Jihād Will Continue Until the Day of Judgment – Evidences from Aḥādīth and Scholars’ Statements
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah – Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām, Vol. 2, p. 200
The famous ḥadīth “al-jihād māḍin ilā Yawm al-Qiyāmah” (“Jihād will continue until the Day of Judgment”) is often quoted by leaders of jihād-oriented organizations. Please provide the takhrīj (authenticity check) and reality of this narration.
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Narrated from Yazīd ibn Abī Nushbah → Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه:
“…wa al-jihādu māḍin mundhu baʿathanī Allāhu ilā an yuqātila ākhiru ummatī al-Dajjāl, lā yubṭiluhu jawru jāʾir wa lā ʿadlu ʿādil.”
“…Jihād will continue from the time Allah sent me until the last of my Ummah fights the Dajjāl. No injustice of a tyrant nor justice of a just ruler can end it.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 2532; Sunan Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr: 2367)
Chain Status:
Although the above chain is weak, other authentic aḥādīth and Qur’ānic verses prove the continuity of jihād until the Day of Judgment.
﴿كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ القِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَّكُمْ﴾
“Fighting has been prescribed for you, though it is disliked by you.”
(Sūrat al-Baqarah: 216)
«الخيل معقود في نواصيها الخير إلى يوم القيامة، الأجر والمغنم»
“Goodness will remain tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Judgment — reward and spoils of war.”
(Bukhārī: 2852; Muslim: 4849)
“A group from my Ummah will continue to fight upon the truth until the Hour is established.”
(Nasāʾī, 6/214–215, Ḥadīth 3591)
“This religion will remain established, a group of Muslims fighting for it until the Hour is established.”
(Muslim: 922, Dārussalām: 9453)
Imām Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī & Imām Abū Zurʿah al-Rāzī:
“In every era, jihād with Muslim rulers continues from the time Allah sent His Messenger ﷺ and nothing can nullify it.”
(Aṣl al-Sunnah wa Iʿtiqād al-Dīn, pp. 19, 23)
Jihād, in its various forms — physical, verbal, financial, and intellectual — will continue against disbelievers and innovators until the Day of Judgment.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah – Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām, Vol. 2, p. 200
Question:
The famous ḥadīth “al-jihād māḍin ilā Yawm al-Qiyāmah” (“Jihād will continue until the Day of Judgment”) is often quoted by leaders of jihād-oriented organizations. Please provide the takhrīj (authenticity check) and reality of this narration.
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Primary Narration:
Narrated from Yazīd ibn Abī Nushbah → Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه:
“…wa al-jihādu māḍin mundhu baʿathanī Allāhu ilā an yuqātila ākhiru ummatī al-Dajjāl, lā yubṭiluhu jawru jāʾir wa lā ʿadlu ʿādil.”
“…Jihād will continue from the time Allah sent me until the last of my Ummah fights the Dajjāl. No injustice of a tyrant nor justice of a just ruler can end it.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 2532; Sunan Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr: 2367)
Chain Status:
- This narration is ḍaʿīf (weak) due to Yazīd ibn Abī Nushbah being majhūl (unknown).
(Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb: 7785; al-Kāshif by al-Dhahabī: 6475)
Evidence that Jihād Continues Until Qiyāmah:
Although the above chain is weak, other authentic aḥādīth and Qur’ānic verses prove the continuity of jihād until the Day of Judgment.
From the Qur’ān:
﴿كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ القِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَّكُمْ﴾
“Fighting has been prescribed for you, though it is disliked by you.”
(Sūrat al-Baqarah: 216)
From Ṣaḥīḥ Aḥādīth:
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī & Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim:
«الخيل معقود في نواصيها الخير إلى يوم القيامة، الأجر والمغنم»
“Goodness will remain tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Judgment — reward and spoils of war.”
(Bukhārī: 2852; Muslim: 4849)
- Sunan al-Nasāʾī:
“A group from my Ummah will continue to fight upon the truth until the Hour is established.”
(Nasāʾī, 6/214–215, Ḥadīth 3591)
- Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim:
“This religion will remain established, a group of Muslims fighting for it until the Hour is established.”
(Muslim: 922, Dārussalām: 9453)
Statements of Scholars & Tābiʿīn:
- Ibn al-Humām (Ḥanafī, d. 761 AH):
“There is no doubt that there is consensus of the Ummah that jihād continues until the Day of Judgment and has not been abrogated.”
(Fatḥ al-Qadīr, 5/190) - Imām Makḥūl al-Shāmī (Tābiʿī):
“In Paradise are one hundred levels, the distance between each level being like the distance between heaven and earth — prepared for those who strive in the path of Allah.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, 5/304, Ḥadīth 19353)
Types of Jihād:
- Jihād with the tongue – Refuting falsehood verbally.
“Fight the polytheists with your hands and your tongues.” (Abū Dāwūd: 2504) - Jihād with the pen – Refuting innovations and false ideologies.
- Jihād with wealth – Spending in Allah’s path without boasting or harm. (Sūrat al-Baqarah: 262)
- Jihād with the self –
- Striving against one’s own soul (jihād al-nafs).
- Physical fighting in Allah’s path.
Important Clarification:
- Terrorism and the killing of innocents is not jihād.
- Jihād requires Sharʿī principles and conditions.
Consensus of the Salaf:
Imām Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī & Imām Abū Zurʿah al-Rāzī:
“In every era, jihād with Muslim rulers continues from the time Allah sent His Messenger ﷺ and nothing can nullify it.”
(Aṣl al-Sunnah wa Iʿtiqād al-Dīn, pp. 19, 23)
Summary:
Jihād, in its various forms — physical, verbal, financial, and intellectual — will continue against disbelievers and innovators until the Day of Judgment.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
