❀ Critical Analysis of the Ḥadīth: "Returning from the Lesser Jihad to the Greater Jihad" ❀
Taken from: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Vol. 1, p. 183
Is the following ḥadīth authentic?
"When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ returned from the Battle of Tabuk, he said:
'We are returning from the lesser jihād (jihād al-aṣghar) to the greater jihād (jihād al-akbar).'"
This narration is weak and unauthentic, and some scholars have classified it as fabricated (mawḍūʿ).
◈ Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī رحمه الله
In al-Mawḍūʿāt al-Kubrā, he has clearly declared this narration fabricated.
◈ Imām Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī رحمه الله
In Tawsīd al-Qaws, he states:
"This narration is famous, but it is not the saying of the Prophet ﷺ; rather, it is the saying of Ibrāhīm ibn Ablaṭah."
(Referenced from al-Kunā by al-Nasāʾī)
◈ Imām al-ʿIrāqī رحمه الله
He mentions it in reference to al-Iḥyāʾ of Imām al-Ghazālī and attributes it to Jābir (رضي الله عنه) through al-Bayhaqī, stating:
"Its chain of narration is weak."
◈ Imām al-Suyūṭī رحمه الله
He notes that Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī transmitted it from Jābir (رضي الله عنه) in his Tārīkh, with the following wording:
"The Prophet ﷺ returned from a battle and said: ‘What a good return! You have returned from the lesser jihād to the greater jihād.’
The companions asked, ‘What is the greater jihād?’
He replied, ‘The struggle of a servant against his own desires.’"
◈ Imām al-Būṣīrī رحمه الله
He remained silent about this narration, as noted in al-Maṭālib al-ʿĀliyah (3/236), which indicates its weakness or lack of acceptance.
➤ This ḥadīth is not authentically established as a saying (marfūʿ) of the Prophet ﷺ.
➤ At best, it can be considered the statement of a companion or a tābiʿī, but not the Prophetic words.
➤ While the virtue of striving against the nafs (inner self) is confirmed through other authentic narrations,
➤ This specific ḥadīth has no valid chain connecting it to the Prophet ﷺ.
وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
And Allah knows best what is correct.
Taken from: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Vol. 1, p. 183
❖ Question:
Is the following ḥadīth authentic?
"When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ returned from the Battle of Tabuk, he said:
'We are returning from the lesser jihād (jihād al-aṣghar) to the greater jihād (jihād al-akbar).'"
❖ Scholarly Research on the Ḥadīth
This narration is weak and unauthentic, and some scholars have classified it as fabricated (mawḍūʿ).
✿ Statements of the Scholars
◈ Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī رحمه الله
In al-Mawḍūʿāt al-Kubrā, he has clearly declared this narration fabricated.
◈ Imām Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī رحمه الله
In Tawsīd al-Qaws, he states:
"This narration is famous, but it is not the saying of the Prophet ﷺ; rather, it is the saying of Ibrāhīm ibn Ablaṭah."
(Referenced from al-Kunā by al-Nasāʾī)
◈ Imām al-ʿIrāqī رحمه الله
He mentions it in reference to al-Iḥyāʾ of Imām al-Ghazālī and attributes it to Jābir (رضي الله عنه) through al-Bayhaqī, stating:
"Its chain of narration is weak."
◈ Imām al-Suyūṭī رحمه الله
He notes that Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī transmitted it from Jābir (رضي الله عنه) in his Tārīkh, with the following wording:
"The Prophet ﷺ returned from a battle and said: ‘What a good return! You have returned from the lesser jihād to the greater jihād.’
The companions asked, ‘What is the greater jihād?’
He replied, ‘The struggle of a servant against his own desires.’"
◈ Imām al-Būṣīrī رحمه الله
He remained silent about this narration, as noted in al-Maṭālib al-ʿĀliyah (3/236), which indicates its weakness or lack of acceptance.
✔ Conclusion
➤ This ḥadīth is not authentically established as a saying (marfūʿ) of the Prophet ﷺ.
➤ At best, it can be considered the statement of a companion or a tābiʿī, but not the Prophetic words.
➤ While the virtue of striving against the nafs (inner self) is confirmed through other authentic narrations,
➤ This specific ḥadīth has no valid chain connecting it to the Prophet ﷺ.
وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
And Allah knows best what is correct.
