Sahih Muslim — hadith #4726–#4750
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It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira who said: Allah has undertaken to provide for one who leaves his home (only) to fight for His cause and to affirm the truth of His word; Allah will either admit him to Paradise or will bring him back home from where he had come out, with his reward and booty.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: One who is wounded in the way of Allah-and Allah knows better who is wounded in His way-will appear on the Day of Judgment with his wound bleediing. The colour (of its discharge) will be the colour of blood, (but) its smell will be the smell of musk.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Haraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Every wound received by a Muslim in the way of Allah will appear on the Day of Judgment in the same condition as it was when it was inflicted, and would be bleeding profusely. The colour (of its discharge) will be the colour of blood, but its smell will be the smell of musk. By the Being in Whose Hand is Muhammad's life, if it were not hard upon the Muslims, I would not lag behind any expedition undertaken for Jihad, but I do not possess abundant means to provide the Mujahids with riding animals, nor do they (i. e. all of them) have abundant means (to provide themselves with all the means of Jihad) to follow me, nor would it please their hearts to stay behind me.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: I would not stay behind (when) an expedition (for Jihad was being mobilised) if it were going to be too hard upon the believers.... This is followed by the same words as have appeared in the previous tradition, but this tradition has the same ending as the previous hadith with a slight difference in the wording:" By the Being in Whose Hand is my life, I love that I should be killed in the way of Allah; then I should be brought back to life and be killed again in His way...."
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: If it were not hard upon my Umma (to follow my example), I would not lag behind any expedition-as in the traditions gone before.
Another version of the tradition narrated through a different chain of transmitters on the authority of Abu Huraira has the same wording as the previous tradition: " Allah takes care of one who goes out in the way of Allah" but ends in the words:" I would not lag behind any expedition which is undertaken to fight in the way of Allah, the Exalted."
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: " Nobody who dies and has something good for him with Allah will (ever like to) return to this world even though he were offered the whole world and all that is in its (as an inducement), except the martyr who desires to return and be killed in the world for the (great) merit of martyrdom that he has seen.
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik (through a different chain of transmitters) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Nobody who enters Paradise will (ever like to) return to this world even if he were offered everything on the surface of the earth (as an inducement) except the martyr who will desire to return to this world and be killed ten times for the sake of the great honour that has been bestowed upon him.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked: What deed could be an equivalent of Jihad in the way of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted? He answered: You do not have the strength to do that deed. The narrator said: They repeated the question twice or thrice. Every time he answered: You do not have the strength to do it. When the question was asked for the third time, he said: One who goes out for Jihad is like a person who keeps fasts, stands in prayer (constantly), (obeying) Allah's (behests contained in) the verses (of the Qur'an), and does not exhibit any lassitude in fasting and prayer until the Mujahid returns from Jihad in the way of Allah, the Exalted.
This tradition has been handed down through a different chain of transmitters.
It has been narrated on the authority of Nu'man b. Bashir who said: As I was (sitting) near the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), a man said: I do not care if, after embracing Islam, I do not do any good deed (except) distributing drinking water among the pilgrims. Another said: I do not care if, after embracing Islam, I do not do any good deed beyond maintenance service to the Sacred Mosque. Another said: Jihad in the way of Allah is better than what you have said. 'Umar reprimanded them and said: Don't raise your voices near the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on Friday. When prayer was over, I entered (the apartment of the Holy Prophet) and asked his verdict about the matter in which they had differed. (It was upon this that) Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, revealed the Qur'anic verse:" Do you make the giving of drinking water to the pilgrims and the maintenance of the Sacred Mosque equal to (the service of those) who believe in Allah and the Last Day and strive hard in the cause of Allah. They are not equal in the sight of God. And Allah guides not the wrongdoing people" (ix. 20).
This tradition has been narrated on the authority of Nu'man b. Bashir through another chain of transmitters.
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Leaving (for Jihad) in the way of Allah in the morning or in the evening (will merit a reward) better than the world and all that is in it.
It has been narrated on the authority of Sahl b. Sa'd as-Sa'idi that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The journey undertaken by a person in the morning (for Jihad) in the way of Allah (will merit a reward) better than the world and all that is in it.
It has been narrated on the authority of Sahl b. Sa'd as-Sa'idi that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: A journey undertaken in the morning or evening (fond Jihad) in the way of Allah (will merit a reward) better than the world and all that is in it.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: If some persons of my Umma (were not to undertake the hardships of Jihad), and he (Abu Huraira) then narrated the rest of the hadith and then said: A journey undertaken for jihad in the evening or morning merits a reward better than the world and all that is in it.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Ayyub that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: A journey undertaken in the morning or evening (for Jihad) in the way of Allah is better than (anything) on which the sun rises or sets.
This tradition has been narrated on the authority of Abu Ayyub through a different chain of transmitters having the same wording.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Sa`id al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said (to him): Abu Sa`id, whoever cheerfully accepts Allah as his Lord, Islam as his religion and Muhammad as his Apostle is necessarily entitled to enter Paradise. He (Abu Sa`id) wondered at it and said: Messenger of Allah, repeat it for me. He (the Messenger of Allah) did that and said: There is another act which elevates the position of a man in Paradise to a grade one hundred (higher), and the elevation between one grade and the other is equal to the height of the heaven from the earth. He (Abu Sa`id) said: What is that act? He replied: Jihad in the way of Allah! Jihad in the way of Allah!
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Qatada that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up among them (his Companions) to deliver his sermon in which he told them that Jihad in the way of Allah and belief in Allah (with all His Attributes) are the most meritorious of acts. A man stood up and said: Messenger of Allah, do you think that if I am killed in the way of Allah, my sins will be blotted out from me? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Yes, in case you are killed in the way of Allah and you were patient and sincere and you always fought facing the enemy, never turming your back upon him. Then he added: What have you said (now)? (Wishing to have further assurance from him for his satisfaction), he asked (again): Do you think if I am killed in the way of Allah, all my sins will be obliterated from me? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Yes, it you were patient and sincere and always fought facing the enemy and never turning your back upon him, (all your lapses would be forgiven) except debt. Gabriel has told me this.
The tradition has been narrated through a different chain of transmitters on the authority of Abu Qatada who said: A man came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while he was on the pulpit and said: Do you think if I am killed in the way of Allah... (except this difference in its beginning, the rest of the tradition is the same as the previous one).
Another version of the tradition differently transmitted begins with the words: " A man came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he was sitting on the pulpit.... He said: What do you find if I strike with the sword?" (The rest of the tradition is the same as the previous one.)
It has been reported on the authority of 'Amr b. al-'As that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: All the sins of a Shahid (martyr) are forgiven except debt.
It has been reported on the authority of Amr b. al-'As through a different chain of transmitters that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Death in the way of Allah blots out everything except debt.
It has been narrated on the authority of Masruq Who said: We asked 'Abdullah about the Qur'anic verse:" Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they are alive, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.." (iii. 169). He said: We asked the meaning of the verse (from the Holy Prophet) who said: The souls, of the martyrs live in the bodies of green birds who have their nests in chandeliers hung from the throne of the Almighty. They eat the fruits of Paradise from wherever they like and then nestle in these chandeliers. Once their Lord cast a glance at them and said: Do ye want anything? They said: What more shall we desire? We eat the fruit of Paradise from wherever we like. Their Lord asked them the same question thrice. When they saw that they will continue to be asked and not left (without answering the question). they said: O Lord, we wish that Thou mayest return our souls to our bodies so that we may be slain in Thy way once again. When He (Allah) saw that they had no need, they were left (to their joy in heaven).