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.  

قِيلَ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ مَا يَعْدِلُ الْجِهَادَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ﷻ قَالَ لاَ تَسْتَطِيعُونَهُ قَالَ فَأَعَادُوا عَلَيْهِ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثًا كُلُّ ذَلِكَ يَقُولُ لاَ تَسْتَطِيعُونَهُ وَقَالَ فِي الثَّالِثَةِ مَثَلُ الْمُجَاهِدِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ الصَّائِمِ الْقَائِمِ الْقَانِتِ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ لاَ يَفْتُرُ مِنْ صِيَامٍ وَلاَ صَلاَةٍ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ الْمُجَاهِدُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى  

"It was said, 'O Messenger of Allah, what equals Jihad?' He said: 'Verily, you (people) are not capable of it.' So they repeated it to him two or three times, each time he said, 'You (people) are not capable of it.' Then he said the third time: 'The example of the Mujahid in the path of Allah is like the one who fasts and stands (in prayer) and does not slacken from Salat, nor fasting, until the Mujahid in the cause of Allah returns.'" There are narrations on this topic from Ash-Shifa', 'Abdullah bin Hubshi, Abu Musa', Abu Sa'eed, Umm Malik Al-Bahziyyah, and Anas. This Hadith is a Hasan Sahih. And it has been reported through more than one route from Abu Hurairah from the Prophet ﷺ.  

قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا يَعْدِلُ الْجِهَادَ قَالَ لاَ تَسْتَطِيعُونَهُ فَرَدُّوا عَلَيْهِ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثًا كُلُّ ذَلِكَ يَقُولُ لاَ تَسْتَطِيعُونَهُ فَقَالَ فِي الثَّالِثَةِ مَثَلُ الْمُجَاهِدِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ مَثَلُ الْقَائِمِ الصَّائِمِ الَّذِي لاَ يَفْتُرُ مِنْ صَلاَةٍ وَلاَ صِيَامٍ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ الْمُجَاهِدُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ  

[Machine] They said, "O Messenger of Allah, tell us about a deed that is equivalent to jihad in the cause of Allah." He replied, "You are unable to do it." They said, "O Messenger of Allah, tell us so that we may be able to do it." He said, "The likeness of a mujahid in the cause of Allah is like that of a fasting person who stands in prayer and recites the verses of Allah, not taking a break from fasting or giving charity until the mujahid returns to his family."  

قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَخْبِرْنَا بِعَمَلٍ يَعْدِلُ الْجِهَادَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ قَالَ «لَا تُطِيقُونَهُ» قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَخْبِرْنَا لَعَلَّنَا نُطِيقُهُ قَالَ «مَثَلُ الْمُجَاهِدِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ الصَّائِمِ الْقَائِمِ الْقَانِتِ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ لَا يَفْتُرُ مِنْ صَوْمٍ وَلَا صَدَقَةٍ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ الْمُجَاهِدُ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ»  

[Machine] They said, "O Messenger of Allah, tell us what is equivalent to jihad in the way of Allah." He said, "Indeed, you are not able." We said, "Yes, we can." He said, "Indeed, you are not able." He said, "So I do not know, is it the third or the fourth? The example of the Mujahid in the way of Allah is like that of the fasting, standing, obedient to the verses of Allah. He does not miss a prayer or fasting until the Mujahid returns to his family."  

قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَخْبِرْنَا مَا يَعْدِلُ الْجِهَادَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ لَا تَسْتَطِيعُونَ قُلْنَا بَلَى قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ لَا تَسْتَطِيعُونَهُ قَالَ فَلَا أَدْرِي فِي الثَّالِثَةِ أَمْ فِي الرَّابِعَةِ مَثَلُ الْمُجَاهِدِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ كَمَثَلِ الصَّائِمِ الْقَائِمِ الْقَانِتِ بِآيَاتِ اللهِ لَا يَفْتُرُ مِنْ صَلَاةٍ وَلَا صِيَامٍ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ الْمُجَاهِدُ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ  

"مثَلُ المجاهِد في سبيل اللهِ، كمثل الصائِم القائِمِ القانِتِ بآياتِ اللهِ لا يفتُرُ مِن صوم ولا صدقة، حتى يرجع المجاهد إِلى أَهلِه".