It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "Which deed is the most virtuous?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Faith in Allah, the Exalted." He said: "Then which?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Striving in the path of Allah, the Exalted." He said: "Then which?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Then Hajj Mabroor (an accepted pilgrimage)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I said, "O Messenger of Allah! Which deed is the best?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "To have faith in Allah and to strive in His path."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: By Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)! I wish to fight in the way of Allah, then be martyred, then be brought back to life and then be martyred again, then be brought back to life and then be martyred again, then be brought back to life and then be martyred again. And if I did not consider it hard upon the believers, I would never stay behind from any army that fights in the way of Allah, but I do not have enough means to provide them with mounts, and they also do not have enough means to prepare themselves and go with me, and their souls do not allow them to stay behind from me.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Tell me of an action that is equal to jihad. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I do not find any such action. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Can you manage, when the mujahid goes out (for jihad), to enter the mosque and remain continuously in prayer without becoming weary, and to fast continuously without breaking your fast? He said: I do not have the strength for that. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the mujahid’s horse walks within the area of its tether, even for that walking, good deeds are written for him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Companions said: O Messenger of Allah! Tell us about an action that is equal to striving (jihad) in the way of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You do not have the ability to do that. He said this two or three times. The people said: Please tell us, perhaps we might have the ability to do it? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The example of the one who strives (mujahid) is like that of a person who fasts continuously and stands in prayer with the verses of Allah continuously, neither tiring from fasting nor from prayer, until the mujahid returns to his family.

Narrated by Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Every prophet has his own asceticism, and the asceticism of this Ummah is striving in the way of Allah.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: To set out once in the morning or evening in the way of Allah is better than all those things upon which the sun rises and sets.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: To set out once in the morning or evening in the path of Allah is better than the world and whatever is in it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) said: O Messenger of Allah! Which jihad is the most excellent? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The one whose horse’s legs are cut and his own blood is shed.

Narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The return from jihad is just like jihad itself.