This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abi Abdul Saboor Abdul Ghafoor Damni's book Fazail al-Jihad.
عن أبى موسى رضى الله عنه قال جاء رجل إلى النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال: الرجل يقاتل للمغنم والرجل يقاتل للذكر والرجل يقاتل ليرى مكانه فمن فى سبيل الله ، قال من قاتل لتكون كلمة الله هي العليا فهو فى سبيل الله.
"Abu Musa Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that he said: A man (Lahiq bin Dhamirah) came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Some people fight for plunder, some for fame, some to show their bravery, so who is considered to be fighting in the way of Allah? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever fights with the intention that the religion of Allah be exalted (that monotheism spreads and polytheism is removed), then he is counted as fighting in the way of Allah.'"
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari and Muslim)
Reference: (Narrated by Bukhari, Book of Jihad and Expedition, Chapter: Who fights so that the word of Allah is supreme, Number: 2810, and the wording is his / Muslim, Book of Leadership, Chapter: Who fights so that the word of Allah is supreme, he is in the way of Allah, Number: 1904)
Some Derived Benefits
Several points can be understood from the mentioned hadith, some of which are as follows:
Sincerity of Intention:
The true intention in jihad should be the exaltation of the Word of Allah, meaning the sole purpose of jihad is the elevation of Islam so that monotheism spreads in the world and polytheism is eradicated, and this sincerity of intention is necessary in every action.
Inquiry Regarding Doubtful Matters:
If a person has any ambiguity or hidden doubt regarding religion, he should seek clarification from knowledgeable people through questioning and investigation, just as that person asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, about the true nature of jihad, and the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, explained the reality of jihad in a brief statement.
The Presence of Malicious People Among the Sincere:
From the mentioned hadith, it is also understood that in jihad fi sabilillah, it is not necessary that all people are always sincere in jihad; rather, among the sincere ones, sometimes there are also malicious people.
And from the aforementioned hadith, it is also understood that the wrongful avoidance by malicious people does not affect the jihad of the sincere mujahideen.
