The Tremendous Virtue of Murabatah, Jihaad, Striving in Allaah’s Cause!
Bismillaah Al-Hamdulillaah wa salatu wa salaamu ‘ala rasulullaah
Amma-ba’d
Allaah, Subhanahu wa Ta’aala, said:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
O you who believe! Endure and be more patient (than your enemy), and guard your territory by stationing army units permanently at the places from where the enemy can attack you, and fear Allâh, so that you may be successful. (Aali ‘Imran, ayah 200)
Ibn Abi Hatim collected a Hadith that was also collected by Muslim and An-Nasa’i from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Should I tell you about actions with which Allaah forgives sins and raises the grade? Performing perfect ablution in unfavorable conditions, the many steps one takes to the Masajid, and awaiting prayer after the prayer, for this is the Ribat, this is the Ribat, this is the Ribat.” They also say that the Murabatah in the above ayah refers to battles against the enemy, and manning Muslim outposts to protect them from enemy incursions inside Muslim territory. There are several Hadiths that encourage Murabatah and mention its rewards.
Al-Bukhari recorded that Sahl bin Sa’d As-Sa’idi said that the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:
«رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا عَلَيْهَا»
“A Day of Ribat in the cause of Allaah is better than this life and all that is in it.”
Muslim recorded that Salman Al-Farisi said that the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,:
«رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ صِيَامِ شَهْرٍ وَقِيامِهِ، وَإِنْ مَاتَ جَرَى عَلَيْهِ عَمَلُهُ الَّذِي كَانَ يَعْمَـــــــلُهُ، وَأُجْرِيَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقُــــهُ، وَأَمِنَ الْفَتَّان»
“Ribat for a day and a night is better than fasting the days of a month and its Qiyam (voluntary prayer at night). If one dies in Ribat, his regular righteous deeds that he used to perform will keep being added to his account, and he will receive his provision, and will be saved from the trials of the grave.” Imam Ahmad recorded that Fadalah bin ‘Ubayd said that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying:
«كُلُّ مَيِّتٍ يُخْتَمُ عَلى عَمَلِهِ إِلَّا الَّذِي مَاتَ مُرَابِطًا فِي سَبِيل اللهِ،فَإِنَّهُ يَنْمِي لَهُ عَمَلُهُ إِلى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَيَأْمَنُ فِتْنَةَ الْقَبْر»
“Every dead person will have his record of deeds sealed, except for whoever dies while in Ribat in the cause of Allaah, for his work will keep increasing until the Day of Resurrection, and he will be safe from the trial of the grave.” This is the same narration collected by Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi, who said, “Hasan Sahih”. Ibn Hibban also collected this Hadith in his Sahih. At-Tirmidhi recorded that Ibn ‘Abbas said that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying:
«عَيْنَانِ لَا تَمَسُّهُمَا النَّارُ: عَيْنٌ بَكَتْ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللهِ، وَعَيْنٌ بَاتَتْ تَحْرُسُ فِي سَبِيلِ الله»
“Two eyes shall not be touched by the Fire: an eye that cried for fear from Allaah and an eye that spent the night guarding in Allaah’s cause.” Al-Bukhari recorded in his Sahih that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:
«تَعِسَ عَبْدُالدِّينَارِ وَعَبْدُالدِّرْهَمِ وَعَبْدُالْخَمِيصَةِ، إِنْ أُعْطِيَ رَضِيَ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يُعْطَ سَخِطَ، تَعِسَ وَانْتَكَسَ، وَإِذَا شِيكَ فَلَا انْتَقَشَ، طُوبَى لِعَبْدٍ آخِذٍ بِعِنَانِ فَرَسِهِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ، أَشْعَثَ رَأْسُهُ، مُغْبَرَّةٍ قَدَمَاهُ، إِنْ كَانَ فِي الْحِرَاسَةِ كَانَ فِي الْحِرَاسَةِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي السَّاقَةِ كَانَ فِي السَّاقَةِ، إِنِ اسْتَأْذَنَ لَمْ يُؤْذَنْ لَهُ، وَإِنْ شَفَعَ لَمْ يُشَفَّع»
“Let the servant of the Dinar, the servant of the Dirham and the servant of the Khamisah (of clothes) perish, as he is pleased if these things are given to him, and if not, he is displeased. Let such a person perish and be humiliated, and if he is pierced with a thorn, let him not find anyone to take it out for him. Paradise is for him who holds the reins of his horse, striving in Allaah’s cause, with his hair unkempt and feet covered with dust: if he is appointed to the vanguard, he is perfectly satisfied with his post of guarding, and if he is appointed in the rearguard, he accepts his post with satisfaction; if he asks for permission he is not permitted, and if he intercedes, his intercession is not accepted.”
Ibn Jarir recorded that Zayd bin Aslam said, “Abu ‘Ubaydah wrote to ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab and mentioned to him that the Romans were mobilizing their forces. Umar wrote back, ‘Allaah will soon turn whatever hardship a believing servant suffers, to ease, and no hardship shall ever overcome two types of ease. Allaah says in His Book,
[يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ اصْبِرُواْ وَصَابِرُواْ وَرَابِطُواْ وَاتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ]
‘O you who believe! Endure and be more patient, and Rabitu, and have Taqwa of Allaah, so that you may be successful.’ [3:200]”
Al-Hafidh Ibn ‘Asakir mentioned in the biography of ‘Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak, that Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Abi Sakinah said, “While in the area of Tarsus, ‘Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak dictated this poem to me when I was greeting him goodbye. He sent the poem with me to Al-Fudayl bin ‘Iyad in the year one hundred and seventy, ‘O he who worships in the vicinity of the Two Holy Masjids! If you but see us, you will realize that you are only jesting in worship. He who brings wetness to his cheek with his tears, should know that our necks are being wet by our blood. He who tires his horses without purpose, know that our horses are getting tired in battle. Scent of perfume is yours, while our scent is the glimmer of spears and the stench of dust [in battle]. We were narrated about in the speech of our Prophet, an authentic statement that never lies. That the dust that erupts by Allaah’s horses and which fills the nostrils of a man shall never be combined with the smoke of a raging Fire. This, the Book of
Allaah speaks among us that the martyr is not dead, and the truth in Allaah’s Book cannot be denied.’ I met Al-Fudayl Ibn ‘Iyad in the Sacred Masjid and gave him the letter. When he read it, his eyes became tearful and he said, ‘Abu ‘Abdur-Rahman (‘Abdullaah bin Al-Mubarak) has said the truth and offered sincere advice to me.’ He then asked me, ‘Do you write the Hadith?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Write this Hadith as reward for delivering the letter of Abu ‘Abdur-Rahman to me.
Allaah speaks among us that the martyr is not dead, and the truth in Allaah’s Book cannot be denied.’ I met Al-Fudayl Ibn ‘Iyad in the Sacred Masjid and gave him the letter. When he read it, his eyes became tearful and he said, ‘Abu ‘Abdur-Rahman (‘Abdullaah bin Al-Mubarak) has said the truth and offered sincere advice to me.’ He then asked me, ‘Do you write the Hadith?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Write this Hadith as reward for delivering the letter of Abu ‘Abdur-Rahman to me.
He then dictated, ‘Mansur bin Al-Mu’tamir narrated to us that Abu Salih narrated from Abu Hurayrah that a man asked, ‘O Messenger of Allaah! Teach me a good deed that will earn me the reward of the Mujahidin in Allaah’s cause.’
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:
«هَلْ تَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ فَلَا تَفْتُرَ،وَتَصُومَ فَلَا تُفْطِرَ؟»
“Are you able to pray continuously and fast without breaking the fast?” The man said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah! I cannot bear it.’ The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:
«فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ طُوِّقْتَ ذلِكَ مَا بَلَغْتَ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ، أَوَ مَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ فَرَسَ الْمُجَاهِدِ لَيَسْتَنُّ فِي طِوَلِهِ، فَيُكْتَبُ لَهُ بِذلِكَ الْحَسَنَات»
“By He in Whose Hand is my soul! Even if you were able to do it, you will not achieve the grade of the Mujahidin in Allaah’s cause. Did you not know that the horse of the Mujahid earns rewards for him as long as it lives.”
Source: Abridged Version of Tafsir Ibn Kathir, tafsir of last ayah (200) of Soorat Aali-‘Imran
