٢٤٤. عَنْ أَنَسٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«جَاهِدُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ وَأَلْسِنَتِكُمْ».
244. Anas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Use your property, your bodies, and your tongues in striving against the polytheists!” (Abu Dawud, Jihad, 17/2504; Nasai, Jihad, 1, 48)
٢٤٥. عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«لَرَوْحَةٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ أَوْ غَدْوَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا».
245. Anas b. Malik (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“…a morning’s or an evening’s journey which a slave (person) travels in Allah’s Cause is better than the world and whatever is on its surface.” (Bukhari, Jihad, 6)
٢٤٦. عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: بَعَثَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَبْدَ اللّٰهِ بْنَ رَوَاحَةَ فِي سَرِيَّةٍ فَوَافَقَ ذٰلِكَ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَغَدَا أَصْحَابُهُ فَقَالَ «أَتَخَلَّفُ فَأُصَلِّي مَعَ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثُمَّ أَلْحَقُهُمْ» فَلَمَّا صَلَّى مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَآهُ فَقَالَ:
«مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تَغْدُوَ مَعَ أَصْحَابِكَ؟» فَقَالَ:
«أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أُصَلِّيَ مَعَكَ ثُمَّ أَلْحَقَهُمْ» قَالَ:
«لَوْ أَنْفَقْتَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مَا أَدْرَكْتَ فَضْلَ غَدْوَتِهِمْ».
246. Ibn Abbas (r.a.) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sent Abdullah b. Rawaha (r.a.) for a military expedition. This took place on Friday. His friends departed in the morning and he thought “Let me lag behind so that I can pray with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh).” When he performed the prayer with the Noble Prophet (pbuh), the Messenger saw him and asked:
“Why didn’t you go with your friends in the morning?”
Abdullah b. Rawaha said:
“I wanted to join you in prayer and then catch up with them.”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Even if you donate everything on this world, you would not gain the rewards that they would by departing early.” (Tirmidhi, Jum’a, 28/527; Ahmad, I, 224, 256. Also see. Ahmad, III, 438; Baihaki, al-Sunan al-kubra, III, 187)
٢٤٧. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ:
«دُلَّنِي عَلَى عَمَلٍ يَعْدِلُ الْجِهَادَ» قَالَ:
«لَا أَجِدُهُ قَالَ هَلْ تَسْتَطِيعُ إِذَا خَرَجَ الْمُجَاهِدُ أَنْ تَدْخُلَ مَسْجِدَكَ فَتَقُومَ وَلَا تَفْتُرَ وَتَصُومَ وَلَا تُفْطِرَ» قَالَ:
«وَمَنْ يَسْتَطِيعُ ذٰلِكَ».
247. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated: A person came to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and said:
“What deed could be an equivalent of Jihad in the way of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted?
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) replied:
“I do not know such a deed” and continued:
“One who goes out for Jihad is like a person who keeps fasts, stands in prayer (constantly), (obeying) Allah’s (behests contained in) the verses (of the Qur’an), and does not exhibit any lassitude in fasting and prayer until the Mujahid returns from Jihad in the way of Allah, the Exalted. Would you have the strength to do that deed?”
The man said:
“Who would have the strength to do that deed?” (Bukhari, Jihad, 1; Nasai, Jihad, 17. Also see Muslim, Kitab Al-Imara, 110; Tirmidhi, Fadail al-jihad, 1; Ahmad, II, 344, 423)
٢٤٨. عَنْ سَلْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ:
«رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ صِيَامِ شَهْرٍ وَقِيَامِهِ وَإِنْ مَاتَ جَرَى عَلَيْهِ عَمَلُهُ الَّذِي كَانَ يَعْمَلُهُ وَأُجْرِيَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقُهُ وَأَمِنَ الْفَتَّانَ».
248. Salman (r.a.) narrated: I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) say:
“Keeping watch for a day and a night is better (in point of reward) than fasting for a whole month and standing in prayer every night. If a person dies (while, performing this duty), his (meritorious) activity will continue and he will go on receiving his reward for it perpetually and will be saved from the torture of the grave.” (Muslim, Kitab Al-Imara, 163. Also see. Tirmidhi, Fadail al-jihad, 2; Nasai, jihad, 39; Ibn Majah, Jihad, 7)
٢٤٩. عَنِ ابْنِ الْخَصَاصِيَّةِ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِأُبَايِعَهُ قَالَ فَاشْتَرَطَ عَلَيَّ شَهَادَةَ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَأَنْ أُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنْ أُؤَدِّيَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَنْ أَحُجَّ حَجَّةَ الْإِسْلَامِ وَأَنْ أَصُومَ شَهْرَ رَمَضَانَ وَأَنْ أُجَاهِدَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ فَقُلْتُ:
«يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ أَمَّا اثْنَتَانِ فَوَاللّٰهِ مَا أُطِيقُهُمَا الْجِهَادُ وَالصَّدَقَةُ فَإِنَّهُمْ زَعَمُوا أَنَّهُ مَنْ وَلَّى الدُّبُرَ فَقَدْ بَاءَ بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللّٰهِ فَأَخَافُ إِنْ حَضَرْتُ تِلْكَ جَشِعَتْ نَفْسِي وَكَرِهَتِ الْمَوْتَ وَالصَّدَقَةُ فَوَاللّٰهِ مَا لِي إِلَّا غُنَيْمَةٌ وَعَشْرُ ذَوْدٍ هُنَّ رَسَلُ أَهْلِي وَحَمُولَتُهُمْ» قَالَ فَقَبَضَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَدَهُ ثُمَّ حَرَّكَ يَدَهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ:
«فَلَا جِهَادَ وَلَا صَدَقَةَ فَلِمَ تَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ إِذًا» قَالَ قُلْتُ:
«يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ أَنَا أُبَايِعُكَ» قَالَ فَبَايَعْتُ عَلَيْهِنَّ كُلِّهِنَّ.
249. Bashir b. Hasasiyye (r.a.) said:
I came to pledge allegiance to the Noble Prophet. He put forth the condition that I have to testify that there is no god but Allah and the Messenger is His servant and the Prophet, to perform regular prayers, to give Islamic poor-due, to perform Pilgrimage (Hajj), to fast during the month of Ramadan, and perform jihad in the way of Allah.
I said to him:
“O the Messenger of Allah! I swear to Allah that I cannot perform two of these. These are the Jihad and Sadaqah (charity). Muslims say that those who run away from the frontage returns by getting the anger of Allah.[1] I fear that my carnal self may get scared from dying.
When it comes to sadaqah (charity), I swear to Allah that I do not have anything else than a small sheep herd and ten camels. They are the source of livelihood of family and mounts.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) clenched and waived his hand saying:
“No Jihad, no sadaqah (charity), how are you going to go to Paradise?!”
I said right away:
“O the Messenger of Allah, I pledge allegiance to you!” and pledged upon all the conditions that he proposed. (Ahmad, V, 224; Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, II, 306, [from the interpretation of Al-Anfal; 8:16)
٢٥٠. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«إِنَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِائَةَ دَرَجَةٍ أَعَدَّهَا اللّٰهُ لِلْمُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ مَا بَيْنَ الدَّرَجَتَيْنِ كَمَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ فَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُ اللّٰهَ فَاسْأَلُوهُ الْفِرْدَوْسَ فَإِنَّهُ أَوْسَطُ الْجَنَّةِ وَأَعْلَى الْجَنَّةِ».
250. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Paradise has one-hundred levels which Allah has reserved for the Mujahidin who fight in His Cause, and the distance between each of two levels is like the distance between the Heaven and the Earth. So, when you ask Allah (for something), ask for Al-firdaws which is the best and highest level of Paradise.” (Bukhari, Jihâd, 4; Tawhîd, 22. See also Nasai, Jihad, 18; Ahmad, II, 335, 339)
Explanations:
Jihad comes from the Arabic root “jahd” which means to exert and make an effort, to utilize all the possibilities in order to succeed in something. In technical terms, it means “to learn commands of the religion and live by them and to teach others, to enjoin the good and forbid the evil, to call others to Islam, to be at war with the carnal self and the external enemies.” Jihad can be made by various means such as heart, tongue, hands, wealth, life, and weapons.
As it can be seen, jihad has a wide range of meanings that cover all kinds of deeds of learning Islam and helping to protect and ensure its continuation. For this reason, considering jihad consisting of solely battle is not only incorrect representation of the truth but also is a faulty and wrong understanding of the meaning of Jihad given in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
In this situation, any effort and struggle to exalt the religion of Allah, that is, “‘ila-i kalimatullah,” is jihad. A person first believes in Allah, then learns his religion, and then tries to take his religion to other people in an appropriate style. He struggles with those who object this, again, within the rules brought by religion. Namely, he tries to remove all the barriers between Islam and humans. This is because the only goal of jihad is to provide opportunities for those who want to accept the religion without any imposition, with their own will, and discretion and to prepare the basis for those who want to learn the necessities of their religion and to live what they learned.
Jihad aims to purify the Earth from all kinds of oppression and polytheism and to establish justice, compassion, and mercy there. This means not just Muslims, but all humanity, living beings, and even non-living beings are under protection. The real difference between the life-granting jihad of Muslims and the war of oppressors who loot everything is seen here.
For this reason, the foundation of the building of Islam is considered as faith and its peak and highest dome is accepted as “jihad.” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Jihad is the peak of Islam.” (Tirmidhi, Iman 8; Ibn Majah, Fitan 22; Ahmad, V, 245-246)
Deeming jihad as superior to all virtuous deeds is because it is a means to establish the hegemony of Allah’s will on Earth and it helps people achieve salvation both in this world and in the hereafter. Both the religion and the order of the world are dependent upon it, so each step that serves this purpose has a great value.[2]
The Noble Companions who properly understood the virtue of jihad have pursued one jihad after another. There are many companions who left their own lands and emigrated to faraway places that they have never known and who never came back in order for those people to become Muslims and to teach them Islam even though their ages were very advanced.
In this regard how exemplary the following narration is:
Harith b. Hisham and Suhail b. Amr were with Umar (r. anhum). They sat so that Umar was between them. After a while the first Emigrants started to come. As each emigrant came Umar (r.a.) used to move them to the side as “Make room O Suhail! Move forward a little and let them sit O Harith!” Then, the Helpers started to come. Umar again told Suhail and Harith to make room for the newly arriving Helpers so that they ended up at the end of the congregation. When they exited from Umar’s presence, Harith (r.a.) said to Suhail:
“Have you seen what Umar did to us?”
Suhail (r.a.) responded:
“We have no right to blame him. We should blame ourselves. We caused this to ourselves. The people who he respected ran to Islam immediately when they were called and accepted without delay. We, on the other hand, acted slowly and stayed back.”
When people scattered around from the presence of Umar, Harith and Suhail visited him again and asked:
“O the Ruler of Believers! We saw what you did today. But we also know that it is us who caused this to happen. However, is there a way to compensate for this mistake?” Umar (r.a.) said:
“This can be the only way to compensate for this” and pointed towards the war fronts towards direction of the Roman Empire.
Upon this, they went out for jihad to Damascus and never came back until they reach the rank of martyrdom. (See Ali al-Muttaqi, XIV, 67/37953; Hakim, III, 318/5227)
Almighty Allah speaks as follows:
“Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah has granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home). Unto all (in Faith) Allah has promised good: But those who strive and fight He has distinguished above those who sit (at home) by a special reward, ranks specially bestowed by Him, and Forgiveness and Mercy. For Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” (An-Nisa; 4:95-96)
Indeed, the Noble Companions and the righteous believers who came after them have all pursued jihad in order to achieve the reward, superiority, forgiveness, and mercy of Almighty Allah, they had never sat down and remained at where they are. This is because the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) commanded them to struggle in the way of Allah with all their property, lives, tongues, that is, with all their capacities.
In our first hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) shows us how broad the meaning of jihad is. Namely, jihad can be done by wealth, lives, and tongues.
Almighty Allah vows that He will give many times more to his servants who participate in jihad with their wealth. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) gives the related glad tidings as follows:
“Seven hundred times the reward is given to those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah.” (Tirmidhi, Fadail al-jihad, 4. Also see Nasai, Jihad, 45)
“But the Messenger, and those who believe with him, strive and fight with their wealth and their persons: for them are (all) good things: and it is they who will prosper.” (Al-Tawbah; 9:88)
“O you who believe! Shall I lead you to a bargain that will save you from a grievous Penalty? That you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you strive (your utmost) in the Cause of Allah, with your property and your persons: That will be best for you, if you but knew!” (Al-Saff; 61:10-11)
When asked who the most virtuous person is, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) again said:
“The believer who struggles in the way of Allah with his life and property.” (Bukhari, Jihad, 2; Muslim, Kitab Al-Imara, 122)
When it comes to jihad with tongue, it is also very important. Jihad with forces like language, paper, pen, culture, and economics has gained more importance especially in our day. The Noble Qur’an named calling to Islam, which is very important in carrying the divine message to humanity, “the Great Jihad (strive with utmost strenuousness).”
In the noble verse it is said:
“Therefore listen not to the unbelievers, but strive against them with the utmost strenuousness, with the (Qur’an).” (Al-Furqan; 25:52)
The “utmost strenuousness” in the verse is doing everything possible to spread and exalt Islam, and to mobilize all resources and capacities for this cause.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said the following about those who speak of things that they do not do and do things that they were not commanded:
“…He who strove against them with his hand was a believer: he who strove against them with his tongue was a believer, and he who strove against them with his heart was a believer and beyond that there is no faith even to the extent of a mustard seed.” (Muslim, Iman, 80)
The usage of the term jihad (strive) by the Prophet is worthy of attention. Then, enjoining the good and forbidding the evil with tongue is also jihad. If one does not have the strength to do this, then hating from the heart and praying is also jihad. However, this understanding never means to neglect, belittle, or give up the jihad in the war front. It only shows that the mentality that considers jihad something that can only be done with the hand and at the war front is incomplete. This is because it may not always be necessary to fight on the war front. Moreover, some accomplishments are obtained outside the war front. No doubt there are many ways and methods to spread the religion of Allah and to take Islam to people. Even the army that will fight in the war front can only be formed by calling to Islam and training.
The jihad with tongue in our hadith is also understood as activities such as encouraging the warriors to fight with the enemy, saying words or reciting poems that increase their courage and state the virtue of jihad. Indeed, when the verses that decry the poets who deal with invalidity and poetry in this context, Qa’b b. Malik (r.a.), one of the famous poets, came to the Prophet and asked:
“As you know, Allah the Exalted has revealed some verses on poetry, what do you command in this regard?” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sad to him:
“The believer strives (jihad) with his sword and tongue. I swear by Allah in Whose Hand my soul is the words that you throw to the enemy with your tongue are just like arrows, it divides and destroys them.” (See Ahmad, III, 456; VI, 387)
In the same manner, to announce the bad ends of the disbelievers and unbelievers, to put forth with evidence their heresy and invalidity are also jihad with the tongue. Namely, all kinds of verbal service for Islam are considered jihad with tongue.
Almighty Allah has informed us that he loves his servants who fight in the direction of the sake of Allah and are never afraid of the reproaches of such people who find fault, and He also testified that such servants also love Him. This indeed is a great favor from Allah. (Al-Maidah; 5:54)
While the meaning of jihad (striving, struggling in the way of Allah) is very broad due to its difficulty and the necessity of putting one’ life at stake the physical jihad has been accepted as the most virtuous. When all the possibilities for peace are exhausted or when enemy attacks, war may become necessary as a last resort. In this situation, going on an expedition by risking everything is of course the most virtuous righteous deed. Indeed, in our second hadith, we are informed that walking a little in the morning or in the evening for this purpose is better for a Muslim than the world and all there is in it. Due to the superiority of this effort in the way of Allah, Almighty Allah has decreed as virtuous the steps are when returning from jihad as the steps taken going for jihad.
All military moves, the morning and evening training activities, which are important for the military, and even stepping somewhere that would anger the disbelievers are from the acts that are considered rewarding and are included in the content of our hadith.
Almighty Allah speaks as follows:
“It was not fitting for the people of Medina and the Bedouin Arabs of the neighborhood, to refuse to follow Allah’s Messenger, nor to prefer their own lives to his: because nothing could they suffer or do, but was reckoned to their credit as a deed of righteousness,- whether they suffered thirst, or fatigue, or hunger, in the cause of Allah, or trod paths to raise the ire of the Unbelievers, or received any injury whatever from an enemy: for Allah suffers not the reward to be lost of those who do good.” (Al-Tawbah; 9:120)
However, jihad needs to be done only for the sake of Allah. Indeed questions like the following were directed to the Prophet:
“O the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)! Some people fight so that they can obtain war booty (spoils of war), others fight so that they can be famous, others fight so that they show off as heroes and prove the superiority of their race, and some people fight because of their anger. Now who among these are in the way of Allah?”
The Prophet (pbuh) said:
“Only he who fights that Allah’s Word (i.e. Islam) should be superior fights in Allah’s Cause.” (See Bukhari, Jihad, 15; Muslim, Imara, 149-151)
In our third hadith, we are informed that hurrying in jihad and being early in this way even for a few hours is better than performing a prayer with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) or than donating everything on this world. When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saw that Abdullah bin Rawaha that he has sent to a military expedition got behind from his friends due to his desire to pray with the Messenger of Allah, he said:
“Even if you donate everything in this world, you would not gain the rewards that they would by departing early.”
Again one day, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sent some of his noble companions to a military expedition. One of them stayed back. He said to his family:
“I stayed back thinking ‘let me perform the Salat al-Zuhr with the Messenger of Allah and then say goodbye to him’. He also said that ‘the Messenger can pray for me so that prayer can be intercessor for me on the Day of Judgment.”
This person approached our Noble Prophet after the prayer and greeted him.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Do you know by how much your friends got in front of you?”
The companion said:
“Yes, they have got ahead of me as much as it can be traveled since the morning.”
Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“I swear to Allah who holds my carnal self in His hands that they have got ahead of you in terms of virtue as much as the distance between the east and the west.” (Ahmad, III, 438)
This is to say that the steps taken and the seconds spent in the way of Allah are so valuable. As a matter of fact, it is impossible to find another worship that is better and more virtuous than jihad in terms of its goal and hardships. Indeed, in our forth hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said the following to a person who asked if there is worship same in virtue as jihad:
“I don’t know such a deed (that is equivalent to Jihad)!”
According to the narration in the Muslim, this question was repeated two or three times and the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) answered in each time:
“You cannot find a deed that is equivalent to it!” Then he said:
“One who goes out for Jihad is like a person who keeps fasts, stands in prayer (constantly), (obeying) Allah’s (behests contained in) the verses (of the Qur’an), and does not exhibit any lassitude in fasting and prayer until the Mujahid returns from Jihad in the way of Allah, the Exalted.” (Muslim, Kitab Al-Imara, 110. Also see Tirmidhi, Fadail al-jihad, 1; Nasai, Jihad, 17)
When the noble companion who asked the question heard what the Prophet had said, he had to confess that no one can do that.
Not only jihad but everything that is related to it is also virtuous. As a matter of fact, in our fifth hadith it is told about the virtue of being on duty (e.g. protecting the border etc.)
The word “Ribat” mentioned in the hadith (in the original text) means to be ready and wait to prevent the attack of the enemy and depend in the way of Allah. The same term is used for the border that is formed between unbelievers and Muslims in order to protect the believers. The posts located at the border between a Muslim country and a country of non-believers is also called “ribat.” The soldiers who are on duty in these places are called “murabit.”
We see from the original text of the following noble verse that feeding a horse and making them ready for jihad is also called ribat:
“Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know. Whatever you shall spend in the cause of Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and you shall not be treated unjustly.” (Al-Anfal; 8:60)
Based on this verse, our scholars expressed that it is one of the most important duties of Muslims to have all the weapons that are necessary for the time, and producing war weapons and equipment and making them ready for use. Therefore, every act and preparation that is related to jihad is a good deed and included in the good news of the hadith.
As per the first meaning of ribat, a person who is on duty at the border gains rewards that are equivalent to fasting during the day and conducting miscellaneous acts of worship in the night. If the person passes away during this duty, the righteous deed that he was performing transforms into an everlasting reward (sadaqah jaria) and he earns divine rewards until the Day of Judgment. Since he passed away during a duty related to jihad, he is considered a martyr, and he immediately starts to benefit from the bounties of the Paradise. He is saved right away from the hardships of the grave, which is the most passage for humans, and questions of the angels.[3]
Indeed, ribat is a virtuous deed that saves one from the horrific scenes of the grave. This is because it is a hard and difficult service in order to protect people’s religion, life, property, honor, and chastity.
In our sixth hadith, we are informed that jihad with property and life is the most important worship that is a means to entering Heaven. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has proposed some conditions to the companion who came to pledge allegiance to him. When the companion said that he would fear the anger of Allah in case he leaves jihad because he would fear for his life and also he would not be able to give sadaqah from his wealth which is sufficient only for his family, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) clenched and shook his fist and said:
“There is neither striving nor almsgiving, then how will you enter the Paradise?”
Allah knows the best but maybe the Prophet (pbuh) wanted to show by clenching his fist that what prevents one from jihad and sadaqah is miserliness that clenches a person like an iron shield.
So, jihad and sadaqah, are two means to practice the religion and to earn the Heaven. This is because striving in the way of Allah through ones wealth and life is the beginning of the matter and the peak of the religion. When jihad and sadaqah disappears from the scene, the religion weakens and mischief covers the world. Indeed, in one of the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), which he starts by saying “There will come such a time upon people that…” and where he describes the times where religiousness weakens, he informs us that people will see jihad as loss and zakat as a difficult loan that is hard to handle and pay back. (Ali al-Muttaqi, III, 236/6322)
For this reason, the companion has not been late to realize the seriousness of the matter upon the Prophet’s meaningful question and has participated in the jihads by immediately accepting all the conditions and pledging allegiance. Indeed, in our sources it is stated that that person has participated in the conquest of Madain at the time of Umar. (Ibn Asaakir, Tarihu Dimashq, X, 308)
Jihad does not just help a person enter the Heaven also helps the person reach the highest ranks. In our seventh hadith, we are informed that there are one hundred grades in Heaven for the martyrs and that the distance between each of them are as far as the distance between the Earth and the Sky. In our hadith, there is also an indicator that the mujahedeen (strivers) are going to be placed in the Heaven of Firdaows, the highest rank in Heaven.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) says the following:
“Nobody who enters Paradise likes to go back to the world even if he got everything on the earth, except a Mujahid who wishes to return to the world so that he may be martyred ten times because of the dignity he receives (from Allah).” (Bukhari, Jihad, 21; Muslim, Imara, 109. Also see. Tirmidhi, Fadail al-jihad, 13, 25)
As jihad and being mujahidin are so virtuous, those who leave jihad also correspondingly burden themselves very heavily and end up risking themselves.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) says the following:
“He who does not join the warlike expedition (jihad), or equip, or looks well after a warrior’s family when he is away, will be smitten by Allah with a sudden calamity before the Day of Resurrection” (Abu Dawud, Jihad, 17/2503. Also see Ibn Majah, Jihad, 5)
“When you transact via i’nah[4] method, when you hold on to the tails of oxen, when you prefer farming and leave jihad, Allah will bestow upon you such a despicableness that it won’t be removed until you go back to your religion.” (Abu Dawud, Kitab Al-Buyu, 54/3462)
The purpose of saying ‘holding on to the tails of oxen and preferring farming…’ is to be busy with worldly affairs when it is necessary to do jihad. This situation is nothing but the heedlessness of one’s risking oneself with his own hands. The following narration that shows this contains lots of lessons to take:
In the time of Umayyads, the army of Abdurrahman, the son of Khalid b. Walid (r.a.), had departed in order to achieve the glad tidings and praise of the Messenger of Allah regarding the conquest of Istanbul. Abu Ayyub Al Ansari (r.a.) was also in that army. When the Romans were fighting while their back was towards the city walls, a person from the Ansar rode his horse to the middle of the Romans.
Recalling the verse “…make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction… (Al Baqara, 2:195),” the believers who saw this said:
“La ilaaha illallah! Look at him! He is recklessly risking his life!”
Upon his Abu Ayyub Al Ansari said the following:
“O believers! That verse was revealed about us, the Helpers (Ansaar). When Almighty Allah helped His Prophet and had his religion prevail we had said, ‘From now on, we should stay and be busy with our property.’ Upon his Almighty Allah revealed the following verse to His Messenger:
“And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good; for Allah loves those who do good.”[5]
The purpose of ‘make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good’ in this verse is that you should not leave aside and neglect jihad by busying yourself with worldly goods such as gardens and fields.”
Abu Ayyub al-Ansari did not leave jihad even though he was over the age of eighty. He continued to strive in the way of Allah until he was martyred and buried in Istanbul. (See Abu Dawud, Jihad, 22/2512; Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 2/2972)
[1] Here, the companion was minding the following noble verse:
“If any do turn his back to them on such a day – unless it be in a stratagem of war, or to retreat to a troop (of his own)- he draws on himself the wrath of Allah, and his abode is Hell,- an evil refuge (indeed)!” (al-Anfal; 8:16)
[2] For details on jihad see Ahmet Özel-Bekir Topaloğlu, “Cihad”, Diyanet İslâm Ansiklopedisi, VII, 527-534.
[3] Indeed the grave is a great source of fear and anxiety for humans. Indeed the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“The grave is the first of the stages of the Hereafter; whoever is saved from it, what comes afterwards will be easier for him, but if he is not saved from it, what comes afterwards will be worse (more difficult and intense) for him. … I have never seen any scene that was as frightening and scary as the grave.” (Ahmad, I, 63-64)
[4] I‘nah is sales transaction where a person sells a good with installments at a certain price but purchases back the same good with a price that is lower than the price he charges when he sells with no installments. Such a transaction has not been found permissible because it contains a doubt that it could be interest. (H. Yunus Apaydın, “Îne”, Diyanet İslâm Ansiklopedisi, XXII, 283-284)
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4. Struggle (Jihad) in the Way of Allah
٢٤٤. عَنْ أَنَسٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«جَاهِدُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ وَأَلْسِنَتِكُمْ».
244. Anas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Use your property, your bodies, and your tongues in striving against the polytheists!” (Abu Dawud, Jihad, 17/2504; Nasai, Jihad, 1, 48)
٢٤٥. عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«لَرَوْحَةٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ أَوْ غَدْوَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا».
245. Anas b. Malik (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“…a morning’s or an evening’s journey which a slave (person) travels in Allah’s Cause is better than the world and whatever is on its surface.” (Bukhari, Jihad, 6)
٢٤٦. عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: بَعَثَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَبْدَ اللّٰهِ بْنَ رَوَاحَةَ فِي سَرِيَّةٍ فَوَافَقَ ذٰلِكَ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَغَدَا أَصْحَابُهُ فَقَالَ «أَتَخَلَّفُ فَأُصَلِّي مَعَ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثُمَّ أَلْحَقُهُمْ» فَلَمَّا صَلَّى مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَآهُ فَقَالَ:
«مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تَغْدُوَ مَعَ أَصْحَابِكَ؟» فَقَالَ:
«أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أُصَلِّيَ مَعَكَ ثُمَّ أَلْحَقَهُمْ» قَالَ:
«لَوْ أَنْفَقْتَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مَا أَدْرَكْتَ فَضْلَ غَدْوَتِهِمْ».
246. Ibn Abbas (r.a.) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sent Abdullah b. Rawaha (r.a.) for a military expedition. This took place on Friday. His friends departed in the morning and he thought “Let me lag behind so that I can pray with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh).” When he performed the prayer with the Noble Prophet (pbuh), the Messenger saw him and asked:
“Why didn’t you go with your friends in the morning?”
Abdullah b. Rawaha said:
“I wanted to join you in prayer and then catch up with them.”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Even if you donate everything on this world, you would not gain the rewards that they would by departing early.” (Tirmidhi, Jum’a, 28/527; Ahmad, I, 224, 256. Also see. Ahmad, III, 438; Baihaki, al-Sunan al-kubra, III, 187)
٢٤٧. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ:
«دُلَّنِي عَلَى عَمَلٍ يَعْدِلُ الْجِهَادَ» قَالَ:
«لَا أَجِدُهُ قَالَ هَلْ تَسْتَطِيعُ إِذَا خَرَجَ الْمُجَاهِدُ أَنْ تَدْخُلَ مَسْجِدَكَ فَتَقُومَ وَلَا تَفْتُرَ وَتَصُومَ وَلَا تُفْطِرَ» قَالَ:
«وَمَنْ يَسْتَطِيعُ ذٰلِكَ».
247. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated: A person came to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and said:
“What deed could be an equivalent of Jihad in the way of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted?
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) replied:
“I do not know such a deed” and continued:
“One who goes out for Jihad is like a person who keeps fasts, stands in prayer (constantly), (obeying) Allah’s (behests contained in) the verses (of the Qur’an), and does not exhibit any lassitude in fasting and prayer until the Mujahid returns from Jihad in the way of Allah, the Exalted. Would you have the strength to do that deed?”
The man said:
“Who would have the strength to do that deed?” (Bukhari, Jihad, 1; Nasai, Jihad, 17. Also see Muslim, Kitab Al-Imara, 110; Tirmidhi, Fadail al-jihad, 1; Ahmad, II, 344, 423)
٢٤٨. عَنْ سَلْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ:
«رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ صِيَامِ شَهْرٍ وَقِيَامِهِ وَإِنْ مَاتَ جَرَى عَلَيْهِ عَمَلُهُ الَّذِي كَانَ يَعْمَلُهُ وَأُجْرِيَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقُهُ وَأَمِنَ الْفَتَّانَ».
248. Salman (r.a.) narrated: I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) say:
“Keeping watch for a day and a night is better (in point of reward) than fasting for a whole month and standing in prayer every night. If a person dies (while, performing this duty), his (meritorious) activity will continue and he will go on receiving his reward for it perpetually and will be saved from the torture of the grave.” (Muslim, Kitab Al-Imara, 163. Also see. Tirmidhi, Fadail al-jihad, 2; Nasai, jihad, 39; Ibn Majah, Jihad, 7)
٢٤٩. عَنِ ابْنِ الْخَصَاصِيَّةِ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِأُبَايِعَهُ قَالَ فَاشْتَرَطَ عَلَيَّ شَهَادَةَ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَأَنْ أُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنْ أُؤَدِّيَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَنْ أَحُجَّ حَجَّةَ الْإِسْلَامِ وَأَنْ أَصُومَ شَهْرَ رَمَضَانَ وَأَنْ أُجَاهِدَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ فَقُلْتُ:
«يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ أَمَّا اثْنَتَانِ فَوَاللّٰهِ مَا أُطِيقُهُمَا الْجِهَادُ وَالصَّدَقَةُ فَإِنَّهُمْ زَعَمُوا أَنَّهُ مَنْ وَلَّى الدُّبُرَ فَقَدْ بَاءَ بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللّٰهِ فَأَخَافُ إِنْ حَضَرْتُ تِلْكَ جَشِعَتْ نَفْسِي وَكَرِهَتِ الْمَوْتَ وَالصَّدَقَةُ فَوَاللّٰهِ مَا لِي إِلَّا غُنَيْمَةٌ وَعَشْرُ ذَوْدٍ هُنَّ رَسَلُ أَهْلِي وَحَمُولَتُهُمْ» قَالَ فَقَبَضَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَدَهُ ثُمَّ حَرَّكَ يَدَهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ:
«فَلَا جِهَادَ وَلَا صَدَقَةَ فَلِمَ تَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ إِذًا» قَالَ قُلْتُ:
«يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ أَنَا أُبَايِعُكَ» قَالَ فَبَايَعْتُ عَلَيْهِنَّ كُلِّهِنَّ.
249. Bashir b. Hasasiyye (r.a.) said:
I came to pledge allegiance to the Noble Prophet. He put forth the condition that I have to testify that there is no god but Allah and the Messenger is His servant and the Prophet, to perform regular prayers, to give Islamic poor-due, to perform Pilgrimage (Hajj), to fast during the month of Ramadan, and perform jihad in the way of Allah.
I said to him:
“O the Messenger of Allah! I swear to Allah that I cannot perform two of these. These are the Jihad and Sadaqah (charity). Muslims say that those who run away from the frontage returns by getting the anger of Allah.[1] I fear that my carnal self may get scared from dying.
When it comes to sadaqah (charity), I swear to Allah that I do not have anything else than a small sheep herd and ten camels. They are the source of livelihood of family and mounts.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) clenched and waived his hand saying:
“No Jihad, no sadaqah (charity), how are you going to go to Paradise?!”
I said right away:
“O the Messenger of Allah, I pledge allegiance to you!” and pledged upon all the conditions that he proposed. (Ahmad, V, 224; Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, II, 306, [from the interpretation of Al-Anfal; 8:16)
٢٥٠. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«إِنَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِائَةَ دَرَجَةٍ أَعَدَّهَا اللّٰهُ لِلْمُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ مَا بَيْنَ الدَّرَجَتَيْنِ كَمَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ فَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُ اللّٰهَ فَاسْأَلُوهُ الْفِرْدَوْسَ فَإِنَّهُ أَوْسَطُ الْجَنَّةِ وَأَعْلَى الْجَنَّةِ».
250. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Paradise has one-hundred levels which Allah has reserved for the Mujahidin who fight in His Cause, and the distance between each of two levels is like the distance between the Heaven and the Earth. So, when you ask Allah (for something), ask for Al-firdaws which is the best and highest level of Paradise.” (Bukhari, Jihâd, 4; Tawhîd, 22. See also Nasai, Jihad, 18; Ahmad, II, 335, 339)
Explanations:
Jihad comes from the Arabic root “jahd” which means to exert and make an effort, to utilize all the possibilities in order to succeed in something. In technical terms, it means “to learn commands of the religion and live by them and to teach others, to enjoin the good and forbid the evil, to call others to Islam, to be at war with the carnal self and the external enemies.” Jihad can be made by various means such as heart, tongue, hands, wealth, life, and weapons.
As it can be seen, jihad has a wide range of meanings that cover all kinds of deeds of learning Islam and helping to protect and ensure its continuation. For this reason, considering jihad consisting of solely battle is not only incorrect representation of the truth but also is a faulty and wrong understanding of the meaning of Jihad given in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
In this situation, any effort and struggle to exalt the religion of Allah, that is, “‘ila-i kalimatullah,” is jihad. A person first believes in Allah, then learns his religion, and then tries to take his religion to other people in an appropriate style. He struggles with those who object this, again, within the rules brought by religion. Namely, he tries to remove all the barriers between Islam and humans. This is because the only goal of jihad is to provide opportunities for those who want to accept the religion without any imposition, with their own will, and discretion and to prepare the basis for those who want to learn the necessities of their religion and to live what they learned.
Jihad aims to purify the Earth from all kinds of oppression and polytheism and to establish justice, compassion, and mercy there. This means not just Muslims, but all humanity, living beings, and even non-living beings are under protection. The real difference between the life-granting jihad of Muslims and the war of oppressors who loot everything is seen here.
For this reason, the foundation of the building of Islam is considered as faith and its peak and highest dome is accepted as “jihad.” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Jihad is the peak of Islam.” (Tirmidhi, Iman 8; Ibn Majah, Fitan 22; Ahmad, V, 245-246)
Deeming jihad as superior to all virtuous deeds is because it is a means to establish the hegemony of Allah’s will on Earth and it helps people achieve salvation both in this world and in the hereafter. Both the religion and the order of the world are dependent upon it, so each step that serves this purpose has a great value.[2]
The Noble Companions who properly understood the virtue of jihad have pursued one jihad after another. There are many companions who left their own lands and emigrated to faraway places that they have never known and who never came back in order for those people to become Muslims and to teach them Islam even though their ages were very advanced.
In this regard how exemplary the following narration is:
Harith b. Hisham and Suhail b. Amr were with Umar (r. anhum). They sat so that Umar was between them. After a while the first Emigrants started to come. As each emigrant came Umar (r.a.) used to move them to the side as “Make room O Suhail! Move forward a little and let them sit O Harith!” Then, the Helpers started to come. Umar again told Suhail and Harith to make room for the newly arriving Helpers so that they ended up at the end of the congregation. When they exited from Umar’s presence, Harith (r.a.) said to Suhail:
“Have you seen what Umar did to us?”
Suhail (r.a.) responded:
“We have no right to blame him. We should blame ourselves. We caused this to ourselves. The people who he respected ran to Islam immediately when they were called and accepted without delay. We, on the other hand, acted slowly and stayed back.”
When people scattered around from the presence of Umar, Harith and Suhail visited him again and asked:
“O the Ruler of Believers! We saw what you did today. But we also know that it is us who caused this to happen. However, is there a way to compensate for this mistake?” Umar (r.a.) said:
“This can be the only way to compensate for this” and pointed towards the war fronts towards direction of the Roman Empire.
Upon this, they went out for jihad to Damascus and never came back until they reach the rank of martyrdom. (See Ali al-Muttaqi, XIV, 67/37953; Hakim, III, 318/5227)
Almighty Allah speaks as follows:
“Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah has granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home). Unto all (in Faith) Allah has promised good: But those who strive and fight He has distinguished above those who sit (at home) by a special reward, ranks specially bestowed by Him, and Forgiveness and Mercy. For Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” (An-Nisa; 4:95-96)
Indeed, the Noble Companions and the righteous believers who came after them have all pursued jihad in order to achieve the reward, superiority, forgiveness, and mercy of Almighty Allah, they had never sat down and remained at where they are. This is because the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) commanded them to struggle in the way of Allah with all their property, lives, tongues, that is, with all their capacities.
In our first hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) shows us how broad the meaning of jihad is. Namely, jihad can be done by wealth, lives, and tongues.
Almighty Allah vows that He will give many times more to his servants who participate in jihad with their wealth. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) gives the related glad tidings as follows:
“Seven hundred times the reward is given to those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah.” (Tirmidhi, Fadail al-jihad, 4. Also see Nasai, Jihad, 45)
“But the Messenger, and those who believe with him, strive and fight with their wealth and their persons: for them are (all) good things: and it is they who will prosper.” (Al-Tawbah; 9:88)
“O you who believe! Shall I lead you to a bargain that will save you from a grievous Penalty? That you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you strive (your utmost) in the Cause of Allah, with your property and your persons: That will be best for you, if you but knew!” (Al-Saff; 61:10-11)
When asked who the most virtuous person is, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) again said:
“The believer who struggles in the way of Allah with his life and property.” (Bukhari, Jihad, 2; Muslim, Kitab Al-Imara, 122)
When it comes to jihad with tongue, it is also very important. Jihad with forces like language, paper, pen, culture, and economics has gained more importance especially in our day. The Noble Qur’an named calling to Islam, which is very important in carrying the divine message to humanity, “the Great Jihad (strive with utmost strenuousness).”
In the noble verse it is said:
“Therefore listen not to the unbelievers, but strive against them with the utmost strenuousness, with the (Qur’an).” (Al-Furqan; 25:52)
The “utmost strenuousness” in the verse is doing everything possible to spread and exalt Islam, and to mobilize all resources and capacities for this cause.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said the following about those who speak of things that they do not do and do things that they were not commanded:
“…He who strove against them with his hand was a believer: he who strove against them with his tongue was a believer, and he who strove against them with his heart was a believer and beyond that there is no faith even to the extent of a mustard seed.” (Muslim, Iman, 80)
The usage of the term jihad (strive) by the Prophet is worthy of attention. Then, enjoining the good and forbidding the evil with tongue is also jihad. If one does not have the strength to do this, then hating from the heart and praying is also jihad. However, this understanding never means to neglect, belittle, or give up the jihad in the war front. It only shows that the mentality that considers jihad something that can only be done with the hand and at the war front is incomplete. This is because it may not always be necessary to fight on the war front. Moreover, some accomplishments are obtained outside the war front. No doubt there are many ways and methods to spread the religion of Allah and to take Islam to people. Even the army that will fight in the war front can only be formed by calling to Islam and training.
The jihad with tongue in our hadith is also understood as activities such as encouraging the warriors to fight with the enemy, saying words or reciting poems that increase their courage and state the virtue of jihad. Indeed, when the verses that decry the poets who deal with invalidity and poetry in this context, Qa’b b. Malik (r.a.), one of the famous poets, came to the Prophet and asked:
“As you know, Allah the Exalted has revealed some verses on poetry, what do you command in this regard?” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sad to him:
“The believer strives (jihad) with his sword and tongue. I swear by Allah in Whose Hand my soul is the words that you throw to the enemy with your tongue are just like arrows, it divides and destroys them.” (See Ahmad, III, 456; VI, 387)
In the same manner, to announce the bad ends of the disbelievers and unbelievers, to put forth with evidence their heresy and invalidity are also jihad with the tongue. Namely, all kinds of verbal service for Islam are considered jihad with tongue.
Almighty Allah has informed us that he loves his servants who fight in the direction of the sake of Allah and are never afraid of the reproaches of such people who find fault, and He also testified that such servants also love Him. This indeed is a great favor from Allah. (Al-Maidah; 5:54)
While the meaning of jihad (striving, struggling in the way of Allah) is very broad due to its difficulty and the necessity of putting one’ life at stake the physical jihad has been accepted as the most virtuous. When all the possibilities for peace are exhausted or when enemy attacks, war may become necessary as a last resort. In this situation, going on an expedition by risking everything is of course the most virtuous righteous deed. Indeed, in our second hadith, we are informed that walking a little in the morning or in the evening for this purpose is better for a Muslim than the world and all there is in it. Due to the superiority of this effort in the way of Allah, Almighty Allah has decreed as virtuous the steps are when returning from jihad as the steps taken going for jihad.
All military moves, the morning and evening training activities, which are important for the military, and even stepping somewhere that would anger the disbelievers are from the acts that are considered rewarding and are included in the content of our hadith.
Almighty Allah speaks as follows:
“It was not fitting for the people of Medina and the Bedouin Arabs of the neighborhood, to refuse to follow Allah’s Messenger, nor to prefer their own lives to his: because nothing could they suffer or do, but was reckoned to their credit as a deed of righteousness,- whether they suffered thirst, or fatigue, or hunger, in the cause of Allah, or trod paths to raise the ire of the Unbelievers, or received any injury whatever from an enemy: for Allah suffers not the reward to be lost of those who do good.” (Al-Tawbah; 9:120)
However, jihad needs to be done only for the sake of Allah. Indeed questions like the following were directed to the Prophet:
“O the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)! Some people fight so that they can obtain war booty (spoils of war), others fight so that they can be famous, others fight so that they show off as heroes and prove the superiority of their race, and some people fight because of their anger. Now who among these are in the way of Allah?”
The Prophet (pbuh) said:
“Only he who fights that Allah’s Word (i.e. Islam) should be superior fights in Allah’s Cause.” (See Bukhari, Jihad, 15; Muslim, Imara, 149-151)
In our third hadith, we are informed that hurrying in jihad and being early in this way even for a few hours is better than performing a prayer with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) or than donating everything on this world. When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saw that Abdullah bin Rawaha that he has sent to a military expedition got behind from his friends due to his desire to pray with the Messenger of Allah, he said:
“Even if you donate everything in this world, you would not gain the rewards that they would by departing early.”
Again one day, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sent some of his noble companions to a military expedition. One of them stayed back. He said to his family:
“I stayed back thinking ‘let me perform the Salat al-Zuhr with the Messenger of Allah and then say goodbye to him’. He also said that ‘the Messenger can pray for me so that prayer can be intercessor for me on the Day of Judgment.”
This person approached our Noble Prophet after the prayer and greeted him.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Do you know by how much your friends got in front of you?”
The companion said:
“Yes, they have got ahead of me as much as it can be traveled since the morning.”
Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“I swear to Allah who holds my carnal self in His hands that they have got ahead of you in terms of virtue as much as the distance between the east and the west.” (Ahmad, III, 438)
This is to say that the steps taken and the seconds spent in the way of Allah are so valuable. As a matter of fact, it is impossible to find another worship that is better and more virtuous than jihad in terms of its goal and hardships. Indeed, in our forth hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said the following to a person who asked if there is worship same in virtue as jihad:
“I don’t know such a deed (that is equivalent to Jihad)!”
According to the narration in the Muslim, this question was repeated two or three times and the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) answered in each time:
“You cannot find a deed that is equivalent to it!” Then he said:
“One who goes out for Jihad is like a person who keeps fasts, stands in prayer (constantly), (obeying) Allah’s (behests contained in) the verses (of the Qur’an), and does not exhibit any lassitude in fasting and prayer until the Mujahid returns from Jihad in the way of Allah, the Exalted.” (Muslim, Kitab Al-Imara, 110. Also see Tirmidhi, Fadail al-jihad, 1; Nasai, Jihad, 17)
When the noble companion who asked the question heard what the Prophet had said, he had to confess that no one can do that.
Not only jihad but everything that is related to it is also virtuous. As a matter of fact, in our fifth hadith it is told about the virtue of being on duty (e.g. protecting the border etc.)
The word “Ribat” mentioned in the hadith (in the original text) means to be ready and wait to prevent the attack of the enemy and depend in the way of Allah. The same term is used for the border that is formed between unbelievers and Muslims in order to protect the believers. The posts located at the border between a Muslim country and a country of non-believers is also called “ribat.” The soldiers who are on duty in these places are called “murabit.”
We see from the original text of the following noble verse that feeding a horse and making them ready for jihad is also called ribat:
“Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know. Whatever you shall spend in the cause of Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and you shall not be treated unjustly.” (Al-Anfal; 8:60)
Based on this verse, our scholars expressed that it is one of the most important duties of Muslims to have all the weapons that are necessary for the time, and producing war weapons and equipment and making them ready for use. Therefore, every act and preparation that is related to jihad is a good deed and included in the good news of the hadith.
As per the first meaning of ribat, a person who is on duty at the border gains rewards that are equivalent to fasting during the day and conducting miscellaneous acts of worship in the night. If the person passes away during this duty, the righteous deed that he was performing transforms into an everlasting reward (sadaqah jaria) and he earns divine rewards until the Day of Judgment. Since he passed away during a duty related to jihad, he is considered a martyr, and he immediately starts to benefit from the bounties of the Paradise. He is saved right away from the hardships of the grave, which is the most passage for humans, and questions of the angels.[3]
Indeed, ribat is a virtuous deed that saves one from the horrific scenes of the grave. This is because it is a hard and difficult service in order to protect people’s religion, life, property, honor, and chastity.
In our sixth hadith, we are informed that jihad with property and life is the most important worship that is a means to entering Heaven. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has proposed some conditions to the companion who came to pledge allegiance to him. When the companion said that he would fear the anger of Allah in case he leaves jihad because he would fear for his life and also he would not be able to give sadaqah from his wealth which is sufficient only for his family, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) clenched and shook his fist and said:
“There is neither striving nor almsgiving, then how will you enter the Paradise?”
Allah knows the best but maybe the Prophet (pbuh) wanted to show by clenching his fist that what prevents one from jihad and sadaqah is miserliness that clenches a person like an iron shield.
So, jihad and sadaqah, are two means to practice the religion and to earn the Heaven. This is because striving in the way of Allah through ones wealth and life is the beginning of the matter and the peak of the religion. When jihad and sadaqah disappears from the scene, the religion weakens and mischief covers the world. Indeed, in one of the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), which he starts by saying “There will come such a time upon people that…” and where he describes the times where religiousness weakens, he informs us that people will see jihad as loss and zakat as a difficult loan that is hard to handle and pay back. (Ali al-Muttaqi, III, 236/6322)
For this reason, the companion has not been late to realize the seriousness of the matter upon the Prophet’s meaningful question and has participated in the jihads by immediately accepting all the conditions and pledging allegiance. Indeed, in our sources it is stated that that person has participated in the conquest of Madain at the time of Umar. (Ibn Asaakir, Tarihu Dimashq, X, 308)
Jihad does not just help a person enter the Heaven also helps the person reach the highest ranks. In our seventh hadith, we are informed that there are one hundred grades in Heaven for the martyrs and that the distance between each of them are as far as the distance between the Earth and the Sky. In our hadith, there is also an indicator that the mujahedeen (strivers) are going to be placed in the Heaven of Firdaows, the highest rank in Heaven.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) says the following:
“Nobody who enters Paradise likes to go back to the world even if he got everything on the earth, except a Mujahid who wishes to return to the world so that he may be martyred ten times because of the dignity he receives (from Allah).” (Bukhari, Jihad, 21; Muslim, Imara, 109. Also see. Tirmidhi, Fadail al-jihad, 13, 25)
As jihad and being mujahidin are so virtuous, those who leave jihad also correspondingly burden themselves very heavily and end up risking themselves.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) says the following:
“He who does not join the warlike expedition (jihad), or equip, or looks well after a warrior’s family when he is away, will be smitten by Allah with a sudden calamity before the Day of Resurrection” (Abu Dawud, Jihad, 17/2503. Also see Ibn Majah, Jihad, 5)
“When you transact via i’nah[4] method, when you hold on to the tails of oxen, when you prefer farming and leave jihad, Allah will bestow upon you such a despicableness that it won’t be removed until you go back to your religion.” (Abu Dawud, Kitab Al-Buyu, 54/3462)
The purpose of saying ‘holding on to the tails of oxen and preferring farming…’ is to be busy with worldly affairs when it is necessary to do jihad. This situation is nothing but the heedlessness of one’s risking oneself with his own hands. The following narration that shows this contains lots of lessons to take:
In the time of Umayyads, the army of Abdurrahman, the son of Khalid b. Walid (r.a.), had departed in order to achieve the glad tidings and praise of the Messenger of Allah regarding the conquest of Istanbul. Abu Ayyub Al Ansari (r.a.) was also in that army. When the Romans were fighting while their back was towards the city walls, a person from the Ansar rode his horse to the middle of the Romans.
Recalling the verse “…make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction… (Al Baqara, 2:195),” the believers who saw this said:
“La ilaaha illallah! Look at him! He is recklessly risking his life!”
Upon his Abu Ayyub Al Ansari said the following:
“O believers! That verse was revealed about us, the Helpers (Ansaar). When Almighty Allah helped His Prophet and had his religion prevail we had said, ‘From now on, we should stay and be busy with our property.’ Upon his Almighty Allah revealed the following verse to His Messenger:
“And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good; for Allah loves those who do good.”[5]
The purpose of ‘make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good’ in this verse is that you should not leave aside and neglect jihad by busying yourself with worldly goods such as gardens and fields.”
Abu Ayyub al-Ansari did not leave jihad even though he was over the age of eighty. He continued to strive in the way of Allah until he was martyred and buried in Istanbul. (See Abu Dawud, Jihad, 22/2512; Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 2/2972)
[1] Here, the companion was minding the following noble verse:
“If any do turn his back to them on such a day – unless it be in a stratagem of war, or to retreat to a troop (of his own)- he draws on himself the wrath of Allah, and his abode is Hell,- an evil refuge (indeed)!” (al-Anfal; 8:16)
[2] For details on jihad see Ahmet Özel-Bekir Topaloğlu, “Cihad”, Diyanet İslâm Ansiklopedisi, VII, 527-534.
[3] Indeed the grave is a great source of fear and anxiety for humans. Indeed the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“The grave is the first of the stages of the Hereafter; whoever is saved from it, what comes afterwards will be easier for him, but if he is not saved from it, what comes afterwards will be worse (more difficult and intense) for him. … I have never seen any scene that was as frightening and scary as the grave.” (Ahmad, I, 63-64)
[4] I‘nah is sales transaction where a person sells a good with installments at a certain price but purchases back the same good with a price that is lower than the price he charges when he sells with no installments. Such a transaction has not been found permissible because it contains a doubt that it could be interest. (H. Yunus Apaydın, “Îne”, Diyanet İslâm Ansiklopedisi, XXII, 283-284)
[5] Al-Baqara, 2:195.
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