Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
muslim:1878aSaʿīd b. Manṣūr > Khālid b. ʿAbdullāh al-Wāsiṭī > Suhayl b. Abū Ṣāliḥ from his father > Abū Hurayrah

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.  

مسلم:١٨٧٨aحَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْوَاسِطِيُّ عَنْ سُهَيْلِ بْنِ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

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  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Tirmidhī, Aḥmad, Ibn Ḥibbān, Bayhaqī
tirmidhi:1619Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > Abū ʿAwānah > Suhayl b. Abū Ṣāliḥ from his father > Abū Hurayrah

"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.  

الترمذي:١٦١٩حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ عَنْ سُهَيْلِ بْنِ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

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  

قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنِ الشَّفَاءِ وَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ حُبْشِيٍّ وَأَبِي مُوسَى وَأَبِي سَعِيدٍ وَأُمِّ مَالِكٍ الْبَهْزِيَّةِ وَأَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ وَهَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ وَقَدْ رُوِيَ مِنْ غَيْرِ وَجْهٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ
ahmad:9481Abū Muʿāwiyah > Suhayl from his father > Abū Hurayrah

[Machine] They said, "O Messenger of Allah, tell us about an action that is equivalent to jihad in the cause of Allah." He said, "You are not able to do it twice or three times?" They said, "Tell us anyway, perhaps we will be able to do it." He said, "The example of the Mujahid in the cause of Allah is like the example of the one who fasts continuously and prays without ceasing until the Mujahid returns to his family."  

أحمد:٩٤٨١حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُهَيْلٌ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَخْبِرْنَا بِعَمَلٍ يَعْدِلُ الْجِهَادَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ قَالَ لَا تُطِيقُونَهُ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلَاثًا قَالَ قَالُوا أَخْبِرْنَا فَلَعَلَّنَا نُطِيقُهُ قَالَ مَثَلُ الْمُجَاهِدِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ كَمَثَلِ الصَّائِمِ الْقَائِمِ الْقَانِتِ بِآيَاتِ اللهِ لَا يَفْتُرُ مِنْ صِيَامٍ وَلَا صَلَاةٍ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ الْمُجَاهِدُ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ  

ذِكْرُ مَا يَعْدِلُ الْجِهَادَ مِنَ الطَّاعَاتِ

ibnhibban:4627al-Ḥasan b. Sufyān al-Shaybānī > Abū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah > Abū Muʿāwiyah > Suhayl b. Abū Ṣāliḥ from his father > Abū Hurayrah

[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."  

ابن حبّان:٤٦٢٧أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ سُفْيَانَ الشَّيْبَانِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنْ سُهَيْلِ بْنِ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

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»  

bayhaqi:18489[Chain 1] Abū Ṭāhir al-Faqīh > Ḥājib b. Aḥmad b. Sufyān al-Ṭūsī > ʿAbd al-Raḥīm b. Munīb > Jarīr b. ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd [Chain 2] Abū ʿAbdullāh al-Ḥāfiẓ > Abū Bakr Aḥmad b. Isḥāq Imlāʾ > Aḥmad b. Salamah > Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm > Jarīr > Suhayl from his father > Abū Hurayrah ؓ

[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."  

البيهقي:١٨٤٨٩أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو طَاهِرٍ الْفَقِيهُ أنبأ حَاجِبُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ سُفْيَانَ الطُّوسِيُّ ثنا عَبْدُ الرَّحِيمِ بْنُ مُنِيبٍ ثنا جَرِيرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ ح وَأَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ ثنا أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ إِمْلَاءً ثنا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ ثنا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أنبأ جَرِيرٌ عَنْ سُهَيْلٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ؓ قَالَ

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  

رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ فِي الصَّحِيحِ عَنْ زُهَيْرِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ عَنْ جَرِيرٍ