(234) Chapter: Obligation of Jihad

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent an expedition to Banu Lahyan and said, "One man from every two should join the fighting force, and the reward will be shared amongst them equally." [Muslim]. Another narration in Muslim is: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Let one of every two men go forth", and added: "Whoever stays behind (and looks well after the family and the property of those who have joined the expedition) will get half the reward of the warrior." Commentary: "The reward will be shared amongst them equally'' or "will get half the reward'' signifies one and the same thing. Some people might mistakenly think that these two narrations of Sahih Muslim apparently contradict each other because they imply that he who takes part in Jihad and he who provides material to a Mujahid or looks after the family of a Mujahid in his absence from home would get equal reward. For this reason, some people have taken the word "half'' as superfluous thinking that some narrator has added it in the text on his own. But Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar is of the opinion that after the acceptance of the credibility of this Hadith and the proofs furnished in this regard, it is unfair to ascribe addition of any word to the narrator. Its correct interpretation seems to be that when the total reward of it will be evenly distributed between the two, each of them will get the same amount of reward. Hence there is no contradiction in these two Ahadith. This Hadith also tells us that Jihad is not an express obligation; and if one of the two persons takes part in Jihad, it will suffice for the other also. What can be inferred from this is that the others should take part in Jihad in such a manner that those who have wealth, should arrange for the military requirements of the Mujahidun and look after their families, and in case any Mujahid is martyred, they should provide financial help to his family if it does not have sufficient means for a respectable living. Similarly, people in other walks of life should also take part in Jihad in every possible manner.