-
The merit of jihad in the path of Allah and the sheer greatness of its recompense, for the reward of a single rawḥah or ghadwah undertaken for His sake surpasses the whole world and all it contains.
-
Such an immense reward has been linked to jihad because it involves braving danger by marching forth solely for Allah’s good pleasure and because of the benefits that follow from it—raising Allah’s word high, giving victory to His religion, and spreading His law for the guidance of humankind. For this reason it is the very pinnacle of Islam, as stated in the ḥadith of Muʿādh ibn Jabal.
Hadith Three
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Allah has pledged (and in Muslim’s version: ‘Allah has guaranteed’) to the one who sets out in His cause—impelled by nothing but jihad in His path, faith in Me, and affirmation of My Messenger—that I am responsible either to admit him into Paradise or to return him to the home from which he set out, bringing back whatever reward or booty he has gained.”
Unfamiliar Terms (gharīb)
• “…except jihad”: In this narration the word jihad—along with what follows it—appears in the nominative case. In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim it is reported in the accusative as an adverbial clause, meaning that nothing drives him out except jihad. The accusative may also be explained by taking it as coordinated with the clause “that I admit him to Paradise.”
– “reward or booty”: the particle “or” here conveys the sense of “and.” Abū Dāwūd records it with “and,” and so do some chains in Muslim.
• Ḍāmin (guarantor): used in the passive sense, “guaranteed,” just as the Qur’an says ʿīshatan rāḍiyah, “a life that is pleasing,” meaning “pleased.”
• “…or I return him”: the verb is read with an open hamzah, a jīm with kasrah, and the ʿayn in the accusative. Its triliteral root is confirmed by the verse, “My Lord, send me back” (Q 23:99). On this reading the combatant who survives returns with reward as well.
• Intadaba Allāh (“Allah has pledged”): Ibn al-Athīr explains, “I summoned him and he responded; I dispatched him and he set out.”
Overall Meaning
Out of His grace and bounty, Allah has undertaken—and bound Himself by a solemn pledge—that anyone who departs to fight in His cause, purifying his intention from every worldly motive such as the pursuit of spoils, tribal zeal, bravado, love of fame, or public acclaim, and goes forth solely on account of faith in Allah, who has promised the strivers their reward, and in confirmation of His messengers who conveyed His generous promise—