What is mentioned on the virtue of jihad and urging it

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent an army towards Mu'tah and appointed Sayyiduna Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) as its commander. He ordered that if Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) should be made the leader, and if Ja'far was also martyred, Abdullah bin Rawahah should be made the leader. Although the army had set off, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) stayed behind in order to pray the Friday prayer with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw him, he asked: "Why did you stay behind?" He replied: "In order to pray the Friday prayer with you." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Spending one morning and one evening in the path of Allah is better than the world and everything in it."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A morning or an evening spent in the way of Allah is better than the world and all that is in the world."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A morning or an evening spent in the way of Allah is better than everything upon which the sun rises and sets."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A morning or an evening in the way of Allah is better than the whole world."

Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Which deed is best?" He said: "Believing in Allah and striving (jihad) in the way of Allah."

Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Which deed is best?" He said: "Offering the prayer at its proper time." I asked: "Then which deed is best?" He said: "Treating one's parents well." I said: "Then which deed is best?" He said: "Striving (jihad) in the way of Allah."

Sayyiduna Nu'man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The one who strives (in jihad) in the way of Allah, until he returns, is like a person who fasts by day and stands in prayer by night.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A morning or an evening spent in the way of Allah is better than the world and all that is in the world."

Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When a man is in the way of Allah and his heart trembles out of fear, his sins fall away just as dates fall from the bunch of a date palm.

Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When we were returning from the expedition of Tabuk, I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Tell me about the peak of the hump of Islam." He said: "The peak of the hump of Islam is striving (jihad) in the way of Allah."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty has guaranteed that whoever goes out in the way of Allah, with nothing driving him out except faith in Allah Almighty and belief in His Messenger, He will either admit him into Paradise or bring him back (to his home) having gained reward or booty."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The people said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Tell us of a deed that equals striving (jihad) in the way of Allah." He said: "You are not able to do it." The people said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Tell us; perhaps we are able to do it!" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The likeness of the one who strives (in jihad) in the way of Allah is that of a person who fasts and stands in prayer by night, reciting the verses of Allah, and who does not slacken in his fasting or his charity until the one who strives returns."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I wished that I would not stay behind any detachment that goes out in the way of Allah, but I do not have (mounts) on which to carry them. I wish that I were killed in the way of Allah, then brought back to life, then killed, then brought back to life, then killed."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah has promised the one who goes out for jihad in My way, believing in Me and affirming My Messenger, that I will, on My own responsibility, admit him into Paradise or return him to his home with reward or booty." Having said this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad! Were it not that I fear hardship for the Muslims, I would not stay behind any army that goes out to fight in the way of Allah. But I do not find the means to provide them with mounts, nor do they find the means to follow me, and their hearts would not be content to stay behind after I go. By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad! My wish is that I fight in the way of Allah and then be killed, then fight and then be killed, then fight and then be killed."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are three at whom Allah Almighty laughs when He sees them: a man who gets up at night and prays; people who form rows for the prayer; and people who form rows to face the enemy in battle."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are three people whom Allah Almighty loves." Among them the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned a man who is in an army; they engage the enemy and are defeated, but this man stands firm, facing forward with his chest, until he is martyred or Allah Almighty grants victory through him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Every soul that dies while it has good with Allah would not be pleased to return to the world, nor to have the world and all that is in it, except the martyr; for when he sees the reward of martyrdom, he will wish to return to the world and be killed in the way of Allah."

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: In a battle the son of a woman was martyred, whose name was Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him). The woman had no one besides her son. She came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! If my son is in Paradise, I will be patient. If he is somewhere other than Paradise, I will mourn in such a way that everyone will come to know." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are many gardens, and he is in the highest Firdaws."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The martyrs are at Bariq, a river at the gate of Paradise; they are in a green dome. Their provision is given to them from Paradise morning and evening."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Some martyrs were mentioned in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: "The martyr's blood has not yet dried on the ground when his two wives in Paradise await him as restlessly as a nursing mother searches for her suckling child that has been lost somewhere on the ground. In the hands of each of them is a garment (for the martyr's use) so precious that it is worth more than the whole world and all that is in the world."

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: "Whose jihad is best?" He said: "The one whose horse is killed and whose own blood has been shed."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: "Whose jihad is best?" He said: "The one whose horse is killed and whose own blood has been shed."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A time will come upon the people when the best of people in rank in the sight of Allah will be the one who sets out in the way of Allah holding the reins of his horse; whenever he senses any danger, he leaps onto his horse, then seeks death in the places where death is found. And (the other is) a man who goes into one of these mountain valleys, establishes the prayer there, pays the zakah, and has nothing to do with people except in good."

Sayyiduna al-Bara' (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Once a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that you are the servant of Allah and His Messenger." Then he went forward, fought, and was martyred. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He did little work, but earned a great reward."

Abu Bakr bin Abi Musa al-Ash'ari said: Once, when the enemy was faced, my father said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Swords are the keys of Paradise.'" On hearing this hadith, a man in a dishevelled state said: "O Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him)! Did you hear this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?" Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Yes, I heard it." At that the man drew his sword, broke its scabbard, greeted his companions with salam, then advanced towards the enemy and kept fighting them until he was martyred.

Mujahid said: Once Yazid bin Shajarah (may Allah have mercy on him) stood among his companions and said to them: "Green, red and yellow blessings are raining down upon you in your homes. Tomorrow when you advance towards the enemy, advance step by step, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'When a man takes a step forward against the enemy, the wide-eyed maidens (hur al-'in) advance towards him, and when he steps back, the maidens veil themselves from him. When he is martyred, the first drop of his blood becomes an expiation for his sins. After his martyrdom two maidens come to him, wipe the dust off him and say to him: "Welcome! The time has come for you." He says: "Welcome! The time has come for you two."'"

Sayyiduna Sabrah bin Abi Fakih (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Satan sits in wait for the son of Adam on his paths. Sometimes he sits on the path of Islam and says: 'If you accept Islam and abandon your religion and the religion of your forefathers, it will be a great loss.' Then he sits on the path of emigration (hijrah) and says: 'If you emigrate, you will leave your birthplace and become like a horse bound in fetters.' Then he sits on the path of jihad and says: 'If you fight in jihad, you will die; then your wife will be married to someone else and your inheritance will be divided.'" After this the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever continues these deeds in spite of these satanic whisperings, Allah Almighty guarantees Paradise for him, whether he is martyred, or dies by drowning, or dies by burning, or is eaten by wild beasts."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Atik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Whoever goes out for jihad in the way of Allah" (having said this, he joined three of his fingers and then said:) "and where are those who strive in jihad? and he falls from his mount and dies, his reward is established with Allah Almighty; or something stings him, his reward is established with Allah Almighty; or he dies a natural death, his reward too is established; and whoever dies bearing the enemy's blow has attained a good abode."

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to the people while they were all sitting. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shall I tell you whose rank is the best in the sight of Allah?" We said: "Certainly, O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Please do tell us." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best rank in the sight of Allah belongs to the person who goes in the way of Allah holding on to his horse, until he is martyred or dies. Shall I tell you whose rank comes after his?" The people said: "Please do tell us." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The one who withdraws from people and lives in some mountain valley, establishes the prayer, pays the zakah, and stays safe from the evil of people."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When your brothers are martyred, Allah Almighty places their souls in green birds. They go to the rivers of Paradise, eat the fruits of Paradise, and roam wherever they wish in Paradise. When they see their excellent abode and their fine food and drink, they say: 'If only our people knew of the things Allah Almighty has made for us, so that they too would long for jihad and not hold back from it.' Allah Almighty says: 'I will inform your brothers of these things.' Then they become happy and express their joy. This is what is meant by these verses of the Qur'an:" Translation: "Do not think of those who were killed in the way of Allah as dead; they are not dead, rather they are alive with their Lord and are given provision. They rejoice in what Allah has granted them of His bounty, and they rejoice over those who have remained behind and have not (yet) joined them through martyrdom, that on the Day of Resurrection there will be no fear upon them, nor will they grieve. They rejoice in the favours and bounty of Allah, and that Allah does not let the reward of the believers go to waste." [Al Imran: 169-171]

It is narrated from Abu Iyas Mu'awiyah bin Qurrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Every nation has its monasticism, and the monasticism of my nation is striving (jihad) in the way of Allah."

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Shall I tell you of a night that is even better than the Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr)? It is the night of the guard who stands guard in the way of Allah in a place from which he fears he may not return to his family.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The first three people to enter Paradise will be: the martyr; a chaste person who, despite having a family, refrains from begging; and the slave who worshipped his Lord in the best manner and also fulfilled the rights of his masters. Likewise the first three people to go to Hell will be: a tyrannical ruler; a wealthy man who does not fulfil the right of his wealth; and an arrogant poor man."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty laughs at two men, one of whom kills the other, and both of them will enter Paradise. That is: one fights in the way of Allah and is martyred; then Allah Almighty guides the other, and he accepts Islam and fights in the way of Allah until he is martyred."

Makhul (may Allah have mercy on him) said: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "The people have gone out to fight in the way of Allah, and I was held back by some constraint. Tell me of a deed by which I may become equal to them." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him: "Are you able to stand in prayer at night?" He said: "I will make myself do it." He asked: "Are you able to fast every day?" The man said: "Yes! I will do it." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Your standing in prayer at night and fasting by day is (only) like the sleep of one of them."

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: On the day of the Battle of Yamamah I went to Sayyiduna Thabit bin Qays (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was applying hunut (the perfume used for the dead). I said to him: "Uncle! Do you not see what has happened to the people?" He said: "Right now (I am coming), O son of my brother!"

Al-Awza'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Once Uthman bin Abi Sawdah (may Allah have mercy on him) recited this verse: "And the foremost, the foremost: those are the ones brought near (to Allah)" [Al-Waqi'ah: 10-11], then said: This refers to those who are the first to go to the mosque and the first to go out in the way of Allah.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Farwah al-Lakhmi (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When a detachment goes out in the way of Allah and returns without any booty, it has a double reward."

Hassan bin Atiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Whoever spends the night standing guard in the way of Allah, in the morning all his sins are forgiven.

Al-Awza'i said: Makhul said: Whoever spends the night (standing guard) until the morning, his sins fall away from him.