Hadiths on Jihad

[Muhammad Yakub]

Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

Imam sahib can you explain the following saheeh hadiths from Bukhari which instigate fighting in the battlefield against the enemies of Islam, which has presumably led to some misguided youth joining wahhabi extremist groups with promises of hoors in al-Jannah for martyrs.


Volume 4, Book 52, Number 44:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
A man came to Allah's Apostle and said, "Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward)." He replied, "I do not find such a deed." Then he added, "Can you, while the Muslim fighter is in the battle-field, enter your mosque to perform prayers without cease and fast and never break your fast?" The man said, "But who can do that?" Abu- Huraira added, "The Mujahid (i.e. Muslim fighter) is rewarded even for the footsteps of his horse while it wanders bout (for grazing) tied in a long rope."


Volume 4, Book 52, Number 46:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The example of a Mujahid in Allah's Cause-- and Allah knows better who really strives in His Cause----is like a person who fasts and prays continuously. Allah guarantees that He will admit the Mujahid in His Cause into Paradise if he is killed, otherwise He will return him to his home safely with rewards and war booty."

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 50:
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
The Prophet said, "A single endeavor (of fighting) in Allah's Cause in the forenoon or in the afternoon is better than the world and whatever is in it."


Volume 4, Book 52, Number 54:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "By Him in Whose Hands my life is! Were it not for some men amongst the believers who dislike to be left behind me and whom I cannot provide with means of conveyance, I would certainly never remain behind any Sariya' (army-unit) setting out in Allah's Cause. By Him in Whose Hands my life is! I would love to be martyred in Al1ah's Cause and then get resurrected and then get martyred, and then get resurrected again and then get martyred and then get resurrected again and then get martyred.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 73:
Narrated 'Abdullah bin Abi Aufa:
Allah's Apostle said, "Know that Paradise is under the shades of swords."

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 80i:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "Allah welcomes two men with a smile; one of whom kills the other and both of them enter Paradise. One fights in Allah's Cause and gets killed. Later on Allah forgives the 'killer who also get martyred (In Allah's Cause)."

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 82:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "Five are regarded as martyrs: They are those who die because of plague, abdominal disease, drowning or a falling building etc., and the martyrs in Allah's Cause."

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 104:
Narrated 'Urwa Al-Bariqi:
The Prophet said, "Good will remain (as a permanent quality) in the foreheads of horses (for Jihad) till the Day of Resurrection, for they bring about either a reward (in the Hereafter) or booty (in this world."

Also these are just two of many passages in the Quran sharif with similar messages.

O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites! Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey’s end. (9:73)

O ye who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who keep their duty (unto Him). (9:123)

[Imam]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.

Wa 'laykum-as-Salaam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuhu.

Thank you brother Muhammad Yakub, for the non-exhaustive list of Ahaadith-e-Mubaarikah, which you have compiled, the commentary on each is as follows:

Volume 4, Book 52, Number44

In this Hadith Sharif, in which the explanation has also been given in the Hadith of Muslim Sharif, that the questioner had made the same question three times, that tell me a deed which is equivelant to Jihaad. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) stated every time, that you do not have the strength to do this. On answer to the fourth time, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) replied that the example of a Mujaahid, a person who performs Jihaad, is like that person who turns in the way of Allah, that he always stays in the position of keeping a fast, and never opens it (iftaar), and is always in the position of performing salaah, and is never away from the deed of performing salaah.
('Umdah-tul-Qari, Sharh-Sahih Bukhari, 'Aini, Vol. 14, p-80-82).

It is clear, that to stay in this magnitude of worship all the time is very difficult. But the Mujaahid's dignity is such that he is concious all the time, and is aware of the enemies plans and excuses, and is aware of the ways of the war methods of his enemy. This is the speciality of the Mujaahid, and it carries great excellence.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 46.

This Hadith has been narrated by Imam Bukhari in 'Riqaaq'. Muslim, Tirmidhi, Nisa'i, Abu Da'ud have narrated it in 'Jihaad', and Ibn-e-Majah has narrated it in 'fitan'.

Allah the Almighty has taken responsibility, by His Infinite Mercy and Excellence, of that person who spends his life in support of, and in propogation of, the religion of Islam, that if he becomes a martyr (shahid), he shall enter him into paradise, or that He will return the Mujaahid, from the plains of Jihaad with reward and wealth.
It means that to die in Jihaad, or to remain alive, both have a merit of distinction for that person in this world.

'Afdhal' is a word which is a noun, which is of pre-eminence (ism-at-Tafdhil). This means that the 'Mujaahid fi sabil-Allah' is also one of those who is pre-eminent (afdhal-an-Naas), otherwise the scholars ('ulama'), and the Truthful Ones (Siddiqin), are also the pre-eminent ones (afdhal-an-Naas), as it is clearly described in the Ahaadith.

Thus the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) has stated:

'khayrunn a'maalil islami'
'The best deed in the deeds of Islam, is to feed the hungry.'

It has also been said:
'inna ahabbal a'maali ilallahi adwamuhu'
'That the best deed according to Allah is the one which is performed regularly.'

The commentators have answered this query on numerous occasions. That the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) had ascerted a deed to be pre-eminent (afdhal) was according to the condition of the questioner, or according to circumstances, or in accordance with time, or to restore what the questioner did not have in posession, then with regard to this, He had declared that action or deed to be pre-eminent (afdhal).
The best answer according to myself is that, within the Hadith-ash-Sharif, the letters 'mann', are hidden. The text shall then read:
'mann afdhal-ul-a'maali'
which would then mean, that this deed is also included in that list of deeds which the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) had already mentioned.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 50.

'Rawhatunn' means, to be engaged in jihaad from the meridan at midday, until Maghrib at sunset.
'ghaduwatunn' means, to be engaged in jihaad from sunrise, until the meridan at midday.

The purpose of this Hadith, that to engage yourself in jihaad, even though it is for a very little time, is reckonable of great reward in the hereafter, and that if a person had gained all the wealth in all the world, and spent all of it in the way of Allah the Almighty, that the reward of the hereafter is still much better than that!

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 54.

It has been established by this Hadith-e-Mubaarikah, that to wish for the death of a martyr (shahid), is permissable (ja'iz), and is a standard, amongst the standards of faith (imaan).

In the Hadith of Muslim Sharif:
'lawlaa ann ashuqqa alal Muslimina...'
'If it was not difficult for some of the Muslims, then they would never remain behind any army unit (siryah)'.

From this we find that in the days of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) by His Mercy and His Kindness and because of the lack of weaponry and belongings, they would not attend a jihaad. But this hadith also proves the excellence of Jihaad, and martyrdom, and the wish for martyrdom and it's hope, and that one of the types of Jihaad, which is 'fard-e-kifaayah' (Nawawi, Vol.2, p-33).

Imam ibn-e-Hajar 'Asqalani however, has deriven (istidlaal) that, for a forthcoming priority, or for the eradication of mischief, then it can be 'mustahab' to delay some deed, as is stated in Fath-hul-Bari, Vol.6, p-17.

The Meaning of Hoping for the Wish of Martyrdom (shahaadah)

The invocation that is made for the martyrdom in the Path of Allah the Almighty, had been made by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him), and by His Noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). But this does not mean in any circumstance, that we are invoking for the misbelievers or the non-Muslims to overpower us, that they in effect kill us, but it merely means, that to make invocation in order to attain, and to gain that station and rank, that which Allah the Almighty has promised to give the martyrs.

The Muhaddith-e-Kabir, 'Allamah Ahmad 'Ali of Sahaaranpur, who is another commentator on the Bukhari, (may Allah be pleased with Him) that,

'ma'nad du'aa'i fish shahaadati huwa talbu martabati qudratill lish shuhadaa'i wa laysal maqsudu talbu taslitil kaafiri waz zaalimi 'alayhi'

'That the meaning for the invocation or supplication for a martyrdom, is to gain the rank of the martyrs (shuhadaa'), and its purpose is not so that you want the non-believers to overcome you, or the oppressors'.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 73.

The meaning of this Hadith, and its connection with the title, denotes that to be martyred in the way of Allah the Almighty is a great excellence and blessing, and that whenever the Muslims (as a whole), are called for jihaad, then they should accept it with sincerity.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 80.

This Hadith states the excellence of that person who dies in the way of Allah the Almighty, and the person by whom he was killed, after he accepts Islam is also martyred in the way of Allah the Almighty, although he had later accepted Islam, at this, Allah the Almighty smiles (according to His dignity), in that He has them both in His everlasting Mercy, as both the martyr, and the martyred are granted paradise.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 82.

The meaning of this Hadith is, that the real martyr (shahid-e-haqiqi), is he who is martyred in in the plains of destruction for the establishment of the religion of Allah the Almighty, against those who would be the non-Muslims, or he who is martyred by a Muslim, without any recompense, or is martyred by the rebels, then all of these are the real martyrs (shahid-e-haqiqi).

The command for these is that they shall be shrouded, and the congregation shall stand behind them (janaazah), but they shall not be bathed, as they shall be buried in their bloody clothes with thier own blood.

Those Muslims, who have been outrightly (hukmann)declared as martyrs (shahid), whose numbers have been recorded in the various ahaadith-e-mubaarikah, as 'Allamah 'Aini (may Allah be pleased with Him) has counted at least forty, then their position is that Allah the Almighty shall grant them the reward of the martyrs. They are also known as the legal martyrs (Shahid-e-Hukmi). Their legal (fiqhi) position is that their congregation at funeral (janaazah) will be as normal.

Similarly, the ahaadith have counted the 'shahid-e-hukmi, as five, seven, four, and three. But this does not mean that there are no other leagal martyrs (shahid-e-hukmi), as there are more.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 104.

A few important issues in relation to the above ahaadiths is that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) said that horses shall have blessing, upon thier foreheads, until the day of Judgement. So in that era, horses mules, donkeys, camels, arrows, swords, spears and shields were all used for destroying what was false.

At this stage, the horse would be considered as brave, sincere, and an animal of other good characteristics, and therefore had a specific position. This is the reason why the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) stated that the horses shall have blessings on their foreheads until the day of Judgement.

That horse which is nurtured for the sake of Jihaad, and in this day and age those countries who equip themselves with such artillery, which could be used in the way of Allah 'fi sabil-illah', so that their nations and countries are safegarded against tyrrany, and by which the work of Islam shall be upheld, are all means of reward and blessing.

After discussing the commentary of the hadiths faced, I think it is also necessary to say what Jihaad means, how many types of Jihaad there are, what is the greater Jihaad, and what is the lesser Jihaad.

Jihaad actually means struggle. Similarly 'jahd', and 'juhd' mean strength, and expansion.

'Siyar' is the plural of 'Sirah', which means a way. Because Imam Bukhari wanted to identify the way of the Messenger of Allah's (peace be upon Him) Jihaad, and the way of the Jihaad of His Noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), Imam Bukhari thus included the word 'Siyar', in his chapter.

The legal (shar'i) meaning of Jihaad, according to the majority of scholars ('ulama'), is to uphold the religion of Islam, and to propogate it accordingly, at the time of war, against those who do not let this happen, and oppose Islam, and to use full force, expansion, and strength.

The word Jihaad is also used in the struggle against the self, against the devil, and against sin, as there are three stages to the struggle against the self:

1) To educate oneself with the issues and commands of Islam.

2) To act according to the principles of Islam.

3) To educate others concerning the laws, principles, and rules of the religion of Islam.

On return from one of the battles, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) turned to His Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and stated that the lesser Jihaad had just ended, and that the greater Jihaad had just begun.

We presume, that amongst the list above, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) was talking about the struggle against the devil, against the self, and against sin.

The struggle against the self is, not allowing any form of temptation reach the lowest parts of the flesh, and to protect it with the dhikr of Allah the Almighty. This is known as 'Mujaahidah-e-Nafs'.

The struggle against the devil, would be all those bad thoughts which the devil puts into ones heart concerning religion, then to eradicate them, to know them as being useless and worthless in your heart, and to expel them completely, would be known as 'Mujaahidah-e-Shaytan'.

Finally, the struggle against the sin, would be to realise that all sin is bad, and to realise it with a full heart. To stop, and put an end to, with the hand, of all shamefull degrading, low, and mean acts, and to speak out to the people and making them aware of its dangers. This is known as 'Mujahidah-e-fisq'.

And Allah is the Most Knowing.....

M. Waseem Ashrafi.