The Book of Jihad

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up among his Companions and said, "Jihad in the way of Allah and belief in Allah (with all His Attributes) are the most meritorious of actions." A man stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah! Inform me if I am killed in the way of Allah, will my sins be blotted out?" The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Yes, in case you are killed in the way of Allah and you remained patient, hopeful of reward, and advancing forward without retracing back (i.e., while fighting)." Then he said, "What was your question?" He inquired again: "Inform me, if I am killed in the way of Allah, will all my sins be blotted out?" The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied, "If you remained patient, hopeful of reward and always fought without turning your back upon enemy, everything, except debt, will be forgiven. Jibril has told me this."[Muslim].

A man asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Tell me where I will be if I am killed while fighting in the way of Allah?" He (ﷺ) replied, "In Jannah." The man threw away the few dates which he had in his hand, jumped into the battlefield and fought on till he was killed.[Muslim]

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his Companions reached Badr before the polytheists, and when they arrived, he (ﷺ) directed: "Let no one of you advance ahead of me." When the polytheists came near, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Now stand up and proceed towards Jannah which is as wide as are the heavens and the earth." 'Umair bin Al-Humam (May Allah be pleased with him) asked: "Is Jannah as wide as are the heaven and the earth?" The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied in the affirmative. 'Umair remarked: "Great!" The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked him what had urged him to say so. He replied: "Nothing, O Messenger of Allah! But hope that I might become one of the inhabitants of Jannah." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "You will definitely be among them." 'Umair then took some dates out of his quiver and began to eat them, but after a short time he said: "If I survive till I eat my dates, it will mean a long life." So he threw away the dates which he had with him and then fought with the enemy till he was killed.[Muslim].

Some people came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said to him: "Send with us some men who may teach us the Qur'an and the Sunnah." He (ﷺ) sent seventy men from the Ansar. They were called Al-Qurra' (the reciters) and among them was my maternal uncle, Haram. They used to recite the Qur'an, ponder over its meaning and learn (its wisdom) at night. In the day, they used to bring water and pour it in pitchers in the mosque, then they would collect wood and sell it; and with the sale proceeds, they would buy food for the people of As-Suffah and the needy. The Prophet (ﷺ) sent the reciters with these people but these (treacherous people) fell upon them and killed them before they reached their destination. (While dying) they supplicated: "O Allah convey from us the news to our Prophet that we have met You (in a way), that we are pleased with You and You are pleased with us." (The narrator said:) A man attacked Haram from behind and smote him with a spear which pierced him. Whereupon Haram said: "By the Rubb of Ka'bah, I have met with success. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to his Companions, "Your brethren have been slain and they were saying: "O Allah! Convey from us to our Prophet the news that we have met You (in a way) that we are pleased with You and You are pleased with us."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Last night two men (angels) came to me (in a dream) and made me ascend a tree and then admitted me into a nice and excellent house, the like of which I have never seen before. One of them said: 'This house is the house of martyrs'."[Al- Bukhari].

Umm Ar-Rubaiy'i bint Al-Bara', who was the mother of Harithah bin Suraqah, came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! Will you not tell me about Harithah? (He was killed in the battle of Badr). If he is in Jannah I shall show endurance, but if he has met another fate, I may exert myself in weeping for him." He (ﷺ) replied, "O mother of Harithah, in in the gardens of Jannah there are many ranks, and your son has attained Al-Firdaus, the highest."[Al- Bukhari].

The dead body of my father, who was mutilated by the enemy, was brought and placed before the Prophet (ﷺ). I got up to uncover his face but the people stopped me, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The angels continue to cover him with their wings."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who supplicates Allah sincerely for martyrdom, Allah will elevate him to the station of the martyrs, even if he dies on his bed."[Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who supplicates sincerely for martyrdom, it will be granted to him even though he is not killed on the battlefield."[Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The martyr experiences no more pain in being slain than one of you experiences from the stinging of an ant."[At-Tirmidhi].

On one occasion the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was confronting the enemy. He waited until the sun had declined. Then he stood up to address the people and said, "O people! Do not wish for an encounter with the enemy. Pray to Allah to grant you safety; (but) when you encounter them, show patience, and know that Jannah is under the shades of the swords." Then he (ﷺ) said: "Allahumma munzilal-kitab, wa mujriyas- sahab, wa hazimal-Ahzab, ihzimhum wansurna alaihim (O Allah, Revealer of the Book, Disperser of the clouds, Defeater of the Confederates, put our enemy to rout and support us against them)."[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Supplications at two times are never turned down (or said, "Are seldom turned down"), a supplication after the Adhan has been proclaimed, and a supplication during the battle combating the enemy."[Abu Dawud].

Whenever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) set out to participate in Jihad, he would supplicate: "Allahumma Anta 'adudi wa nasiri, bika ahulu, wa bika asulu, wa bika uqatilu (O Allah, You are my Supporter and my Helper. With Your help I get strength, and with Your help I bounce upon the enemy and defeat it, and with Your help I fight)."[Abu Dawud and At- Tirmidhi].

When the Prophet (ﷺ) had any fear of an enemy, he used to supplicate: "Allahumma inna naj'aluka fi nuhurihim, wa na'udhu bika min shururihim (O Allah! We put You in front of them, and we seek refuge in You from their evils)."[Ahmad and Abu Dawud].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There is goodness in the forelocks of horses till the Day of Resurrection."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Goodness is tied to the foreheads of horses until the Day of Resurrection, i.e., reward (in the Hereafter) and spoils."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who keeps a horse for Jihad purposes, having faith in Allah and relying on His Promise, will find that its fodder, drink, droppings and urine will all be credited to him in his Scales on the Day of Resurrection."[Al- Bukhari].

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) with a she-camel wearing a nose-string and said: "This is (a gift) in the Cause of Allah." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied, "You will have in return for it on the Day of Resurrection seven hundred she-camels and every one of them will be wearing a nose-string."[Muslim].

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying from the pulpit, "Prepare to meet them (the enemy) with as much strength as you can afford. Verily! Strength is in archery, strength is in archery, strength is in archery."[Muslim].

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "Lands shall be laid open to you, and Allah will suffice you (against your enemies), but none of you should neglect practicing his skill in archery."[Muslim].