- ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, is jihad required of women?’ He replied, ‘Yes: a jihad in which there is no fighting—Hajj and ʿUmrah.’” Narrated by Ibn Mājah, and its principal wording is in al-Bukhārī (1).
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Hadith Grading
The hadith is sound. It is transmitted by Muḥammad ibn Fuḍayl, from Ḥabīb ibn Abī ʿAmrah, from ʿĀʾishah bint Ṭalḥah, from ʿĀʾishah, Mother of the Believers, and its original form appears in al-Bukhārī, as the author has noted.
Lessons Drawn from the Aḥadīth
1 – Hadith no. 1094 indicates that striving in the path of Allah is obligatory, for one must avoid the traits of the hypocrites, the most reprehensible of qualities.
2 – One must make a firm resolve to engage in jihad when unable to do so, and must carry it out when able. For unrestricted obligations, determination to fulfil them is required whenever one is capable; for time-bound obligations, such resolve is required once their appointed time begins.
3 – The hadith also shows that whoever dies without having fought, nor even having intended to fight, dies upon a branch of hypocrisy, for he resembles the hypocrites who stayed behind from jihad; abandoning jihad is therefore one of the branches of hypocrisy.
4 – Hadith no. 1095 establishes the obligation to strive against the disbelievers with one’s wealth, one’s self, and one’s tongue. As for wealth, it is spent on purchasing weaponry, outfitting the combatants, and similar needs.