It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had a race of the horses which had been especially prepared for the purpose from Hafya' to Thaniyyat al-Wada' (the latter being the winning post), and of those which had not been trained from Thaniyya to the mosque of Banu Zuraiq, and Ibn Umar was among those who took part in this race.
It has been narrated on the authority of Jarir b. Abdullah who said:
I saw that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was twisting the forelock of a horse with his fingers and he was saying: (A great) benefit. i. e. reward (for rearing them for Jihad) and spoils of war, has been tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Judgment.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (may peace upon him) said:
Allah has undertaken to look after the affairs of one who goes out to fight in His way believing in Him and affirming the truth of His Apostles. He is committed to His care that Re will either admit him to Paradise or bring him back to his home from where he set out with a reward or (his share of) booty. By the Being in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad. If a person gets wounded in the way of Allah, he will come on the Day of Judgment with his wound in the same condition as it was when it was first inflicted; its colour being 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 to be too hard upon the Muslime. I would not lag behind any expedition which is going to fight in the cause of Allah. But I do not have abundant means to provide them (the Mujahids) with riding beasts, nor have they (i. e. all of them) abundant means (to provide themselves with all the means of Jihad) so that they could he left behind. By the Being in Whose Hand is Muhammad's life, I love to fight in the way of Allah and be killed, to fight and again be killed and to fight again and be killed.
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 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.
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).
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 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!
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 20, Hadith 4645
Hadith 1885
Chapter 33: The Book on Government - كتاب الإمارة
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي،
قَتَادَةَ عَنْ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَهُ يُحَدِّثُ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ قَامَ فِيهِمْ
فَذَكَرَ لَهُمْ " أَنَّ الْجِهَادَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالإِيمَانَ بِاللَّهِ أَفْضَلُ الأَعْمَالِ " . فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ
يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ قُتِلْتُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ تُكَفَّرُ عَنِّي خَطَايَاىَ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى
الله عليه وسلم " نَعَمْ إِنْ قُتِلْتَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَأَنْتَ صَابِرٌ مُحْتَسِبٌ مُقْبِلٌ غَيْرُ مُدْبِرٍ "
. ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " كَيْفَ قُلْتَ " . قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ قُتِلْتُ فِي سَبِيلِ
اللَّهِ أَتُكَفَّرُ عَنِّي خَطَايَاىَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " نَعَمْ وَأَنْتَ صَابِرٌ مُحْتَسِبٌ
مُقْبِلٌ غَيْرُ مُدْبِرٍ إِلاَّ الدَّيْنَ فَإِنَّ جِبْرِيلَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ قَالَ لِي ذَلِكَ " .
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.
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).
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Sa'id Khudri that a man came to the Prophet (may peace he upon him) and said:
Who is the best of men? He replied: A man who fights in the way of Allah spending his wealth and staking his life. The man then asked: Who is next to him (in excellence)? He said: Next to him is a believer who lives in a mountain gorge worshipping hid Lord and sparing men from his mischief.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
Of the men he lives the best life who holds the reins of his horse (ever ready to march) in the way of Allah, flies on its back whenever he hears a fearful shriek, or a call for help, flies to it seeking death at places where it can be expected. (Next to him) is a man who lives with his sheep at a hill-top or in a valley, says his prayers regularly, gives Zakat and worships his Lord until death comes to him. There is no better person among men except these two.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
God laughs at the two men both of whom will enter Paradise (though) one of them kills the other. They said: Messenger of Allah, how is it? He said: One of them fights in the way of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted. and dies a martyr. Then God turns in mercy to the murderer who embraces Islam, fights in the way of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, and dies a martyr.
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari who said A man brought a muzzled she-camel and said:
It is (offered) in the way of Allah. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: For this you will have seven hundred she-camels on the Day of Judgment all of which will be muzzled.
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 20, Hadith 4663
Hadith 1893
Chapter 33: The Book on Government - كتاب الإمارة
وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَأَبُو كُرَيْبٍ وَابْنُ أَبِي عُمَرَ - وَاللَّفْظُ لأَبِي كُرَيْبٍ
- قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي عَمْرٍو الشَّيْبَانِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ الأَنْصَارِيِّ،
قَالَ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ إِنِّي أُبْدِعَ بِي فَاحْمِلْنِي فَقَالَ " مَا
عِنْدِي " . فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَنَا أَدُلُّهُ عَلَى مَنْ يَحْمِلُهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله
عليه وسلم " مَنْ دَلَّ عَلَى خَيْرٍ فَلَهُ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ فَاعِلِهِ " .
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari who said:
A man came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: My riding beast has been killed, so give me some animal to ride upon. He (the Holy Prophet) said: I have none with me. A man said: Messenger of Allah, I can guide him to one who will provide him with a riding beast. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: One who guides to something good has a reward similar to that of its doer.