and cast it away, then advanced with his sword towards the enemy and fought with it until he was killed. Narrated by Muslim.
From Abu ʿAbs ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Jabr (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The feet of a servant that have become dusty in the path of Allah will never be touched by the Fire.” Narrated by al-Bukhari.
From Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “A man who weeps out of fear of Allah will not enter the Fire until the milk returns into the udder, and the dust [raised] in the path of Allah and the smoke of Hell will never combine upon a servant.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who said: “a good and sound hadith.”
From Ibn ʿAbbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “Two eyes will never be touched by the Fire: an eye that wept out of fear of Allah, and an eye that spent the night standing guard in the path of Allah.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who said: “a good hadith.”
From Zayd ibn Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever equips a warrior in the path of Allah has himself fought, and whoever takes good care of a warrior’s family in his absence has himself fought.” Agreed upon.
From Abu Umama (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The best of charities is the shade of a tent in the path of Allah, the lending of a servant in the path of Allah, or a breeding she-camel given for use in the path of Allah.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who said: “a good and sound hadith.”
From Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): a young man of the tribe of Aslam said, “O Messenger of Allah, I wish to go out on the expedition, but I have nothing with which to equip myself.” He said, “Go to so-and-so, for he had prepared his equipment but then fell ill.” So the young man came to him and said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ conveys his greetings of peace to you and says: give me what you equipped yourself with.” The man said [to his wife], “So-and-so, give him what I had equipped myself with, and do not withhold anything of it from him; for by Allah, do not withhold anything of it, so that it may be blessed for you.” Narrated by Muslim.
From Abu Saʿid al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent an expedition to the tribe of Lahyan and said, “Let one out of every two men set out, and the reward will be shared between them.” Narrated by Muslim. In another of his narrations: “Let one man go out from every two men,” then he said to the one staying behind, “Whichever of you takes good care of the one going out, regarding his family and his property, will have the like of half the reward of the one going out.”
From al-Baraʾ (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: a man clad in iron [armour] came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, “O Messenger of Allah, shall I fight or [first] accept Islam?” He said, “Accept Islam, then fight.” So he accepted Islam, then fought and was killed. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “He did little yet was rewarded greatly.” Agreed upon; and this is the wording of al-Bukhari.
From Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet ﷺ said, “No one who enters Paradise would wish to return to the world, even if he were to have everything on earth, except the martyr: he will wish to return to the world and be killed ten times over, because of the honour he sees.” In another narration: “because of the merit of martyrdom that he sees.” Agreed upon.
From ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAs (may Allah be pleased with them both): the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Allah forgives the martyr every sin except the debt.” Narrated by Muslim. In another of his narrations: “Being killed in the path of Allah expiates everything except the debt.”
On the authority of Abū Qatādah (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood among them and mentioned that striving in the way of Allah and faith in Allah are the most excellent of deeds. A man stood up and said: “O Messenger of Allah, tell me—if I am killed in the way of Allah, will my sins be expiated for me?” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: “Yes, if you are killed in the way of Allah while you are patient, seeking reward, advancing and not retreating.” Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “What did you say?” He said: “Tell me—if I am killed in the way of Allah, will my sins be expiated for me?” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Yes, while you are patient, seeking reward, advancing and not retreating—except for debt, for Jibrīl (upon him be peace) told me that.” Narrated by Muslim.
On the authority of Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: A man said: “Where shall I be, O Messenger of Allah, if I am killed?” He said: “In Paradise.” So the man threw down some dates that were in his hand, then fought until he was killed. Narrated by Muslim.
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions set out and reached Badr ahead of the polytheists. The polytheists came, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Let none of you advance towards anything until I am the one before him.” The polytheists drew near, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Rise to a Paradise whose breadth is the heavens and the earth.” He said: ʿUmayr ibn al-Ḥumām al-Anṣārī (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “O Messenger of Allah, a Paradise whose breadth is the heavens and the earth?” He said: “Yes.” He said: “Excellent, excellent!” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “What moves you to say, ‘Excellent, excellent’?” He said: “Nothing, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah, except the hope that I may be among its people.” He said: “You are indeed among its people.” He then took out some dates from his quiver and began to eat from them, then said: “If I were to live until I finish eating these dates of mine, that would indeed be a long life.” So he cast away the dates he had with him, then fought them until he was killed. Narrated by Muslim. “Al-qaran”—with a fatḥah on the qāf and the rāʾ—is the quiver for arrows.
On his authority (Anas), who said: Some people came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), [saying]: “Send with us men to teach us the Qurʾān and the Sunnah.” So he sent to them seventy men from the Anṣār who were called the Reciters; among them was my maternal uncle Ḥarām. They would recite the Qurʾān and study it together by night, learning; and by day they would bring water and place it in the mosque, and gather firewood and sell it, and with [its proceeds] they would buy food for the people of the Ṣuffah and for the poor. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent them, but [the enemy] confronted them and killed them before they reached the place. They said: “O Allah, convey on our behalf to our Prophet that we have met You, and we are pleased with You and You are pleased with us.” A man came upon Ḥarām, the maternal uncle of Anas, from behind and stabbed him with a spear until he ran it through him. Ḥarām said: “I have triumphed, by the Lord of the Kaʿbah!” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Your brothers have been killed, and they said: O Allah, convey on our behalf to our Prophet that we have met You, and we are pleased with You and You are pleased with us.” Agreed upon, and this is the wording of Muslim.
On his authority (Anas), who said: My uncle Anas ibn al-Naḍr (may Allah be pleased with him) was absent from the fighting at Badr, and he said: “O Messenger of Allah, I was absent from the first battle in which you fought the polytheists. If Allah lets me witness fighting the polytheists, Allah will surely see what I do.” When the day of Uḥud came and the Muslims gave way, he said: “O Allah, I excuse myself to You for what these have done”—meaning his companions—“and I disown before You what these have done”—meaning the polytheists. Then he advanced, and Saʿd ibn Muʿādh met him. He said: “O Saʿd ibn Muʿādh, [I long for] Paradise! By the Lord of al-Naḍr, I find its fragrance coming from beyond Uḥud!” Saʿd said: “I was not able, O Messenger of Allah, [to do] what he did!” Anas said: We found upon him some eighty-odd blows of the sword, or stabs of a spear, or shots of an arrow; and we found that he had been killed and that the polytheists had mutilated him, so that no one recognised him except his sister, by his fingertips. Anas said: We used to think—or suppose—that this verse was revealed concerning him and the likes of him: “Among the believers are men who have been true to what they pledged to Allah; among them is he who has fulfilled his vow” [al-Aḥzāb: 23], to the end of it. Agreed upon, and it has preceded in the Chapter on Striving.
On the authority of Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Last night I saw two men who came to me and took me up the tree, then brought me into a house that was more beautiful and excellent—I have never seen one more beautiful than it. They said: As for this house, it is the house of the martyrs.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī. It is part of a long hadith containing various kinds of knowledge, which will come in the Chapter on the Prohibition of Lying, if Allah the Exalted wills.
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): Umm al-Rubayyiʿ bint al-Barāʾ—who was the mother of Ḥārithah ibn Surāqah—came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allah, will you not tell me about Ḥārithah?”—and he had been killed on the day of Badr—“for if he is in Paradise I shall be patient, but if he is otherwise I shall weep hard over him.” He said: “O mother of Ḥārithah, there are indeed gardens within Paradise, and your son has attained al-Firdaws al-Aʿlā [the highest Paradise].” Narrated by al-Bukhārī.
On the authority of Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allah (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: My father was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) having been mutilated, and he was placed before him. I went to uncover his face, but my people forbade me. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The angels did not cease to shade him with their wings.” Agreed upon.
On the authority of Sahl ibn Ḥunayf (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever asks Allah the Exalted for martyrdom with truthfulness, Allah will raise him to the ranks of the martyrs, even if he dies upon his bed.” Narrated by Muslim.
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever seeks martyrdom truthfully will be granted it, even if it does not befall him.” Narrated by Muslim.
On the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The martyr feels nothing of the pain of being killed except as one of you feels the sting of a pinch.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: “A good and sound hadith.”
On the authority of ʿAbd Allah ibn Abī Awfā (may Allah be pleased with them both): The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), on one of the days on which he met the enemy, waited until the sun had declined, then stood among the people and said: “O people, do not wish to meet the enemy, and ask Allah for well-being; but when you meet them, be steadfast, and know that Paradise lies beneath the shade of the swords.” Then he said: “O Allah, Revealer of the Book, Driver of the clouds, Defeater of the confederates, defeat them and grant us victory over them.” Agreed upon.
Sahl b. Saʿd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Two supplications are not turned back, or are rarely turned back: the supplication made at the time of the call to prayer, and at the time of battle, when the two sides press hard against one another." Narrated by Abū Dāwūd with a sound chain.
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) set out on a military expedition, he would say: "O Allah, You are my support and my helper; by You I move, by You I charge, and by You I fight." Narrated by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A good (ḥasan) hadith."
Abū Mūsā (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (ﷺ), whenever he feared a people, would say: "O Allah, we place You at their throats, and we seek refuge in You from their evils." Narrated by Abū Dāwūd with a sound chain.
Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Good is bound to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection." Agreed upon (al-Bukhārī and Muslim).
ʿUrwah al-Bāriqī (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Good is bound to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection: reward and spoils of war." Agreed upon (al-Bukhārī and Muslim).
Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Whoever keeps a horse for the sake of Allah, out of faith in Allah and belief in His promise, then its feed, its water, its dung, and its urine will be in his scale of good deeds on the Day of Resurrection." Narrated by al-Bukhārī.
Abū Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) with a she-camel fitted with a nose-rein and said, "This is for the sake of Allah." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "For it you shall have, on the Day of Resurrection, seven hundred she-camels, every one of them fitted with a nose-rein." Narrated by Muslim.
Abū Ḥammād — also called Abū Saʿʿād, Abū Asad, Abū ʿĀmir, Abū ʿAmr, Abū al-Aswad, and Abū ʿAbs — ʿUqbah b. ʿĀmir al-Juhanī (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), while he was upon the pulpit, saying: "{And prepare against them whatever force you are able to muster} [al-Anfāl: 60]. Behold, the force is shooting (archery); behold, the force is shooting; behold, the force is shooting." Narrated by Muslim.
On his authority as well, he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: "Lands will be opened up for you, and Allah will suffice you; so let none of you be too feeble to keep up his practice with his arrows." Narrated by Muslim.
On his authority as well, that he said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Whoever is taught archery and then abandons it is not one of us," — or he said, "he has indeed disobeyed." Narrated by Muslim.
On his authority (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: "Allah admits three people into Paradise by means of a single arrow: the one who makes it, seeking reward through his craft for the good, the one who shoots with it, and the one who hands him the arrows. So shoot and ride, though that you should shoot is dearer to me than that you should ride. And whoever abandons archery after he has learned it, out of distaste for it, has abandoned a blessing," — or he said, "has been ungrateful for it." Narrated by Abū Dāwūd.
Salamah b. al-Akwaʿ (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) passed by a group competing in archery and said: "Shoot, O sons of Ismāʿīl, for your forefather was an archer." Narrated by al-Bukhārī.
ʿAmr ibn ʿAbasah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Whoever shoots an arrow in the path of Allah, it counts for him as the equivalent of freeing a slave." Narrated by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A good and sound hadith."
Abū Yaḥyā Khuraym ibn Fātik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever spends an outlay in the path of Allah, seven hundred times its like is recorded for him." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A good hadith."
Abū Saʿīd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no servant who fasts a day in the path of Allah but that, by that day, Allah will distance his face from the Fire by seventy years." Agreed upon.
Abū Umāmah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever fasts a day in the path of Allah, Allah will set between him and the Fire a trench as wide as that between the heaven and the earth." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A good and sound hadith."
Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever dies without having fought, and without ever having resolved within himself to fight, dies upon a branch of hypocrisy." Narrated by Muslim.
Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on a military expedition when he said: "In Madinah there are indeed men who, no matter what distance you have travelled or what valley you have crossed, were with you; illness held them back." In another narration: "a valid excuse held them back." In another narration: "but that they shared with you in the reward." Al-Bukhārī narrated it from the report of Anas, and Muslim narrated it from the report of Jābir, and the wording is his.
Abū Mūsā (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that a bedouin came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, one man fights for booty, another man fights to be remembered, and another man fights so that his standing may be seen?" In another narration: "he fights out of bravery, and he fights out of partisanship." In another narration: "he fights out of anger — so which of them is in the path of Allah?" The Messenger of Allah said: "Whoever fights so that the word of Allah may be the highest, he is in the path of Allah." Agreed upon.
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no raiding party or detachment that goes out to fight, then gains booty and comes back safe, but that they have already taken in advance two-thirds of their reward; and there is no raiding party or detachment that fails to gain booty and suffers loss but that their reward is completed in full for them." Narrated by Muslim.
Abū Umāmah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that a man said: "O Messenger of Allah, grant me leave to roam the earth [as a wandering devotee]." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the wandering of my nation is jihad in the path of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic." Narrated by Abū Dāwūd with a good chain.
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The return [from a campaign] is like the campaign itself." Narrated by Abū Dāwūd with a good chain. "Al-qaflah" means the return; what is intended is the return from a military campaign after it is over. Its meaning is that he is rewarded for his return after finishing the campaign.
Al-Sāʾib ibn Yazīd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned from the expedition of Tabūk, the people went out to meet him, and I met him along with the children at Thaniyyat al-Wadāʿ. Narrated by Abū Dāwūd with a sound chain in this wording. Al-Bukhārī also narrated it: "We went out to meet the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) along with the children, to Thaniyyat al-Wadāʿ."
Abū Umāmah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever does not fight, nor equip a fighter, nor look after a fighter's family in his absence in a good manner, Allah will strike him with a sudden calamity before the Day of Resurrection." Narrated by Abū Dāwūd with a sound chain.
From Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet ﷺ said: "Strive against the polytheists with your wealth, your lives, and your tongues." Narrated by Abū Dāwūd with a sound chain.
From Abū ʿAmr — also called Abū Ḥakīm — al-Nuʿmān ibn Muqarrin (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I witnessed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: when he did not fight at the beginning of the day, he would delay the battle until the sun had passed its zenith, the winds blew, and victory came down. Narrated by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A good and sound hadith."
From Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Do not wish to meet the enemy, but ask Allah for wellbeing; yet when you do meet them, be steadfast." Agreed upon.
From him and from Jābir (may Allah be pleased with them both): the Prophet ﷺ said: "War is deception." Agreed upon.