VOLUME TWENTY-EIGHT
THE BOOK OF ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE
PART EIGHT:
JIHAD

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

Shaykh al-Islām Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah sanctify his soul—was asked about the hadith:

“Keeping watch on the seacoast for one night is better than a man’s deeds among his family for a thousand years.”

He was also asked about residing in Mecca, Jerusalem, and Medina the Radiant with the intention of worship and complete devotion to Allah Most High, and residing in Damietta, Alexandria, and Tripoli with the intention of guarding the frontiers: which is better?

He answered:

All praise is due to Allah. Rather, residing at the Muslims’ frontier posts, such as those in Syria and Egypt, is better than residing near the three mosques. I know of no disagreement among the scholars on this matter, and more than one of the leading scholars has explicitly stated it. This is because guarding the frontiers is a form of jihad, whereas residing near these mosques is, at most, a form of Hajj. As Allah Most High says:

“Do you consider providing water to pilgrims and maintaining the Sacred Mosque equal to one who believes in Allah and the Last Day and strives in Allah’s cause? They are not equal in Allah’s sight.”

In the two Sahīh collections, it is reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked: “Which