This excerpt is taken from the book Fazail al-Jihad by Sheikh Abi Abdul Saboor Abdul Ghafoor Damni.
عن أنس بن مالك رضى الله عنه عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: لغدوة فى سبيل الله أو روحة خير من الدنيا وما فيها.
“Anas رضي الله عنه narrates that he said from the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: ‘Spending one morning or one evening in the way of Allah (Jihad) is better than the world and all that is in it.’”
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari and Muslim) (Narrated by Bukhari, Book of Jihad and Military Expeditions, Chapter on setting out in the way of Allah and being close to Paradise, hadith number: 2792 / Muslim, Book of Leadership, Chapter on the virtue of setting out in the way of Allah, hadith number: 1880)
Explanation
Although every good deed done sincerely فى سبيل الله (in the way of Allah) can be intended, in the Quran and Hadith this word is mostly used in the sense of Jihad, and Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, has also explained it as Jihad. By "the world and all that is in it" is meant all the wealth and treasures present in the world, that is, just as all this is extremely beloved and valuable to a seeker of the world, Jihad is even more beloved and valuable in the sight of Allah. Some scholars have also explained that the reward for spending all the treasures of the world in the way of Allah cannot compare to the reward for the little time spent in Jihad.
