—then Allah guarantees him entry into Paradise if he is slain or dies along the way; or He will return him to his home and his family bearing immense reward—or rather the twofold good: reward and booty. And Allah never fails in His promise.
Benefits Derived from the ḥadith
- The munificence and generosity of Allah, for He has bound Himself to grant this enormous recompense to those who engage in jihad.
- The excellence of striving in Allah’s path, for its profit is assured: either the supreme martyrdom, which raises its possessor to lofty stations alongside the prophets and the truthful, or a safe return home laden with abundant merits and absolution of sins. Should booty accompany him, that too is a grace from Allah; He bestows it upon whom He wills, and Allah is the Possessor of boundless favor.
- Ibn Daqīq al-ʿĪd observed that this reward is secured only for the one whose intention is sound and cleansed of every worldly aim. Al-Ṭabarī added: if the foundational motive is to exalt Allah’s word, whatever may accrue thereafter does not harm him.
Hadith Four
In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (1): “The likeness of those who strive in the path of Allah—and Allah knows best who truly strives in His path—is that of one who fasts by day and stands in prayer by night. Allah has pledged to the fighter in His cause—should He take his soul—to admit him into Paradise, or to return him safely with reward or booty.”
Overall Meaning
The Prophet ﷺ clarified the merit of jihad performed purely for Allah’s sake: whoever fights for His cause with the sole intention of jihad and of raising Allah’s word—while Allah is fully aware of the secrets of hearts and knows the sincere from the insincere—receives a reward equal to that of someone who spends his entire night in prayer and his entire day fasting. For the combatant remains in a state of worship whether standing or sitting, moving or encamped, awake or asleep; he is engaged in continuous devotion matched only by one who occupies all his time with acts of worship. Yet there remains a difference between restricted acts of worship, such as prayer and fasting, and those whose benefit extends to others, such as jihad. Hence the one who sets out, sincerely striving in Allah’s path, has been guaranteed by Allah either Paradise if he is slain or dies in that path, or a safe return accompanied by reward and spoils.