132 – In another narration it was asked, “Is jihād obligatory for women?” He replied, “A jihād in which there is no fighting: the pilgrimage and the lesser pilgrimage.”⦗1⦘

133 – The wording of the previous report clarifies this. She said, “We regard jihād as the best of deeds; should we then not fight alongside you?” He answered, “Yet the best jihād is an accepted pilgrimage.” Thus he endorsed her remark, “We regard jihād as the greatest deed,” and then stated that “the best jihād is an accepted pilgrimage.”

134 – In another version⦗2⦘ she asked, “Shall we not go out and fight with you? For I see no deed in the Qur’an superior to jihād.” He said, “But the finest and most excellent jihād is an accepted pilgrimage.” He affirmed her assessment of jihād’s virtue; then, when she sought permission for the customary pilgrimage, he replied, “No. Rather, the finest and most excellent jihād is the pilgrimage to the House.” He granted it that rank by designating it as jihād, even though common sense shows that this cannot match the armed struggle against unbelievers and hypocrites. It is therefore clear that he was referring to the jihād of women—the definite article pointing to what the listener already understood.