Riyad al-Salihin from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter: The Virtue of Jihad.
Narrated Salamah Ibn al-Akwa‘, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed by a group of people who were practicing archery.
He said, "Shoot, O children of Isma‘il, for your father was an archer."
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
"Practicing archery" (yantadilun):
Meaning they were shooting arrows at a target to compete.
From the benefits of the hadith:
An ancestor can be referred to as "father."
For the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, attributed them to Isma‘il, peace be upon him.
Commending one who is skilled in their craft.
By highlighting their excellence.
And comforting the hearts of those who are less skilled.
The excellent character of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
And his knowledge of matters of warfare.
The desirability of following the praiseworthy traits of one's forefathers.
And acting upon them.
The excellent manners of the Companions toward the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The just leader:
Looks after his Ummah.
And encourages them to learn what benefits them.
And encourages them to learn the arts of war to defend their religion.
Narrated ‘Amr Ibn ‘Abasah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"Whoever shoots an arrow in the way of Allah,
It is for him equivalent to freeing a slave."
Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
"Equivalent" (‘adl) means equal.
"Freeing a slave" (muharriruhu):
Means the emancipation of a neck.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Encouraging the Muslims to engage in Jihad in the way of Allah.
And glorifying the matter of Jihad and the Mujahidin.
Narrated Abu Yahya,
Quraym Ibn Fatik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever spends in the way of Allah,
It is recorded for him seven hundred times over."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Spending in the way of Allah is multiplied up to seven hundred times.
Narrated Abu Sa‘id, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"There is no servant who fasts one day in the way of Allah,
Except that Allah distances his face from the Fire by that day for seventy years."
Agreed upon.
Narrated Abu Umamah, may Allah be pleased with him,
From the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"Whoever fasts one day in the way of Allah,
Allah will place between him and the Fire a trench,
Like that between the heavens and the earth."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Some scholars interpret this hadith and others like it
As referring to fasting on the battlefields.
However, this is not the apparent meaning.
For fasting, in any case,
Is in the way of Allah.
And the hadith is applied to this.
Fasting on the battlefields of Jihad:
If it affects the strength and energy of the soldiers,
Then it is not recommended.
Narrated Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever dies without having fought, nor having resolved to fight,
Dies upon a branch of hypocrisy."
Narrated by Muslim.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The leader must urge his subjects to prepare for Jihad.
And not to become accustomed to cowardice and fear of meeting the enemy.
Sincerely resolving to engage in Jihad
Elevates the servant to the station of the people of faith.
And it contains the fact that the least of Jihad
Is occupying one's thoughts and soul with it.
Whoever does not resolve to engage in Jihad and does not fight,
Possesses a trait of hypocrisy.
Narrated Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
We were with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, on a military expedition,
And he said:
"Indeed, in Madinah there are men; you have not traveled a distance,
Nor crossed a valley,
But they were with you."
They were held back by illness.
In another narration: "They were held back by an excuse."
In another narration: "Except that they shared in the reward with you."
Narrated by al-Bukhari from the narration of Anas.
And narrated by Muslim from the narration of Jabir.
And the wording is his.
Narrated Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with him,
That a Bedouin came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and said:
"O Messenger of Allah,
A man fights for spoils,
A man fights to be remembered,
And a man fights to be seen in his place."
In another narration:
"He fights out of bravery, and he fights out of tribal zeal."
In another narration:
"And he fights out of anger."
"So who is in the way of Allah?"
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever fights so that the word of Allah may be supreme,
He is in the way of Allah."
Agreed upon.
Narrated ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr Ibn al-‘As, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"There is no raiding party or army that goes out, takes spoils, and returns safely,
But they have already received two-thirds of their rewards.
And there is no raiding party or army that fails and is afflicted,
But their rewards are complete."
Narrated by Muslim.
From the benefits of the hadith:
If the warriors return safely or take spoils,
Their reward is less than the reward of those who did not return safely, or returned safely but took no spoils.
And that the spoils are in exchange for a portion of the reward of their fighting.
So if they obtain them,
They have received two-thirds of their reward resulting from the fighting.
And these spoils are part of the total reward.
This hadith is in agreement with the authentic, well-known hadiths from the Companions,
In their saying:
"Some of us died and did not consume anything of their reward,
And some of us have had their fruit ripen,
And they are harvesting it."
Meaning: gathering it.
The highest degrees of Jihad:
Is for one who goes out and does not return.
Narrated Abu Umamah, may Allah be pleased with him,
That a man said: "O Messenger of Allah,
Give me permission to travel as a monk."
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"The monasticism of my Ummah
Is Jihad in the way of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
"Monasticism" (siyahah):
Leaving one's homeland and wandering the earth.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Wandering the earth is among the innovations of the Christians,
Like monasticism.
The monasticism of this Ummah
Is guarding the frontiers,
To defend the sanctuary of Islam,
And to protect the community of the Muslims
From the lurking enemies.
Islam transforms prevailing concepts
Into elements of construction and virtue,
And cooperation in righteousness and piety.
Narrated ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr Ibn al-‘As, may Allah be pleased with them both,
From the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"Returning is like going out."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
"Returning" (al-qaflah):
Coming back.
And the intent is:
Returning from the military expedition after its completion.
Its meaning is that he is rewarded for his return after finishing the expedition.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The Mujahid in the way of Allah is rewarded and attains merit in both going and returning.
Narrated al-Sa'ib Ibn Yazid, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
When the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, returned from the expedition of Tabuk,
The people met him,
And I met him with the children at Thaniyat al-Wada‘.
Narrated by Abu Dawud with this wording.
And it was narrated by al-Bukhari, who said:
"We went to meet the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, with the children at Thaniyat al-Wada‘."
A "thaniyah" is an elevated place on the earth.
And Thaniyat al-Wada‘ is a place near Madinah to its north.
It was named that because the traveler is seen off and bid farewell there.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The desirability of welcoming the warriors upon their return from military expeditions and Jihad in the way of Allah.
Narrated Abu Umamah, may Allah be pleased with him,
From the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"Whoever does not fight, nor equips a warrior,
Nor looks after a warrior's family well in his absence,
Allah will strike him with a calamity before the Day of Resurrection."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of abandoning Jihad and the severity of the punishment for that.
The obligation of preparation and readiness for military expeditions and Jihad in the way of Allah.
The obligation of preserving the internal front of the Muslim society,
And protecting the honor and families of the Mujahidin in the way of Allah.
The Muslim society is a society of solidarity and cooperation in righteousness and piety,
Because it is like a structure, parts of which strengthen others.
Narrated Anas, may Allah be pleased with him,
That the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Strive against the polytheists with your wealth, your lives, and your tongues."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Striving against the polytheists by every legitimate means
Is an obligation upon everyone capable.
Jihad is performed with wealth, self, and tongue.
As for wealth:
It is by providing it to the Mujahidin,
And helping them equip themselves to meet the enemies of Allah.
As for the self:
It is the going out of every responsible Muslim capable of carrying weapons,
Who is not excused by a legal excuse that permits him to refrain from meeting the enemy.
As for the tongue:
It is by supplication and praising the Mujahidin,
and inciting them and working to keep them steadfast.
It is forbidden to provide the enemies of Islam with money or manpower.
Likewise, it is forbidden to praise them or boast about them.
Rather, one must condemn them and belittle their status.
And one must expose their evil traits by every possible means.
On the authority of Abu 'Amr,
also known as Abu Hakim,
al-Nu'man ibn Muqarrin, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"I witnessed the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him;
if he did not fight at the beginning of the day,
he would delay the fighting until the sun had passed its zenith,
the winds began to blow, and victory descended."
Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The permissibility of delaying fighting until the latter part of the day.
It is recommended for an army commander to choose appropriate times
when the soldiers are at their full strength and vigor,
so that their efforts may be multiplied and their engagement improved.
If it is a surprise raid,
it is preferred that it be in the morning.
But if it is a direct confrontation,
then it should be after the sun has passed its zenith and the winds have begun to blow.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Do not wish to meet the enemy,
and ask Allah for well-being.
But if you do meet them, then be steadfast."
Agreed upon.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
and on the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them both,
that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"War is deception."
Agreed upon.
"Deception" means outwitting the disbelievers.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The encouragement to exercise caution in war.
The recommendation to deceive the disbelievers to catch them off guard.
This is done through indirect speech, ambushes, and surprise raids.
The permissibility of using strategy and consultation in war.
Indeed, it is even more vital than mere bravery.
Riyad al-Salihin.