The Obligation of Jihad Until the Day of Judgment
In the Light of Hadith and Consensus of the Ummah
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
❖ Question:
Is the obligation of Jihad abrogated?
❖ Answer:
The obligation of Jihad will remain until the Day of Judgment from the time of the Prophet ﷺ and will never be abrogated. There is no evidence whatsoever proving its abrogation.
Evidence from Hadith
❀ Sayyiduna Salamah ibn Nufayl al-Kindī (RA) narrates:
I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when a man said: “O Messenger of Allah! People have abandoned horses, put down their weapons, and say: There is no Jihad anymore, the war has ended.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ turned towards him and said:
كذبوا الآن، الآن جاء القتال، ولا يزال من أمتي أمة يقاتلون على الحق، ويزيع الله لهم قلوب أقوام، ويرزقهم منهم حتى تقوم الساعة، وحتى يأتى وعد الله، والخيل معقود فى نواصيها الخير إلى يوم القيامة
“They have lied! Now, the fighting has only just begun. A group from my Ummah will always fight for the truth. Allah will cause people’s hearts to incline towards them, and He will provide them sustenance from their enemies until the Hour is established and the promise of Allah comes. Goodness has been tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Judgment.”
(Musnad Aḥmad: 4/104; Sunan al-Nasā’ī: 3561 — chain is authentic)
— Imām Abū ‘Awanah (7280) also authenticated this ḥadīth.
❀ Sayyiduna ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
الخيل معقود فى نواصيها الخير إلى يوم القيامة، وقال ابن يحيى: أبدا إلى يوم القيامة
“Goodness has been tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Judgment.”
(Bukhārī: 2849; Muslim: 1871; al-Muntaqā of Ibn al-Jārūd: 1059 — wording his)
❀ Sayyiduna Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (RA) reports:
I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:
لا تزال طائفة من أمتي يقاتلون على الحق ظاهرين إلى يوم القيامة، قال: فينزل عيسى ابن مريم فيقول أميرهم: تعال صل لنا فيقول: لا إن بعضكم على بعض أمير لتكرمة الله هذه الأمة
“A group from my Ummah will continue fighting upon the truth, prevailing until the Day of Judgment. Then ‘Īsā ibn Maryam (‘AS) will descend, and their leader will say to him: ‘Lead us in prayer.’ He will reply: ‘No, rather some of you are leaders over others, as an honor Allah has given to this Ummah.’”
(Muslim: 156; al-Muntaqā of Ibn al-Jārūd: 1031 — wording his)
❀ Sayyiduna Abū Hurayrah (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من مات ولم يغر وليس فى نفسه مات على شعبة من النفاق
“Whoever dies without having fought (in Jihad) nor even having the intention of doing so, dies upon a branch of hypocrisy.”
(Muslim: 1910; al-Muntaqā of Ibn al-Jārūd: 1036 — wording his)
Consensus of the Ummah
❀ ‘Allāmah Ibn Humām al-Ḥanafī (d. 861 AH) states:
لا شك أن إجماع الأمة أن الجهاد ماض إلى يوم القيامة لم ينسخ، فلا يتصور نسخه بعد النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم
“There is no doubt that the consensus of the Ummah is that Jihad will continue until the Day of Judgment. It has not been abrogated, nor can its abrogation be imagined after the Prophet ﷺ.”
(Fatḥ al-Qadīr: 5/438)
Conclusion:Jihad is an eternal obligation in Islam that will remain until the Day of Judgment. It was never abrogated, and the Ummah has reached consensus on its continuation, supported by clear and authentic Ahadith.
