"Strive against the idolators with your wealth, your hands and your tongues." [1][1] Its chain has defects while its meaning is supported by other chains.
The Book of Jihad - Sunan an-Nasa'i
A traditional commentary on the hadith concerning striving against idolators.
Textual Analysis
"Strive against the idolators with your wealth, your hands and your tongues." This noble hadith, though its specific chain in Sunan an-Nasa'i 3096 has been noted by scholars to contain weaknesses, conveys a meaning that is established through multiple supporting narrations.
Scholarly Commentary
The command to "strive" (jāhidi) encompasses the comprehensive nature of jihad against polytheism. "With your wealth" refers to spending in the path of Allah to equip armies, support families of martyrs, and establish the means of da'wah.
"With your hands" indicates physical combat when necessary and permissible according to Islamic law, undertaken by legitimate authority under proper conditions.
"With your tongues" signifies the intellectual and verbal struggle through preaching, teaching, debating with wisdom, and refuting falsehood through evidence and goodly speech.
Legal Rulings
Scholars clarify that these forms of jihad are governed by specific conditions and hierarchies. Verbal jihad through da'wah takes precedence, followed by financial support, with physical combat being a last resort when other means fail and specific legal conditions are met.
The comprehensive approach ensures that the struggle against shirk is multifaceted, addressing both the spiritual and material dimensions of this opposition.