Hadith Text and Context

This noble tradition is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari (6007) under the Book of Good Manners and Form (Al-Adab), demonstrating Islam's comprehensive approach to social welfare and spiritual excellence.

Primary Meaning: Service as Spiritual Warfare

The Prophet ﷺ equates caring for widows and the poor with jihad in Allah's cause, elevating social service to the highest spiritual rank. Widows represent those deprived of worldly support, while the poor signify those lacking basic sustenance.

This comparison is profound: just as the mujahid defends the Muslim community externally, the caregiver protects its vulnerable members internally. Both actions preserve the Ummah's integrity and fulfill collective obligations (fard kifayah).

The Additional Phrase: Excellence in Worship

The narrator's uncertainty about the additional comparison to continuous prayer and fasting indicates the tremendous reward for such service. Even as a potential addition, it signifies that caring for others can equal the most demanding voluntary worships.

Scholars note that this doesn't replace obligatory worship but shows how social responsibility, when done with proper intention, becomes worship itself.

Practical Implementation

"Looking after" (kafala) entails both material provision and emotional support. "Working for" (yamlu) indicates active effort in securing their livelihood, not mere occasional charity.

This hadith establishes that Islamic society must prioritize orphan care, widow support, and poverty alleviation as fundamental religious duties, not optional charities.

Spiritual Dimensions

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani explains that this equivalence exists because all these acts—jihad, night prayers, continuous fasting, and social service—require patience, sacrifice, and pure intention for Allah's pleasure alone.

The hadith transforms social work from mere humanitarianism to ibadah (worship), granting it eternal significance beyond worldly appreciation.