1101 – Abu Musa al-Ashʿari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever fights so that the word of Allah may be supreme is on the path of Allah.” Agreed upon. (1)
Points derived from the ḥadith
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The complete narration states that a Bedouin asked the Prophet ﷺ, “Messenger of Allah, a man fights for spoils, a man fights for fame, and a man fights so that his position may be seen—who is on the path of Allah?” The Prophet replied, “Whoever fights so that the word of Allah may be supreme is on the path of Allah.” This is the explicit purport of the report.
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“Fights for fame” means he wants to be mentioned among the people and described as brave; such fame refers to honor and boasting.
As for “fights so that his position may be seen,” the verb “be seen” is in the passive voice, and “his position” means his standing in bravery. The difference between this and the previous case is that the first fights for reputation, while the second fights for ostentation.
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The implied meaning of the conditional phrase in the ḥadith is that anyone who fights for a purpose other than this is not on the path of Allah; rather, his striving corresponds to the aim he intended.
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If another objective accompanies the primary aim of striving in Allah’s cause, al-Ṭabarī said: when the chief purpose is to exalt the word of Allah, any incidental benefit does not harm. The majority of scholars concur.
This is reinforced by what appears in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: “They used to…"